Green plants everywhere
Moisture brings growth and that includes regrowth of canola plants before and after harvest. What can you do about this regrowth?
Before harvest. Regrowth coming up through swaths will be a particular challenge because these can’t be sprayed. Harvest can be a slow process. Check sieves for build-up of green plant material (from green plants taken in with the swaths) and the harvest sample for green dockage. With green regrowth in a standing crop, a pre-harvest application of a diquat desiccant or Heat will dry-down that green and make harvest a little easier.
After harvest. Canola regrowth might as well be volunteer canola, except these plants have well-established root systems and will be harder to kill. Use higher rates of glyphosate and possibly a tank mix (especially if Roundup Ready) to stop the regrowing canola from taking up nutrients and water. See Fall weed control — Timing and targets for more information.
Other considerations. Green regrowth could be used as a “cover crop” to reduce soil erosion this fall and sequester carbon. It will also provide some plant material to capture more snowfall – especially useful if the harvested crop was too thin or cut too short to provide adequate stubble for snow catch. However, this cover crop will be taking up residual soil nutrients, which could be very high after 2021 (and soil water, which may be low). These resources will eventually be plant-available, but may not be there in time for 2022.
