What kills yellow bristle grass?
Management of small infestations
- Use glyphosate or fenoxaprop to spray out the infestation but note that other weeds will quickly fill the empty space.
- Glyphosate can be used at all stages of growth but glyphosate or fenoxaprop will not kill the YBG seed if the bristles have already turned yellow.
When to spray yellow bristle grass?
Complete renovation: for poor pastures complete renovation is the best option, either by going through a summer crop such as chicory (where grass weeds are easily controlled) or by spraying out with glyphosate in early autumn. In either case a strong sward needs to be established before winter.
How to control bristle grass?
Since yellow bristle grass germinates over an extended period from November to February, the best control that could be achieved from a single herbicide application was 70% by 2,2-DPA alone or in combination with either TCA or carbetamide, applied in December. MSMA was more effective on larger plants.
Where can I find yellow bristle grass in New Zealand?
YBG is now widespread throughout much of the North Island and has been identified in some places in the top half of the South Island. Your regional council can provide up to date information on where it is in your region. What does it look like?
How big is the head of a bristle grass?
Seed head is a cylindrical ‘spike’, 2.5 – 10 cm long, with many densely packed spikelets. Each spikelet is surrounded by five to ten bristles, 5-8 mm long which are green initially but later turn golden-brown
Where does yellow bristle grass ( YBG ) come from?
Yellow bristle grass (YBG) originally came from southern Asia where it is…“A relatively good natural grazing species, although leaf production is moderately low. It is a serious weed in some areas, especially since it only germinates late in the season once most control measures have already been applied.
When is yellow bristle grass unpalatable to animals?
Yellow bristle grass is unpalatable to farm stock after the seed heads emerge, from about mid-January until the first frost. So animals avoid it, meaning pasture is under-utilised. Meanwhile the seeds are rapidly further dispersed by animals, water, soil movement, machinery, and through contaminated hay or maize brought into paddocks.