Curly dock
Submitted photo
Late spring is one of my favorite times of year. I love turning the cattle out onto a fresh pasture full of a variety of forages, my favorite being orchard grass, fescue, and hairy vetch. Watching the cattle graze is one of my favorite ways to spend the evening. One of my not so favorite ways to spend the evening is identifying some of the troublesome weeds I have growing throughout my pasture, although identification is the first step in amending the weedy situation.
One of the most prolific weeds in my pasture is curly dock (Rumex crispus). Curly dock is poisonous to livestock if consumed in large quantities and may cause dermatitis in some individuals. Otherwise, curly dock competes for resources against the forages that we want to have available for our livestock in our pastures and hayfields. Horses are more sensitive to curly dock than ruminants, so extra care must be taken if you are grazing horses in your pasture. Usually, livestock will only eat curly dock in situations where pastures are over-grazed, and forage is scarce.
Identification
Curly dock generally is not a problem in agronomic crop fields, usually only in pastures or forage crops. The seeds germinate when soil is still cool and wet from late spring and into early fall. Already established plants will emerge from their taproot in early spring. Curly dock is a dicot meaning that upon germination, two embryonic leaves will emerge from the ground. These leaves are hairless, dull green, and oval shaped. The first true leaves to develop are in a basal rosette with smooth, egg-shaped leaves with red spots. As the weed grows leaves will become shiny with wavy margins. Elongating flowering stems will be smooth, rigid, and often reddish in color.
Management
For non-chemical control in pastures and hayfields, mowing will prevent seed production and reduce top growth. Labeled herbicides are effective in controlling seedling curly dock. For already established curly dock, fall herbicide applications are the most effective. The tri-state Weed Control Guide (ANR-789) rates products on a scale from 1-9 on effectiveness on weed control with each product. The products rated highest (9) for curly dock control are, Chapparal, GrazonNext HL, Milestone, and Grazon P+D. The Grazon products are popular as livestock can remain on the pasture during chemical application. Make sure to read and follow the entire label before making any chemical applications in your pastures or hayfields.
