Simply stated, fall is an excellent time to manage biennial and perennial weeds.

In particular, biennials such as common burdock, wild carrot, and bull, musk, and plumeless thistles are much easier to kill while they are in the rosette stage of growth and before surviving a winter.

Once they start growth in the spring, they rapidly develop with the goal of reproducing and it becomes more difficult to control them. As you have heard many times before, late summer and fall is the best time to control most perennials with a systemic herbicide because herbicides are moved into the root systems allowing better control.

In general, the application window runs from early September through October depending on where you are in the state and what weeds you are targeting. Applications to perennial species like horsenettle, smooth groundcherry, and woody species like multiflora rose should be on the early side of this window, while cool-season perennials like Canada thistle, quackgrass, and dandelion can be effectively controlled after several light frosts.

With both biennial and perennials species, adequate leaf tissue must be present and it should be reasonably healthy to absorb the herbicide. For grass pastures, check the 2011–12 Penn State Agronomy Guide (extension.psu.edu/agron-omy-guide/pm/tables/table2-6-7.pdf) for specific herbicide performance by weed species information and a current product label for use recommendations and restrictions.

The most common herbicides used for broad-spectrum control of many weeds in the fall is glyphosate for grasses and broadleaves and 2-4–D or dicamba (Banvel, Clarity, etc.) for broadleaves. A combination of these products may be the best solution for a mixture of different perennial weeds.

For most perennials including hemp dogbane, horsenettle, common milkweed, pokeweed, hedge bind-weed, multiflora rose, poison ivy, and wild blackberry, make applications from Sept. 1 through Oct. 15 or before a hard frost.

In general, applications by Oct. 1 may be more effective. In northern areas of Pennsylvania, consider making the application before Oct. 1. An additional two week application window can exist for Canada thistle and quackgrass, because of their cool-season habit of growth.

Important considerations:

Make sure that the foliage on the weeds appears relatively healthy and capable of absorbing the herbicide spray.

Plants that have been damaged by insect feeding, drought, harvest equipment, frost, or autumn leaf senescence are not good candidates for fall applications.

So, if that pokeweed you have been dealing with during season is still standing and the leaves and stems are not too tattered after harvest, then there is still a great chance to control it yet this fall. Make sure to use adequate herbicide rates, high spray volumes, and get good spray coverage over the plant for effective kill.

Favorable air temperatures should be a consideration immediately before, during, and after application. In general, the warmer the better, with daytime high temperatures in the mid 50s at a minimum.

Cold nights and cool, cloudy days will reduce and slow the effectiveness of the applications. The more active the weeds are growing, the better the herbicide performance.

Information provided by Penn State University.

Luke Fritz is executive director of the Butler County Farm Service Agency.