Now is the time of year when crabgrass rears its ugly face. Expect to see more of it this season after the heavy spring rains may have caused preemergent treatments to break down before the end of the crabgrass germination window. I bet you’re already seeing it and maybe spraying it, but chances are that if you are just seeing it now, our little nemesis is in that pesky 2-4 tiller stage that just won’t die. You might be interested to know about a few new technologies available to help you in your battle against this foe.

Left to right, crabgrass plants in the 3‐leaf, 5‐leaf, and 3‐tiller stage growing side‐by‐side.

NEW from BASF
BASF recently introduced Pylex, which shows efficacy on 2-4 tiller stage crabgrass and goosegrass, something that quinclorac alone can’t touch. Have you ever had crabgrass that just wouldn’t die? Well, maybe it’s goosegrass; they can look an awful lot alike. Over the last several years I have seen a sharp increase in goosegrass breakthrough, often from late spring lawn installations. Goosegrass is no match for this stuff.

Pylex also controls a list of more difficult weeds like nimblewill, johnsongrass, and clover. It has a low use rate, only 1.5 oz per acre, and triclopyr can be added at 4 oz per acre to reduce bleaching. Pylex is safe for use on perennial ryegrass, which can be finicky. It can be used prior to seeding, but you will want to wait at least 28 days after seeding to apply it.

For the same level of control at a lower cost per acre, use a half rate of Pylex with a half rate of Drive XLR8. The new XLR8 formulation has improved uptake and improved rain-fastness (within 30 minutes) compared to other quinclorac formulations, and it’s liquid.  

NEW from Nufarm
Hot off the assembly line from Nufarm and just in time, Last Call is a unique, proprietary combination of fluroxypyr (Spotlight), fenoxaprop (Acclaim), and dicamba. Don’t tank mix these three yourself! They previously could not be mixed together, but this proprietary trio packs a punch. With the exception of yellow nutsedge, I don’t think there is much it doesn’t get. If you have used Q4 Plus, this would be a great Johnny-on-the-spot product for when that dreaded call comes in and you don’t know what you are walking into. 

Last Call will even get the mid-tiller stage crabgrass, as well as goosegrass, barnyardgrass, clover, oxalis, spurge, and many others. It has no wind restrictions and is rain fast within an hour. There is a catch though; products containing 2,4-D reduce the effectiveness of Last call. Do not apply Last Call within 21 days following a 2,4-D application, or 5 days before a 2,4-D application.

Don’t forget to use a surfactant. Chem-stik, Chem-stik LPH, and Microyl Synthetic MSO are great options. They do make a difference, taking old-fashioned quinclorac alone from 60% to better than 90%, depending on the product. The one exception is the Siloxane or silicone-based adjuvants. University results show that they will actually lower efficacy compared to using no adjuvant at all, so you won’t want to use those.

Contact your ATS sales representative to discuss these and other new products. Have a great season and go kill some crabgrass!

Sam Weil
ATS Sales Representative