THEY say a good botanist can tell the day of the year by the type of plants that are flowering. In my job as an advisor, I am beginning to think I can tell the week of the year by the questions on weeds that cross my desk. For example, I rarely get questions on dandelions before St Patrick’s Day as that is when dandelions begin to flower.

In my opinion, the most effective way to control grassland weeds is to know a little bit about the weeds themselves. It is surprising how effectively and cheaply you can control certain weeds just by knowing a little about how they grow and reproduce. In this article I will concentrate on the main weeds that are common on good, productive swards and the key points which will help you control them and make the best use of the chemicals applied.