Weed management is a common weed management practice in organic weed control, however, this practice is expensive. Other integrated weed management practice could include flaming and cultivation. The study objective is to investigate flaming, cultivation, and hand weeding to develop an integrated weed control program in organic carrot. The study was conducted in an organic certified field at the North Florida Research and Education Center Suwanee County, Live Oak, FL. Treatments were a factorial design with 5 weed management programs and 2 fertilizer types. Weed management treatments were (1) flaming preseeding weekly cultivation, (2) flaming preseeding weekly cultivation 1 handweeding event, (3) flaming preseeding flaming preemergence weekly cultivation (4) flaming preseeding flaming preemergence weekly cultivation 1 handweeding event, (5) flaming preseeding flaming preemergence weekly cultivation 2 handweeding events. Fertilizer treatments were pelleted poultry litter and 50% feather meal 50% poultry litter. Carrot ‘Uppercut’ were seeded on December 3, 2020 and were harvested on May 3, 2021. Eight rows of carrot were planted on a 0.9 m bed top. Fertilizer was applied immediately after seeding. Weeds were counted by species in two 0.5 m2 quadrats prior to each basket weeder cultivation between the rows. Carrots were cultivated 6 times before the carrot were too large and would be injured. Fertilizer type were not different for weed counts at all dates. Cutleaf evening primrose (Oenothera laciniata) was the only weed species in the plots from the beginning of the trial through harvest. The inclusion of flaming preplant and preemergence delayed the emergence of cutleaf evening primrose, however at 6 weeks after planting all the treatments were similar. Mid-season weed species included henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) and common chickweed (Stellaria media), however, these weed species were not present late-season. Purple toadflax (Linaria purpurea) and old world diamond flower (Oldenlandia corymbosa) were the most common weed species late-season. Single handweeding had excellent control early-season, but two handweeding events controlled both the cool and warm season weeds. Early season weed control should include flaming. Between row weed management was best with cultivation. Handweeding is necessary for late season weed control when flaming and cultivation are not available.
