Opening day field prep and timing

**scoutlover** · 08-01-2025, 12:26 PM

This year, I've got a pretty bad infestation of horse nettle in my Clearfields. I was thinking about spraying glyphosate at some point, but I'm unsure of the best time to do it. I have never come back and sprayed anything to try and dry out the sunflowers either in my previous attempts and just relied on the seeds to drop naturally. When do you think it would be the best time to do that? Also, it got me curious as to what y'all do with your fields and the timeline with it between now and opening day with sunflowers and millet. Mowing strips, discing lanes, burning etc.

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**Palmetto Bug** · 08-01-2025, 01:38 PM

I haven't had much luck against horse nettle with glypho. I've read on here that success with it depends strongly on timing, like late summer and fall. I would try some sort of tank mix instead of just glypho.

Sunflower producers look at the state of browning of the green petals behind the yellow ones to determine when they are completely filled out and ready for a burn down. Planting just for birds, I haven't had a problem bad enough to warrant spraying standing sunflowers so far. Morning glory can be a problem but I've just let it go if there is food in the field.

I have sprayed corn over the top with glypho to try to combat morning glory and sicklepod. I don't have the right equipment to do a good job so my attempts have been marginal.

I cut a few rows of corn every couple weeks or so with a flail mower during the season, just enough to keep food on the ground. Sunflowers don't need any help getting spread around for birds. I let them stand as long as possible.

**Gut_Pile** · 08-01-2025, 01:56 PM

I have only dealt with horse nettle once in a dove field and gly didn't touch it

**Birdfinder** · 08-01-2025, 02:20 PM

We are not hunting until the 6th and 7th. I cleaned up the edges to my fields this morning. I have not sprayed anything yet but I’m going too.this field has been pretty clean but with the rain recently it’s causing some weeds to jump. I would spray the field with horse nettles a mix of gly and 24-d.732E0426-05D6-4C1D-B858-F38D109B5078.jpg