Weed Control Guide for Ohio Field Crops

Weed Control Principles

Herbicide Use Precautions

Herbicides like all pesticides, should be handled with extreme care and respect in order to protect yourself and others from poisoning, avoid harming and polluting the environment, and avoid crop injury. Whenever handling pesticides, stop and read the label. Labels provide specific safety suggestions and requirements for handling particular products. Following are general guidelines to reduce the risks in pesticide use.

• Apply herbicides only to those crops for which use has been approved.
• Clean tanks thoroughly when changing herbicides, especially when using a postemergence herbicide
• Correctly calibrate the sprayer and check the nozzle output and adjustment before adding herbicide to a tank.
• Use recommended rates. Applying too much herbicide is costly, may damage crops, and is against the law. Using too little herbicide can result in poor weed control.
• Apply herbicides only at times specified on the label. Observe the recommended intervals between treatment and pasturing or harvesting of crops. Observe the recommended interval between application and planting of follow crops
• Wear goggles, rubber gloves, and other protective clothing as suggested by the label.
• Guard against drift injury to nearby susceptible plants, such as ornamental and vegetables, as well as agronomic crops.
• Apply herbicide only when all animals and persons not directly involved in the application have been removed from the area. Avoid unnecessary exposure.
• Check the label for the proper method of container disposal. Triple rinse, puncture, and haul metal containers to an approved sanitary landfill. Haul paper containers to a sanitary landfill or burn them in an approved manner.
• Promptly return unused herbicides to a safe storage space. Store them in original containers away from unauthorized persons, especially children. Keep storage areas locked.
• Formulations and labels are frequently changed and government regulations modified, so always refer to the most recent product label.

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