A wilting weed question ....

laura7981

laura7981

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Hi, sorry but I have another boring weed related question for yous :-)
Having had my field sprayed again (the first time didn't work) and the farmer saying it will be ok to put the ponio's back on it in two wks.... My question is, will the thistles that are still standing, but have dried up be, ok for the horses to eat? I know my lot love thistles but I'm worried about them eating dead ones that have been sprayed. Do I need to wait until they have decayed?
Question 2 - As the ragwort is also dying, I know this has to be dug up before putting the horses out as obviously it's more platable in this state, but I'm concerned that if I dig it up to soon, the weed killer might not have got to the root yet! When should I dig it up?
Coffe and a big fat cake for those who answer yet another of my boring weed related quierys lol :-)
 
This is what I *think*.

I think the thistles will be ok, as don't forget the grass has also been sprayed. Mine was sprayed about a month ago & sounds as though it's in the same condition as yours.

The Ragwort takes the longest of all to die, around 8 weeks. It seems to rot around the base & can then be knocked over/picked with gloves on. There is no point in digging it up as the weedkiller needs to get right to the roots. If you dig it now you may leave small pieces of viable root in & it may regenerate.

I'm planning to cut my field for hay, but not if the Ragwort is still active.

You are right in thinking it will be more palatable now its sprayed, so I'd try & keep them off it for a while longer yet, or you could strip graze, clearing the Ragwort strip by strip which will leave time for the weedkiller on the rest of the field to do its stuff.
 
Try 24D .Yes you can let your horses eat them as the active ingrediant in modern weed killers is designed to be broken down by soil bacteria and sunlight.
Also the amounts on all plants are 1part/million parts of a teaspoon.
 
Just how bad is this field, if it is totally a mess, I would ask farmer to "top" it ie mow it then "harvest" the weeds and dump the resulting "hay" Regardless of the weedkiller, (24D has been around for for 50 years), I would rather give the field six weeks rest.
you should be digging out Ragwort at the roots whenever you see it.
 
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