Herbicide Application Spraying herbicide is a common way to control weeds on a no-till farm. Conservation agriculture emphasizes sound environmental practices but still allows chemical herbicides, especially until weed control establishes.
Mulch is the key to successful weed control in no-till gardening. There are several mulches that can be beneficial. It is best to start a no-till garden in the fall to give applied mulch the time to breakdown and suppress any weed growth.
Hand-hoeing or hand-pulling of weeds is always a part of crop management because cultivation does not remove all of the weeds. In some crops there may not be any other method of control. By removing the few remaining weeds in the crop, not only will there be less competition, but fewer weed seeds will be produced.
No-till farmers grow crops with minimal disturbance to their fields and the organisms that call them home. This builds healthier soils while reducing money spent on fuel and labor – a win-win. With harvest season winding down, you're no doubt making an important decision for your working land.
Slashing, mowing, dozing, pushing and felling
At times, controlling weeds using mechanical methods is preferred. However, care should be taken when machinery is used in the process. Disturbing the soil with mechanical control can: increase the likelihood of seed germination.
No-tillage or zero tillage is a farming system in which seeds are directly placed into untilled soil which has retained the previous crop residues. It is also referred to as no-till.
Vertical tillage equipment allows growers to plant a few days earlier than both no-till or conventional tilling systems. Vertical tillage dries out the topsoil faster for planting than no-till. Hard soil often associated with no-till farming can hinder root growth.
Conservation tillage means any minimal tillage system that leaves sufficient crop residue to cover the soil surface by at least 30%. No-till farming, in which the soil is left undisturbed by tillage and the residue is left on the soil surface, is the most effective soil conservation system.
Hand weeding
It is probably the oldest method of controlling weeds and it is still a practical and efficient method of eliminating weeds in cropped and non-cropped lands. It is very effective against annuals, biennials and controls only upper portions of perennials.
Weeding is not the process of weed growth; in fact, it is the process of weed removal. This is best done before planting and during tilling so that weeds do not mature and do not interfere with the harvesting process.
Weeds are unwanted and uncultivated plants that grow with crops and compete with crops for nutrients and can also cause crop toxification. Weeding is removal of weeds and is mostly done before flowering begins in crop plants. It is done using trowel, harrow or weedicides. Trowel is used in manual removal of weeds.
Zero tillage is also called as no till. Zero tillage is an extreme form of minimum tillage. Primary tillage is completely avoided and secondary tillage is restricted to seedbed preparation in the row zone only. Till planting is one method of practicing zero tillage.
Whether it's processing residue, removing surface compaction or seeding covers, vertical tillage can be a valuable tool in your no-till system. As a no-tiller, any form of tillage is usually a bad word and some no-tillers are adamant that any form of soil disturbance is taboo.
With no-till a farmer has lost the ability to mechanically control weeds through tillage. There is a risk of carrying over plant diseases when crop residue is not incorporated into the soil after harvest.
Zero tillage in India
The zero-tillage system is being followed in the Indo-Gangetic plains where rice-wheat cropping is present. Wheat will be planted after rice harvest without any operation. Hundreds of farmers are following the same system and getting more yields and profits by reducing the cost of cultivation.
Since tillage fractures the soil, it disrupts soil structure, accelerating surface runoff and soil erosion. Tillage also reduces crop residue, which help cushion the force of pounding raindrops. Without crop residue, soil particles become more easily dislodged, being moved or 'splashed' away.
A solution of vinegar, salt, and dish soap can be a cheap and effective tool against some weeds. A solution of vinegar, salt and dish soap can be a cheap and effective tool against weeds.
Slashing. Slashing can be used to prevent tall growing weeds from flowering and setting seed. This method can be undertaken with a tractor and slashing implement or by using a hand-held brush-cutting machine.
Continual slashing may provide control if a desirable pasture species is present and encouraged to replace the weed, but slashing will not eradicate a weed, and can't be used for weed control in crops. Slashing can: prevent tall weeds from flowering and seeding.