Johnson grass is the bane of our existence on the farm. Flame weeding followed by tarping has helped but at the end of the day you have to dig it out. Eight years of farming and it's still a yearly battle. Haven't been able to convince my cats to graze on it...yet!
Takes a special kitty. Unfortunately she is fixed and I can't breed her or I think we'd be rich! Flame weeding is a good call. I find most grasses have no respect for the flame but JG has those wide leaves... A good idea.
I've been trying to knock out some patches of Johnson grass this year after it got started from some bails of hay that was infested in it probably 20+ years ago. I found reassurance that I was doing the right thing to do by watching this video. I used some tarps on the in fested patches and left them for most of the summer and recently took them up and pulled up as much of the plant and rhizomes that lived under the tarp and started to plant st Augustine grass in the bare spots.
I’ve heard some OG no-till growers say it gets easier to manage as you increase your organic matter. Not only does it not like a predominantly fungal environment (prefers bacterial), but you get so much more of the rhizome out when you pull it. I love the approach, JG is managed culturally and not with just one method. It’s not impossible to get under control, but it may mean you have to become a better, more conscientious, person. JG is an opportunity for personal development, right? #glasshalffull
Makes sense to me. A lot of weeds are (they say) a response to deficiencies, and that grasses are more bacterial based so I don't see why JG would be any different! Good call, let JG make us all better farmers.
I don't have a farm I actually just started gardening this year but our backyard is covered in Johnson grass and everything I have done so far has made it worse this video explains pretty much why thank you
We don’t have it here in south east Virginia but we do have wire/Bermuda grass. It has a rhizome too and spreads like crazy. In the family garden that’s been here for generations it’s not an issue in the middle because it’s been worked on for years but around the edges is a constant battle to defend against. I started an orchard last winter in the yard and covered it with nearly a foot of wood chips and it still comes through. About every few weeks I get a bucket and pull and dig it out. It’s nice to find a big long runner underneath to dispose of. Enjoyed the video!
Oh man. We are SO thankful we do not have bermuda! What a tough grass that stuff is. I've delt with it on other farms and it is a beast. I have seen it around our farm, though, so I do fear one day a seed will make it in...
Hey I live in Puerto Rico thank you for sharing I don’t want to us chemicals because the blue land crabs are dying also rats that eat poison also kills the small owls we have here. I appreciate the info.. we have the green parrots, the coqui is what it’s called are frogs here. Different kinds of lizards including iguanas. I’m hoping that everyone turn away from poisons that do not help the earth.
Thank you for this video! I have a large former garden patch taken over by 5-ft-tall Johnson Grass and I'm wondering if it's possible to dig it all out and still plant by early March. Maybe put down cardboard and leaves as mulch around the vegetable plants? Very new to gardening and any advice would be great!
I have Japanese Honeysuckle and the entire thing is like wood and rhizomorphic. Just have to stay on top of it by hand-pulling and digging up the roots. The stuff is insane it wraps around and "hugs" trees to death. Was smothering out some wild raspberries and grapes on my property when I first moved here...
In Ireland we have bogs, with reeds and, we have a similar grass but more invasive unfortunately its like Medow grass similar root system and, animals eat it comes back perfect for then to eat more and it's, so thick so people use PIGS they stomp it out eat it all up then follow, with turkeys then loads of woodchip grass clippings more woodchips
A neighbor wants to spray herbicide on a several acre plot of Johnsongrass. Pulling is not an option, it's too much for us seniors. Cutting is not working because we cant get out there often enough as we all work too. The owner is not around & ignores it. Rather than have an herbicide leech into my well water, I'm trying to suggest spraying vinegar & orange oil. I don't know what else to suggest.
Have you tried a plant called yellow rattle? It is parasitic on grasses, so could be used to clear an area, or at least weaken it as it will tap into those roots and weaken grasses by as much as 60%. Not sure what you can grow as a crop with it, so will have to experiment.
I just had two truckloads of beautiful dirt brought in, and now I see johnson grass is erupting here and there. Do you recommend a garden fork or will that likely break the rizomes too? Or would just pulling it be better?
@@skoal022 That's what I meant by not considering it "winning". You also can't use the land its on for any other purpose, which would miss the point of getting rid of the johnsongrass.
So, i hear if you put some hogs on a crop field with johnson grass they will eat all the rhizomes. Literally. The guy from Rose Creek farm mentioned got rid of it that way in his Farmer to Farmer interview, but I have different weed challenges. Anybody figure out how to coexist with horse nettle? I rent pasture, and as I'm looking for more and talking with local land owners, it seems folks want to know what you plan to do about their horse nettle.
We tried this one with okay results. They definitely ate some but not all. We even tried to bring them some JG roots and they mostly ignored them (even buried a few in the woods).
Very good video. I am not a market gardener so I am not confronting exactly the same issues you do, but I have a JG problem in a number of different places where I am trying to plant a garden or the beginnings of a food forest. One area is an old foundation for a modular home so I am trying to grow bamboo there to see if it will eventually out compete the JG. I acquired the bamboo free so I will not be out any money if it fails. A question I have is if it is mowed before it goes to seed couldn't it be feed to the livestock? Also if it is mowed before going to seed could it be used to create a Koren style fertilizer? It is a prodigiously productive grass so in either of the last two cases it may become an abundant resource. Of course I could be overlooking something so that is why I am asking.
I am not a farmer but my wife says that if you plant grass then you will not have weeds because the weeds cannot find a place to grow. In Tennesse Bermuda grass takes over in the summer and dies out in the winter. Weeds like to pop their ugly heads up where the Bermuda grass dies so we have resorted to planting annual rye grass that dies when it gets warm in the spring and the Bermuda grass kicks right back into the yard to fill the voids. You will still get some weeds but that is what weed killer is for except on a much smaller scale. I told her that no matter what you do that the weeds will always return because that is the way God intended it to be. Just cut the grass in the summer and plant annual rye grass in the winter and hope that takes care of it . Scott's Halts product does a good job of handling crabgrass. Having said all of this. It probably doesn't apply to your application.
I’ve got a 100m2 horsetail infected area. I’ve tried the did down as far as you can method to weaken it. It’s the second year and still going. Any other tips?
I don't think you need concentrated vinegar as a herbicide. But you need sunshine for a few days to dry out the soil somewhat. Watering with diluted vinegar has worked for me. I seem to remember that I used vinegar diluted to 4%. I was planning to dilute further, but never got that far. I don't remember if the weeds was killed or just wilted.
It's such a pain. I don't understand who invited it to the party. I'm gonna give William Johnson a piece of my mind in the afterlife. But yes, managing it is the most sane approach.
Fought it for years and tried everything. Covering it with heavy black sheets worked to some extent. Finally we had a 4 year drought and have not seen any since.
Have you ever seen one of these robotic garden weeders? It may be too small for your garden but I will leave a link for you. I thought it was pretty cool. tertill.com/?aff=6 Have you ever seen the drone sprayers that are designed for farms. They spray using GPS technology. enterprise.dronenerds.com/platforms/
Johnson grass is the bane of our existence on the farm. Flame weeding followed by tarping has helped but at the end of the day you have to dig it out. Eight years of farming and it's still a yearly battle. Haven't been able to convince my cats to graze on it...yet!
Takes a special kitty. Unfortunately she is fixed and I can't breed her or I think we'd be rich! Flame weeding is a good call. I find most grasses have no respect for the flame but JG has those wide leaves... A good idea.
@Santino Kalel yea, have been using flixzone} for years myself :D
@Santino Kalel Definitely, I have been using flixzone} for since december myself :)
Best video I have watched concerning Johnson grass. Thank you.
I've been trying to knock out some patches of Johnson grass this year after it got started from some bails of hay that was infested in it probably 20+ years ago. I found reassurance that I was doing the right thing to do by watching this video. I used some tarps on the in fested patches and left them for most of the summer and recently took them up and pulled up as much of the plant and rhizomes that lived under the tarp and started to plant st Augustine grass in the bare spots.
I’ve heard some OG no-till growers say it gets easier to manage as you increase your organic matter. Not only does it not like a predominantly fungal environment (prefers bacterial), but you get so much more of the rhizome out when you pull it. I love the approach, JG is managed culturally and not with just one method. It’s not impossible to get under control, but it may mean you have to become a better, more conscientious, person. JG is an opportunity for personal development, right? #glasshalffull
Makes sense to me. A lot of weeds are (they say) a response to deficiencies, and that grasses are more bacterial based so I don't see why JG would be any different! Good call, let JG make us all better farmers.
Thanks for this info.!
I learned a lot in a very short time. Thank you from a teacher.
~~~ Thank you for the time you took to make this video for us out here.
I don't have a farm I actually just started gardening this year but our backyard is covered in Johnson grass and everything I have done so far has made it worse this video explains pretty much why thank you
We don’t have it here in south east Virginia but we do have wire/Bermuda grass. It has a rhizome too and spreads like crazy. In the family garden that’s been here for generations it’s not an issue in the middle because it’s been worked on for years but around the edges is a constant battle to defend against. I started an orchard last winter in the yard and covered it with nearly a foot of wood chips and it still comes through. About every few weeks I get a bucket and pull and dig it out. It’s nice to find a big long runner underneath to dispose of. Enjoyed the video!
Oh man. We are SO thankful we do not have bermuda! What a tough grass that stuff is. I've delt with it on other farms and it is a beast. I have seen it around our farm, though, so I do fear one day a seed will make it in...
I also have Bermuda grass (devil weed). It’s a nonstop battle 😫
I’d like to say I’m in SE VA and I have Johnson grass and Bermuda grass! Lord help me!
Vedge might be able to out compete
Your title "There’s really only one way: prayer" LOL i just thought that was funny bc dealing with that grass YEP PRAYER FOR MY SANITY
Hey I live in Puerto Rico thank you for sharing I don’t want to us chemicals because the blue land crabs are dying also rats that eat poison also kills the small owls we have here. I appreciate the info.. we have the green parrots, the coqui is what it’s called are frogs here. Different kinds of lizards including iguanas. I’m hoping that everyone turn away from poisons that do not help the earth.
Thank you for this video! I have a large former garden patch taken over by 5-ft-tall Johnson Grass and I'm wondering if it's possible to dig it all out and still plant by early March. Maybe put down cardboard and leaves as mulch around the vegetable plants? Very new to gardening and any advice would be great!
I tried the cardboard and mulch method and so far so good!
@@brandigraves1717 Great to know, thanks!!
In Georgia, mine usually goes away if I keep it mowed and never let it go to seed.
I have Japanese Honeysuckle and the entire thing is like wood and rhizomorphic. Just have to stay on top of it by hand-pulling and digging up the roots. The stuff is insane it wraps around and "hugs" trees to death. Was smothering out some wild raspberries and grapes on my property when I first moved here...
In Ireland we have bogs, with reeds and, we have a similar grass but more invasive unfortunately its like Medow grass similar root system and, animals eat it comes back perfect for then to eat more and it's, so thick so people use PIGS they stomp it out eat it all up then follow, with turkeys then loads of woodchip grass clippings more woodchips
A neighbor wants to spray herbicide on a several acre plot of Johnsongrass. Pulling is not an option, it's too much for us seniors. Cutting is not working because we cant get out there often enough as we all work too. The owner is not around & ignores it. Rather than have an herbicide leech into my well water, I'm trying to suggest spraying vinegar & orange oil. I don't know what else to suggest.
Have you tried a plant called yellow rattle? It is parasitic on grasses, so could be used to clear an area, or at least weaken it as it will tap into those roots and weaken grasses by as much as 60%. Not sure what you can grow as a crop with it, so will have to experiment.
I just had two truckloads of beautiful dirt brought in, and now I see johnson grass is erupting here and there. Do you recommend a garden fork or will that likely break the rizomes too? Or would just pulling it be better?
Oh I can’t stand Johnson grass it started in the ditch but noticed it’s creeping everywhere ugh thank you
Yeah. Get the rhizomes out. They are actually very easy to find and often very easy to remove, ya just gotta stop and do it.
Timber bamboo is very effective at shading out johnson grass. It might not be considered "winning", though.
I would never plant bamboo. Stuff gets outta hand.
@@skoal022 That's what I meant by not considering it "winning". You also can't use the land its on for any other purpose, which would miss the point of getting rid of the johnsongrass.
So, i hear if you put some hogs on a crop field with johnson grass they will eat all the rhizomes. Literally. The guy from Rose Creek farm mentioned got rid of it that way in his Farmer to Farmer interview, but I have different weed challenges. Anybody figure out how to coexist with horse nettle? I rent pasture, and as I'm looking for more and talking with local land owners, it seems folks want to know what you plan to do about their horse nettle.
We tried this one with okay results. They definitely ate some but not all. We even tried to bring them some JG roots and they mostly ignored them (even buried a few in the woods).
I just have a small backyard garden. And this stuff is horrible!!!!
If you pull it, you are going to make more. Do not do that! Breaking the rhizomes makes more and more. I’m talking from experience here.
I hate Johnson grass! Thanks for the tips! Just subscribed to your channel! I love it! Great stuff! Please do check out my channel too! Green Gregs
Very good video. I am not a market gardener so I am not confronting exactly the same issues you do, but I have a JG problem in a number of different places where I am trying to plant a garden or the beginnings of a food forest. One area is an old foundation for a modular home so I am trying to grow bamboo there to see if it will eventually out compete the JG. I acquired the bamboo free so I will not be out any money if it fails. A question I have is if it is mowed before it goes to seed couldn't it be feed to the livestock? Also if it is mowed before going to seed could it be used to create a Koren style fertilizer? It is a prodigiously productive grass so in either of the last two cases it may become an abundant resource. Of course I could be overlooking something so that is why I am asking.
Very helpful.
great info...thanks!
I am not a farmer but my wife says that if you plant grass then you will not have weeds because the weeds cannot find a place to grow. In Tennesse Bermuda grass takes over in the summer and dies out in the winter. Weeds like to pop their ugly heads up where the Bermuda grass dies so we have resorted to planting annual rye grass that dies when it gets warm in the spring and the Bermuda grass kicks right back into the yard to fill the voids. You will still get some weeds but that is what weed killer is for except on a much smaller scale. I told her that no matter what you do that the weeds will always return because that is the way God intended it to be. Just cut the grass in the summer and plant annual rye grass in the winter and hope that takes care of it . Scott's Halts product does a good job of handling crabgrass. Having said all of this. It probably doesn't apply to your application.
I had an Uncle named George Minton. Have you ever heard the song "Ed Minton" by Of Montreal?
I’ve got a 100m2 horsetail infected area. I’ve tried the did down as far as you can method to weaken it. It’s the second year and still going. Any other tips?
I don't think you need concentrated vinegar as a herbicide. But you need sunshine for a few days to dry out the soil somewhat. Watering with diluted vinegar has worked for me. I seem to remember that I used vinegar diluted to 4%. I was planning to dilute further, but never got that far.
I don't remember if the weeds was killed or just wilted.
What would you do for kudzu? I have literally acres of it on our farm.
Goats.
That shit is every-damned-where here.
There is no getting rid of it.
There is, however, managing it.
It's such a pain. I don't understand who invited it to the party. I'm gonna give William Johnson a piece of my mind in the afterlife. But yes, managing it is the most sane approach.
We steam em. It's annoying.
Fought it for years and tried everything. Covering it with heavy black sheets worked to some extent. Finally we had a 4 year drought and have not seen any since.
There is no such thing as a Johnson grass/kudzu problem, there is only herbivore opportunities.
wendell
Have you ever seen one of these robotic garden weeders? It may be too small for your garden but I will leave a link for you. I thought it was pretty cool.
tertill.com/?aff=6
Have you ever seen the drone sprayers that are designed for farms. They spray using GPS technology.
enterprise.dronenerds.com/platforms/
Weeder geese