Conflicting advice re ragwort - whats right

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I had my fields sprayed the year before last to clear it of weeds n ragwort and last year it was great but this year they seem to have come out of nowhere. Also I've never seen buttercups like I have this year. The field was topped three times last year.

I always thought it was best to dig up ragwort but one farmer is saying its best to spray it and another is saying keep the field regularly topped and it'll run out of room to grow cos the grass will thicken and force it out.

Is this right as it'd be a helluva lot easier to keep it topped.
 
Agree with Martlin, we've got one in our lawn that gets mown weekly and is still strong and healthy(I know I should dig it out but I haven't got round to it and it will never flower and seed as it is mown every week!)
 
I am of the understanding that the only way to get rid of it is to dig it up. And also that it runs in a bi annual cycle (if I have that right) meaning that you will not see the benefits of digging it up next year, but the year after. And therefore will still be digging for years to come!
A field I am planning to rent is riddled with the stuff, but I have been told that horses will only eat it if it is the last green thing standing in a completely bare field - or of course if it has dried out, as apparently it tastes marginally better then.
 
Unless small, I always find spot spraying the best - if you pull it is too easy to leave a bit of root in the soil which just produces a deeper and stronger plant!! Just make sure you keep the horses away from the dying plant for a bit.

Topping has never been particularly effective for me it doesn't seem to discourage the ragwort particularly.

Also, to be honest, I find that Roundup is the only spray that really works (that why just spot spray).

Good luck ... bl*** ragwort, its a lifetimes work keeping it at bay!
 
Best way dig up. It can be sprayed when it is at the "rosette" stage. Not sure topping will help & you couldn't graze once topped because of the remnents left in the dying grass etc.
 
CeeBee said:
I am of the understanding that the only way to get rid of it is to dig it up. And also that it runs in a bi annual cycle (if I have that right) meaning that you will not see the benefits of digging it up next year, but the year after. And therefore will still be digging for years to come!
A field I am planning to rent is riddled with the stuff, but I have been told that horses will only eat it if it is the last green thing standing in a completely bare field - or of course if it has dried out, as apparently it tastes marginally better then.
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Most horses won't eat it by choice - BUT they will graze around it, and accidentally nibble the edges of the plant as they do so. As ragwort has a cumulative effect this is equally dangerous to the horse. It is not always possible to know whether or not a horse has consumed ragwort in the past so it doesn't always take a large amount to lead to fatal liver damage.

I would not be putting horses onto a ragwort infested field until it was all removed.
 
What i used to do was mixed roundup & wallpaper paste in a washing up liquid bottle. Dig up the plants, the squirt the mix down the hole to kill off any roots. Becuase it was down the hole the horses couldn't get to it. If necess topped up the hole with a bit of sand, to make sure neddies couldn't get to it :)
 
Spraying or digging up is the only way to get rid of it & I believe digging it up is most effective.
Mowing ragwort makes it perennial and as someone else said you wouldn't be able to let your horses graze the field after topping due to the plants drying out & becoming more palatable.
 
CeeBee said:
A field I am planning to rent is riddled with the stuff, but I have been told that horses will only eat it if it is the last green thing standing in a completely bare field - or of course if it has dried out, as apparently it tastes marginally better then.
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It's not just horses eating it you need to worry about. The toxins from the plant can seep through the skin, digestion is not necessary, I believe it's something to do with the PA's and that is why people are advised to wear gloves when handling it as it's a risk to humans as well as animals.
 
Ragwort seeds/roots are active for upwards of 20 years so you will need to spray many times to get rid of all your existing plants. This wont allow for those seeds blowing in from other land. The best weapon is a ragfork and good old fashioned hard digging.

Buttercups love wet ground so I suspect the soggy/snowy winter we had hasnt helped you. These you can get rid of by spraying but take advice from your agri merchant about what to use and, importantly, when to use it.
 
If you have a lot of Ragwort in a field then the most efficient way of getting rid of Ragwort is to take all the animals off the area to be dealt with and to get it sprayed off by a contractor with a Ragwort Specific Spray. Then spray again 4 weeks later to kill off any remaining Ragwort. Cut and collect the area that has been treated and burn everything that has been collected. Check the field for any Ragwort remants and remove.

Digging up Ragwort normally leaves part of the root structure in the ground and the plant will then re-grow.
 
I have rented my yard for 11 years and every year diligently dug up the ragwort and every year it came back (although not as bad as it was when I moved in). Then what I have been doing for the last couple of years - this year being the third - is dig it up and then spray the hole with Roundup. This year I am reaping the benefits of doing it this way as I have only had to do this to about 40 plants this year. This is on 6 1/2 acres. Normally I would expect well over a hundred.
 
We had one field which was absolutely rife with it. YO took advice to top the field v. low and there was also some kind of macerator attached.

I really couldn't see it working tbh, but it was amazing. I only need to scoot around the edges pulling the odd bit now. It rid the whole centre of the field of it totally. Don't know how it worked, but it did!
 
I know it's obvious, but I'll just mention it in case. If the field is topped then the horses have to stay off until the ragwort has completely gone. Wilted and dried ragwort is very palatable, they will eat it.
 
I'm another for digging it up and spraying the hole with round-up!... topping is not going to get rid of it and as already said, the topped ragwort will dry and the horses will eat it. you don't want that.

As for buttercups, you need to look at the ph levels of your soil. Buttercups thrive in acidic soil which is caused by horse manure and urine. you need to lime your fields.
 
i thought that if you sprayed it, it could only be done at the "rosette" stage as some one has said but that it still needs pulling up. i think the best thing is to get a rag fork or multi weeder and pull it up and burn it. and look into sprays next year before they get to rosette stage!
 
I go over my paddock every week in the spring/summer with the ragfork and dig up every bit I see. However, over the years, I have noticed that if you have lovely thick grass, you won't see much ragwort. It seems to thrive on the more bare areas.

So apart from digging it up, I also recommend good field management with fertilising/weed killing, harrowing, topping, etc. Hard work, but always worth it.
 
Yes, seconding post above. I think the Defra advice is to wear overalls, gloves (check the thickness, not thin washing up gloves!); plus mouth/nose covering, and pull it up not top it, coz that won't kill them and you'll only get "dead" ragwort hanging around the field which stock are more likely to eat than if its growing.

I've seen a "flame thrower" type thing advertised for ragwork which basically kills the plant off with a flame from a gas backpack which you carry around with you. Anyone tried this?
 
CBFan said:
As for buttercups, you need to look at the ph levels of your soil. Buttercups thrive in acidic soil which is caused by horse manure and urine. you need to lime your fields.
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Not necessarily. We are on chalk with the 'perfect' ph of 7 (tested) and we get truck loads of mahoosive creeping buttercups!

Polo Headland spray has done a pretty good job on them where all else has failed but you need to have a spray ticket or use an agricultural contractor to buy/use it. Sadly my buttercups seem to see Pastor, Grazon etc. as fertilizer but they are great sprays for most other things.

You need 2-4 D for ragwort. Won`t kill the grass like using Round-up so can be broadcast sprayed. But as others have said you need to keep the horses off the treated areas until it has all rotted and disappeared to nothing
 
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