Grass growth is on the rise and covers are starting to build on farm. That means it may be time to control grassland weeds before covers get too strong.

Annual weeds such as docks and thistles will start to mature over the coming weeks, making them much harder to kill. Ideally, you want to hit these weeds before they start to produce seeds.

Spraying before grass covers get too heavy means there is greater contact with weed plants.

This gives a more effective kill of weeds and it will also limit any potential setback in grass growth.

Product choice

Choose an appropriate herbicide for weed control and follow the correct dilution and application rates so that chemicals work effectively.

Be mindful of keeping animals off swards after spraying for the specified time period, which should be indicated on the spray product information.

On swards with a good clover content, options for clover-safe sprays are limited, so be mindful when selecting a product.

Clover tends to come into its own from summer onwards, so spraying weeds before then is recommended.