Buttercups!

[Princess16]

Anyone noticed how the field is overrun with them at mo!

 

[Cowpony]

Yep, ours are just a sea of yellow! My mare has buttercup burn all over her nose and is now slathered in Sudocrem.

 

[Mari]

You need to spray. (Says she smugly having just done it)

 

[Tiddlypom]

You need to spray. (Says she smugly having just done it)

Yep, me too. Approx 5+ acres just sprayed with Headland Polo by a properly certificated contractor with a quad & boom sprayer. £130. Sorted.

 

[Cowpony]

Not my field unfortunately, otherwise I would. I'm just a livery.

 

[Bosworth]

spraying is not the answer, the reason you have buttercups is because the pH of your soil is too low. Buttercups cannot survive if the pH is to the correct grazing level of 6.5. So get your soil sampled. Work out what the soil type is and add appropriate fertiliser/ lime to move it towards the correct pH. Spraying is only a temporary fix.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Agree that a soil pH test and liming, if appropriate, are the way to go. Unfortunately buttercups, once established, laugh in the face of a soil pH which should be too low to support to support their growth. Hence the spraying (I've had our soil tested and limed prior to spraying).

 

[Bosworth]

no if the pH is increased they can not grow. They only grow in low pH so 2 up to 5.5 ish will be perfect for buttercup growth. lime will increase the pH so they will not grow. I had a farm which when we moved in was on average 4.5, the buttercups were thick in every field. We limed twice a year for 2 years and increased the average pH to between 6 and 7. THe buttercups reduced dramatically each year and by year 3 very very few of them. By maintaining that pH we managed to eradicate the buttercups, the grass took a far far stronger hold over the field and that also prevented weed growth.

 

[OldNag]

Yep. Overrun with them

 

[Haphazardhacker]

How/ where can i do ph testing?

 

[Equi]

yup. My mares nose is yellow lol note the yellow speckled back ground! Dad asked if i want it topped i said no way. Native breed = native land. I don't need the grass

 

[Bosworth]

you want to do a full soil test not just the pH test really, your local agricultural store will have a contact Im sure and they can come out and test your soil and make recommendations for lime/fertiliser etc. But ensure you tell them its for horses, not to create lush rich cow pasture. When I had it done my contractor and I worked out a 3 year plan for the land, a mix of lime, specific fertiliser, organic matter etc. And it changed my fields from weed ridden moss fields, to productive pastures that fed the horses 365 days of the year, as well as producing good quality haylage. In the long term soil analysis will save you a fortune in feed as your fields can be changed to more closely meet your requirements. You can buy a kit to carry out a soil analysis from all sorts of places, this is ikely to be as good as any http://www.huttonsoils.com/orderform.php

 

[Mike007]

I wish someone would explain this to the buttercups around here. They are growing on soil of about one inch depth over some six hundred feet of chalK!

 

[Haphazardhacker]

Perfect, thank you.