Ensure timely, early post-emergence weed control in maize crops this season to boost yield.
Posted on 07 May 2025
Clayton offers a number of cost-effective weed control options to choose for forage maize crops, to help reduce troublesome weeds and protect and improve yield and quality in maize this season.
Herbicide solutions for your forage crops
Clayton Plant Protection offers a range of weed control products to help you get the most out of forage maize and maximise weed control. We offer growers choice and cost-effective options to manage weeds in your forage maize crops. Maximising feed potential can contribute to better productivity and more yield stability season after season, for longer-term sustainability for UK livestock farms.
What are the benefits of early weed control?
Early season weed control is vital for establishing maize crops successfully. Weeds compete with the emergence crop for light, soil moisture and valuable nutrients, so can severely damage the crop’s yield potential in the early stages. It is key to tackle weeds effectively both before crop emergence and in the first 7-10 days after crop emergence, to protect against these yield losses.
Reassuring high performance products.
With our products targeting some key weed problems in maize crops, Clayton can provide the choice you need this season. Good crop establishment and future yield potential relies on early season weed control. With a range of flexible herbicides, we provide good options for post-emergence weed control in maize. Careful planning in terms of product choice will help growers achieve the best results for their maize crops this season.
Flexible, post-emergence timing options.
Make the right choice of herbicide or tank mix to tackle the full weed spectrum in your crop at this time, assessing the need for BLW control as well as any grass weed control required. Also ensure good residual activity to stop weed competition via good crop establishment. Generally, the first 4-6 weeks post crop emergence are vital to healthy development and performance in forage maize crops, as young plants are very susceptible to competition from invasive weeds, and if left uncontrolled, weeds can cause significant yield losses of 20-30%+ .
Problem weeds to target.
Some of the most troublesome weed species include Black Nightshade, Mayweed spp., Chickweed and Fat-hen. Plan your weed control programme carefully according to the main species present and ensure to take into consideration any seasonal differences. Post-emergence herbicide actives like mesotrione, fluroxypyr and clopyralid can all provide very good base platforms for broad-spectrum weed control and can work well in combination with other actives as well such as pendimethalin and SU’s etc. Take a look at Clayton’s weed control product solutions for your maize crops.
Quick reference product profiles:
Clayton Cob™, Clayton Tassel™
SC formulation containing 100g mesotrione
Fast-acting herbicide for boosting residual control of important annual broad-leaved weeds and cockspur grass in forage and grain maize.
Use rate & timing: apply at 0.75 l/ha for susceptible BLWs and 1.5 l/ha for cockspur grass, during 2 and 8 leaves of the crop when weeds actively growing and at seedling stage.
Target weeds: Common Amaranth, Charlock, Common Chickweed, Fat-hen, Black Nightshade, Redshank, Field Pansy, Volunteer oilseed rape and Cockspur grass (all Susceptible).
Clayton Flurry™
EC formulation containing 200g fluroxypyr
Translocated herbicide for control of Black Nightshade in forage maize.
Use rate & timing: apply at 1.0 l/ha for control of Black Nightshade from 3-6 leaves unfolded and before the crop is 20cm high and any buttress roots start to develop at 1st node.
Target weeds: Black Nightshade (Susceptible).
Clayton Cocoon™
SC formulation containing 400g clopyralid
Versatile herbicide for control of a wide range of broad-leaved weeds in forage maize.
Use rate & timing: apply to all varieties of forage maize after the 3-leaf expanded stage of the crop at 0.25 l/ha for annual weeds. when weeds are actively growing.
Target weeds: Corn Marigold (2 leaf), Creeping Thistle from seed (4 leaf), Groundsel (6 leaf), Pineapple weed (4 leaf), Scented Mayweed (4 leaf), Scentless Mayweed (4 leaf), Smooth Sowthistle (2 leaf) – All Susceptible. Black Bindweed (1 leaf) – Moderately Susceptible. Pale Persicaria (1 leaf), Redshank (1 leaf) – Moderately Resistant.
See product labels for full details, specific use restrictions and more information on weed control for maize crops. For information on compatibility tank mixes for our formulations, please contact us.
*Information here does not constitute a recommendation, it is for guidance only. Up-to-date information can be found on our website. Brand names used in this update are trademarks of Clayton Plant Protection. Use plant protection products safely. Always read the label and product information before use.