Best way to deal with buttercup?

[MatHalTed]

Basically as title, our lower paddocks are currently about 80% buttercup and due to the lack of rain we've been slow to re-seed this year. Best ways of getting rid of it? We had it sprayed last year but they've just come back. Should it be topped or strimmed first then sprayed? Or spray and then leave it until it's ready to seeded over? It's the wettest part of the paddocks on our property that has the most buttercup, so after late September / early October the horses come off of it onto the designated winter paddocks, so in theory growth should be good but the grass just gets dominated by the buttercup. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks all

 

[Muddy unicorn]

We’ve got the same on two of our fields that are on the wetter side of our property - our local contractor said it was pointless spraying them now as it wouldn’t do anything especially as it’s so dry. He’s topping them to try to stop them from going to seed and spreading even more and then we’ll spray in autumn and then again if need be in April.

 

[TheMule]

I would top for now and then deal with it in the Autumn, zero point spraying now.
If the problem is that bad then I might consider more drastic measures to spray off totally and re-seed. Buttercups are really hard to combat because they just keep coming back

 

[SEL]

My fields that have been heavily mucked have had a dramatic reduction in buttercups. It's quite obvious because the 20x40 I was using as an arena in the field - so didn't muck - is yellow.

It was so bad here it gave my Appy buttercup burn so I'm really pleased.

 

[Trouper]

Just lime the fields. You have to create conditions that they don't like as spraying and topping are only temporary solutions. When we first came here the owner of the fields next door (horse owners) used to lime regularly (we are on water retaining clay). The subsequent idiots who have owned the place don't have a clue and now we, too, are a sea of yellow - inlcuding straying into my borders.

 

[Exasperated]

Basically as title, our lower paddocks are currently about 80% buttercup and due to the lack of rain we've been slow to re-seed this year. Best ways of getting rid of it? We had it sprayed last year but they've just come back. Should it be topped or strimmed first then sprayed? Or spray and then leave it until it's ready to seeded over? It's the wettest part of the paddocks on our property that has the most buttercup, so after late September / early October the horses come off of it onto the designated winter paddocks, so in theory growth should be good but the grass just gets dominated by the buttercup. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks all

Several herbicides act against buttercup, but state best sprayed before flowering for a comprehensive result, so rather late, and it’s also rather too dry now for optimum take up.
We sprayed some fields against broadleafs this spring, with patchier results than should expect - seems there has to be more moisture in the stems to properly seep down into roots.
If buttercups have taken over, best to saturate all foliage with a proper boom sprayer (need a licence), because creeping buttercup is very difficult to spot-spray through a grass sward.
Having said, we’ve one paddock too small to get the boom into, with plenty of the damn things. So, it was knapsack sprayed with Agritox last autumn and delighted to find no sign of any buttercups, docks, thistles or nettles now, just parched grass....
I don’t move animals for minimal spot-spraying, but always give it 3 weeks after a full chemical burn - don’t usually eat buttercups, but dying plants produce a sugar rush and become tastier, esp. when limited fresh grass.
Might be worth checking your land drains, soil analysis/ liming; top b.cups now and kill them later. They need leaves to take up the spray.
Sounds like you want at least an over-seed, too? Or fully plough, rotivate, re seed, roll?
would also be better done later, if so.

 

[Mudfukkle]

I used Headland Polo and it got rid of my buttercups. This was a few years ago and they've never come back as strongly as they were, I only get a few now. If and when they get out of hand again, I'll get it sprayed with that again.