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Florida Pusley Control in Pastures

Brent Sellers, Brandon Fast, and Jason Ferrell

Florida pusley (Richardia scabra L.) is a common and troublesome weed found in pastures, cultivated fields, waste areas, and roadsides throughout Florida. Plants grow prostrate (creeping along the ground) and have hairy stems that grow to lengths of up to 30 inches (Figures 1 and 2). Leaves are thick and fleshy and often have a rough upper and lower surface. Small white flowers that form a cluster at the ends of stems are characteristic of this weed (Figure 3).

Figure 1. Seedling Florida pusley.
Figure 1.  Seedling Florida pusley.
Credit: Brandon Fast

 

 

Figure 2. Mature Florida pusley in vegetative stage.
Figure 2.  Mature Florida pusley in vegetative stage.
Credit: Brandon Fast

 

 

Figure 3. Mature Florida pusley in flowering stage.
Figure 3.  Mature Florida pusley in flowering stage.
Credit: Brandon Fast

 

Florida pusley grows low to the ground and rarely infests fields with good grass cover. However, Florida pusley can become a prevalent weed in open areas during grass establishment or in areas where grass has died. The dense, mat-like nature of this weed makes it difficult for desirable grasses to grow in its presence.

After Florida pusley has become well established, it can be difficult to control with common pasture herbicides, such as 2,4-D. Several new herbicides have recently been developed for pasture use, but their efficacy on Florida pusley is not known.

Research was conducted to determine the efficacy of several commonly used pasture herbicides on Florida pusley plants that were approximately four inches in size when herbicides were applied. Table 1 details Florida pusley control two, four, and eight weeks after treatment (WAT), as well as the approximate costs of treatments.

GrazonNext HL and GrazonNext HL used in combination with Pasturegard HL provided excellent Florida pusley control (90% or greater). It should be noted, however, that GrazonNext HL is a relatively slow-acting herbicide and often requires up to four weeks for significant weed control to occur. Control provided by Pasturegard HL was fair (84% at eight WAT) and Weedmaster (70% at eight WAT) was much lower.

As mentioned above, control of Florida pusley becomes more difficult as the plant matures. Therefore, if applications are to be made to plants larger than four inches, it is likely that Pasturegard HL and Weedmaster will not provide acceptable levels of control. For larger plants, GrazonNext HL used in combination with Pasturegard HL will most likely be necessary.

 

Tables

Table 1. 

Control of Florida pusley with pasture herbicides

Herbicide

Rate

2WAT

4WAT

8WAT

Dollars/ac

  

Florida pusley control (%)

 

Weedmaster

3 pt / ac

56

75

70

11

Pasturegard HL

1.5 pt / ac

48

81

84

21

GrazonNext HL

24 oz/ac

55

90

90

14

GrazonNext HL + Pasturegard HL

24 oz/ac

8 oz / ac

90

100

100

21

1 All treatments included 0.25% v/v non-ionic surfactant.

2 Control data collected 2 weeks after treatment (WAT).

3 Approximate costs of herbicides are from EDIS Publication SS-AGR-16, Approximate Herbicide Pricing, https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wg056 and do not include the costs of surfactant and application.

 

 

Publication #SS-AGR-314

Release Date:January 17, 2019

Reviewed At:April 7, 2022

Related Experts

Ferrell, Jason A.

Specialist/SSA/RSA

University of Florida

Sellers, Brent A.

Specialist/SSA/RSA

University of Florida

Related Units

  • Critical Issue: Agricultural and Food Systems

The use of trade names in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. UF/IFAS does not guarantee or warranty the products named, and references to them in this publication do not signify our approval to the exclusion of other products of suitable composition.

Use pesticides safely. Read and follow directions on the manufacturer's label.

Management

About this Publication

This document is SS-AGR-314, one of a series of the Agronomy Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date November 2008. Revised November 2010, September 2012, October 2015 and November 2018. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

About the Authors

Brent Sellers, professor, Agronomy Department, Brandon Fast, former graduate student assistant, and Jason Ferrell, professor, Agronomy Department; Range Cattle Research and Education Center UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.

Contacts

  • Brent Sellers