OT, Milestone herbicide

I've got large problem with a weed that is 2,4-D (and just about everything else) resistant. It's scientific name is desmodium viridiflorum or commonly known as velvetleaf ticktrefoil, or also know as tick clover or stick-tights.

Either way, it is a tap root plant and has multiplied astronomically over the last few years. Every time I cut hay it comes back multiplied.

The chemical rep for the local supply house has gone ahead and recommended the most expensive thing. I'm not saying he did that just on price because I know for a fact that 2,4-d and outlaw don't do anything to this weed. 2,4-d by itself will not even brown it, Outlaw will knock it down but it comes back multiplied next year as if it had been cut.

This is a situation where I can't spot spray, I am going to need to cover about 15 acres this year and probably 30 next year if it works........SO finally to my question

Has anybody used Milestone, the label says approx. 5 oz per acre, on a weed that nothing else would kill and did it work?

Thanks for any help

I don't know about your weed. If it is taller than the grass I would try roundup with a rope wick.

Milestone is a darned good herbicide with good residual control.

My problem weed is Canada thistle. 2,4-D and 2,4-D + dicamba will burn down Canada Thistle but will not kill. Most of my neighbors use HiDep which is just 2,4-D for thistle contol but they are not killing the thistles, they just stunt them. Over several years they may kill them. Our major problem is that we get a lot of weeds seeds in our irrigation water so continuous control is required.

Milestone will do a number on Canada Thistle. Last time I bought some it was $96 a quart BUT I applied it at 1/2 pt per acre and got excellent control. That was two years ago. I need to go out and do it again because the water has brought on more seed. But because of the continual resupply of seed from sources beyond my control I"m not going to use Milestone. I simply cannot afford to use it yearly in my situation.

In your case, if your infestation is a "one of" situation, and if Milestone is on the label for your "weed from H*ll" use it once and be done with it.
Be aware if you use the treated ground for grazing, Milestone is not broken down in the digestive tract of grazing animals and the manure, even if composted, will kill broadleaf plants. (See the label.)

Roundup will kill velvet leaf and a wick type applicator may work but you have to remember Velvet leaf grows just a little higher then your crop and usually that isn't high enough to run over it with a wick type applicator. That used to be a tough weed around here but the use of roundup resistant corn or beans pretty well cleaned up the fields.

I use milestone on 20 acres of pasture every year. I spray a different chunk each year. It kills every broad leaf especially Canadian thistle. Best pasture spray I've ever used! I use the 6 ounce rate and this year it figured out to $9 an acre with surfactants. No way I can bush hog for that. After I spray the grass really comes on almost like I went thru with 100 lbs of nitrogen. For it to be effective make sure you add a non ionic surfactant and AMS at label rates.

Milestone is a low use rate chemical, check the cost per acre price, another that works well is Grazon PD, if its not grass its dead (or if you spray too much its all dead). Millennium Ultra is another that may work. Grazon and Millennium are 2,4D combination products with synergistic effects that make them work better than 2,4D or the other ingredients alone.

I have been very pleased with the results from GrazonNext. Really hits the perennials with big tap roots hard such as bull nettle, carolina horse nettle, berry vines & briers. Hits the nut grass pretty good, too. Since this is the first year I have really used it, I can't say what the long term results are yet.

I sprayed the coastal field back in early May with it and haven't seen any of the horse nettle coming back.

Read your label and spray accordingly. As with Grazon PD, if you spray too heavy it can burn or kill everything. More is not better. I've burned a few patches on our place by using the correct mix rate, but spraying too heavy.

You might google Dow agri services and find a contact email for them. Ask them what they recommend. I've had good luck with them responding to my questions.

I would like to know what you wind up using and its effectiveness.

I have had great results with Milestone. Its not as expensive as you might think due to the low application amount.

Milestone is a great broadleaf herbicide. As others have said, the jug is expensive, but per acre it's pretty reasonable. It's also one of the few herbicides of it's type that also provides residual control. I built myself a wick to keep weeds out of my perrennial peanut, but it's kind of hit and miss. I followed the instructions, hit the weeds from both ways, but still get spotty results.

i have used milestone on pasture hay ground.
it kills the weeds also the red clover which i like for my cows. i guess you can't win them all.
what i really like you don't have to wait 2 or 3 days before putting the cows back on the grass

The rare native Velcro plant is very good for wildlife especially Quail. Use a spade and transplant.

I have had real good luck with milestone, use it on all the pastures with floater, still just spot spray with 2-4-D, but have used milestone spot spraying as well, just seems a little spendy for spot spraying,

I don't like grazon at all, works great, too great. Had it sprayed 2 years ago on pasture that joins the place, cows ate the grass, came into the cattle yards over the summer just for water. The next spring hauled out the manure from the yards, worked it in, planted beans. Beans got about 6" where I hauled, then died from the residual grazon (specifically the tordon in the grazon)