Best way to get rid of intense ragwort patch.

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vikkibeth

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I recently moved into a new field and am thinking broaching a new paddock in the next month or so but there is a big patch of ragwort that has grown up with the rain from the last week. It is quite an intense patch of about 2m x 2m, the rest of the paddock has a few plants that was easy to get out with my trusty ragwort fork. I started to get the patch up by using the fork but it's not even denting it. What would people suggest?
 
Hard work, I'm afraid!

Aside from setting the field alight, I'm not sure if you can do anything other than just pull it up to be honest. 2m x 2m really isn't that much at all; put some headphones in, think of somebody who angers you and then go to town!
 
Wish I only had 2x2metres to worry about instead of 13acres!!!
That would only take a few hours!!! put salt down the hole once you,ve pulled and it will stop any root bits from regrowing
 
I would spot spray it. I use barrier h and I am finding less plants every year. I also like the fiskars weed puller for odd plants but in my opinion for every plant you dig up five or six grow around the hole. It is impossible to get all the roots as they are so long and break off when digging them up.
 
Put one leg either side of plant. Bend knees and secure all stems arising from same rosette between your knees. Taking a firm grip with the knees, straighten your legs, whilst pulling with your hands as low as you are able to grip. Deposit monstrous yellow menace in trailer or wheelbarrow for disposal. Repeat.

The only other way would be to take off all livestock, and either mow or spray repeatedly over 3-4 years until the field's a lawn.

If you have to do acres, take as many people as possible and a trailer. The trailer can be moved around the field, with the army fanning out from the trailer 'blitzing' a sizeable area into the trailer, before moving on. Much more efficient.
 
If its only 2mx2m, I would spray with glyphosate, kills down to the roots including the grass. It will take about 7 days for it to start yellowing, then mow off with a lawn mower, in this heat the clippings with go to a crisp in hours. Go to Wilkinson buy some loose grass seed, and mix with a little good soil or compost and sprinkle over the treated patch, water if you can, but try not to rake to much or dig over or more ragwort seeds will germinate. Obviously you will have to keep them off until ragwort is dead.
I took over a field with dense patches of the stuff, have tried everything including a flame thrower and glyphosate is the most effective easily available, can be used any time of the year and cheapest( e-bay), but IT WILL KILL GRASS. Selective herbicides are great but they are expensive and they have to be put on at the right time. I have used Barrier-H but I found it almost useless and I still had to pull.
 
If there are only a few plants, pull, bag, and take to your recycling centre and deposit with the garden waste.

Next, spray plants at the rosette stage in the spring and autumn. That will kill the weeds before they can flower. Ragwort os a biennial -- rosette stage in the first year, flowering and seed distribution in the second.

If it really is a bad infestation, just spray in spring and autumn and keep horses off until the plants have rotted down. That could take 12 months.

Personally, I wouldn't spray with glyphosate (Roundup) as that will kill all plant life and lead a nice vacant seed bed for more weeds to colonise.
 
Spray with a compound containing either MCPA or dicamba as an active ingredient (selective herbicides). Make sure the dead plants are all rotted away before you turn stock onto the land again though - not glyphosate, otherwise you will have to reseed and lose the use of the land for anything up to 18 months to allow the seed to establish. If the ragwort has flowered it might be an idea to mow it off, wait for regrowth and spray that.
It is a nightmare this year, I have never seen so much and DEFRA don't seem in the slightest bit interested in fulfilling their statutory duty to enforce the law that says it must not be allowed to take over.
 
If it's really too bad to dig, I'd spray with something that kills everything (Glycophosphate) then get a couple of rolls of turf from the garden center, electric fence off and recultivate that bit. I agree with above that if you don't reseed it'll be a weed patch forever!!
 
Is it flowering? Weed spray isn't always effective once flowering, I'd be pulling it up then keep an eye on the area and spray every time you see some growing. The smaller the plant the more vulnerable it is to the weed spray.

Remove from the paddock is a must as wilted plants are palatable and far more poisonous.

Glyphosphate is the best, I use double strength though it kills the grass this is really no big deal as you just sprinkle some new seed in the gaps.

Remember to wear gloves when pulling as you can give yourself a dose of the poison through the skin.
 
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