The challenges of weed control in the nursery and landscape industries just got easier and less expensive. According to The Ohio State University Department of Horticulture and Crop Science field trials, a combination of mulch and pre-emergent herbicide treatments can provide weed control for nearly a year per single application. Consequently, that translates into anywhere from 88 to 93 percent in potential chemical and labor savings annually for nurseries and landscape professionals, said Hannah Mathers, an Ohio State nursery and landscape extension specialist.
"Weed control is the largest expense facing the nursery and landscape industries, and professionals are constantly looking for methods that provide the best efficacy with the least amount of money," said Mathers, who holds a research appointment with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. "This particular work shows that by combining two methods of control, you can produce a positive interaction that offers a superior control of weeds and a promising alternative to reducing herbicide use."
The field trials are an expansion of five years of Ohio State research involving efficacy and duration of herbicide-treated mulches on weed control in container plants.
After testing a number of different combinations, researchers found that herbicide-treated mulches excelled over untreated mulches and direct sprays, at least regarding duration of efficacy while reducing leaching of chemicals into the soil.
Researchers are still analyzing the interaction between herbicides and mulches that accounts for such high efficacy rates and little leaching. But for now, Mathers said the nursery and landscape industries can take comfort in the potential savings that are offered through such herbicide-mulch treatments.
"The industry uses granular applications at about $315 per application. Put on three applications, and it'll cost you $945. Compare that to a single liquid application, like we used in our trials, for $110, and industry professionals could potentially be saving themselves a lot of money," said Mathers. "Take away the extra labor expenses normally incurred for supplemental weeding, for example, and the savings gets even greater."
