TAMPA, Florida — Spring burndown is where weed control either starts strong or starts slipping. Once winter annuals and early-season weeds get a foothold, they’re pulling moisture and nutrients your crop hasn’t even had a chance to reach. A timely, well-executed burndown clears the way for planting, strengthens resistance management and keeps weeds from dictating the season before it even begins.
However, given current economic pressure, growers may be tempted to minimize early herbicide investments or forego spring burndown programs altogether.
But that may not be the wisest decision for optimal season-long weed control. A successful spring burndown isn’t about finding the cheapest pass. It’s about making three key decisions that protect yield, extend herbicide life and prevent the need for rescue applications.
“When you spend your money early, you save a lot of money on the back end,” says Brock Waggoner, HELM Crop Solutions field sales agronomist. “Yes, a burndown program with residual has a higher initial investment than a straight post-emergence program. But the effectiveness of a single post program is limited because of strong weed pressure — that comes from not properly targeting or timing control of potential problems early.”
Here are three important considerations to optimize your investment and enhance yield potential.
1. A strong start beats a season of catch-up
The most important step in spring burndown, Waggoner advises, is investing early.
“If you spend a little bit of money on the front end and put in a good pre-plant program with residual herbicide program — and then apply a residual post — you’re going to be ahead,” he says. “At harvest, if you have more to market, you’re in a better financial position no matter what the grain price is.”
A strong up-front investment:
- Reduces early-season weed pressure
- Helps ensure post applications target smaller, more susceptible weeds
- Slows resistance development
- Increases return on crop inputs
- Reduces the number of cleanup passes needed later
“It’s like interest dividends,” Waggoner says. “If you reduce the seed bank, you’re keeping more money in your pocket instead of spending it every year trying to fix weed problems.”
Starting clean and staying clean isn’t just a spring strategy; it shapes the entire season’s profitability.
2. Match your program to weeds and fields
While many growers prefer to run a single burndown program across all acres, Waggoner cautions that this approach can miss opportunities.
“Planning the application for the acre is really important,” he explains. “You may have bottom ground that gets flooded and has one weed spectrum, and higher ground with a very different weed population. You can’t always treat these fields the same.”
He encourages growers to rewind mentally to harvest.
“Think back to what you saw when harvesting,” he says. “What weeds were out there? Where were the low spots? What weeds survived? That matters when you plan your burndown.”
3. Mix up modes of action
A standard burndown for many growers is glyphosate plus an auxin such as 2,4-D or dicamba. While effective, Waggoner notes the industry is leaning on that combination too heavily.
“When we use glyphosate and auxins in the burndown and then again in the post, we’re seeing more weed tolerance and resistance,” he says.
Adding or substituting additional modes of action boosts performance and reduces resistance pressure.
“A product like Reviton® adds another effective mode of action for monocot and especially broadleaf weeds,” Waggoner says. “You’re putting something in the tank that helps you stop fighting weed control issues at the start of the season.”
He recommends creating a base program for most of your acres and enhancing it for tougher fields.
“Most growers have a program that works for 70–80% of their acres. It’s the other 20–30% that requires more selective solutions,” he says. “Managing those areas intentionally improves your overall profitability and yield.”
Start clean, stay clean
Finally, even a good burndown isn’t enough if weeds are allowed to grow later in the season.
“If you aren’t starting clean and staying clean, you’ve got the best weed spreader in the world out there — your combine,” Waggoner warns. “You can have a field that’s perfectly clean, and next year you’ve erased that progress because you spread seed from another field.”
Small weed escapes can quickly become widespread problems.
Consistent, field-wide cleanliness reduces the seed bank, improves control year over year and lowers long-term weed control costs. And that begins with a strong, effective burndown program.
About HELM Crop Solutions
HELM Crop Solutions, located in Tampa, Florida, was founded in 2003. Its parent company, HELM AG, is a multi-billion-dollar family-owned business with a history spanning 125 years. Today, HELM AG is one of the world’s major independent chemical marketing enterprises with more than 100 subsidiaries in over 30 countries. HELM is committed to providing high-quality crop protection solutions through innovative chemistries, convenient formulations and uncompromising customer service. This includes high standards in registrations, efficacy of products and customer engagement.
Always read and follow label directions. Reviton® is a registered trademark of Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha, Ltd. HELM® is a registered trademark of HELM AG. ©2026 HELM Agro US, Inc. All rights reserved.
