Foxtail barley and fall weed control

For the latest on fall weed control, please read this Fundamentals article.

Foxtail barley is one weed that seems to be on the rise. Foxtail barley is best controlled in the fall, using glyphosate to manage perennial bunches and late germinating seedlings. Be aggressive with fall glyphosate rates. Tillage also works well on foxtail barley, but if you have to use tillage, spot till the patches only.

Waiting until spring is not the best option. Pre-seed applications when shoots are small and hidden by the previous year’s tuft are not always that effective unless very high rates of glyphosate (720 grams per acre equivalent) are used. Waiting until the foxtail barley is emerged beyond the dead tissue of the tuft may provide a better kill, but by then the weed has done a lot of damage in terms of tying up moisture and nutrient.

Further reading on fall weed management:
Top 10 weeds to watch for this fall (from 2013)
Fall weed control and frost