Dock leaves - What to do?

C

Country Cob

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Hi All,

My field Is full of docks. The blasted things are sprouting up everywhere, and I have tried in vein to dig them out, but cannot keep up with the rate they are growing. The previous owners did nothing with the field except mow it occasionally. The whole field is basically one big dock root system that has been left unchecked for 10 years. Okay, I thought, no problem, I will have it sprayed. And then I saw the field next to mine FULL of docks. I don't just mean a few, thousands of the things that have been left to grow waist height and cover his entire field. His fields border mine and farmer doesn't seem to want to do anything about it!!!
If I spray, I will spend a fortune and his will go to seed and I will be back at square one!
Should I just keep slogging away and try and dig as many out as possible? Would strimming them down regularly to keep them in check work?

Any suggestions welcome, beginning to despair!!
 
millikins

millikins

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Strimming. It takes a lot of energy for broad leaved plants to produce new growth, it will probably take a couple of years but you will win if you regularly strim them. Also with them cut, it allows light in and will encourage more grass growth.
 
Meredith

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Perseverance. I had a large area of docks in one field. Each year I cut them down and removed every piece I could. Don't let them seed. I cut them when the seed heads were green and removed the leaves too. They have used a lot of energy then and don't have so much summer time left to grow as big again. It seemed to take ages but spraying was impossible as the area surrounded the field gates. Now I have just one left. I am convinced it has roots in Australia. Hard work but do-able. Good luck.
 
T

Tyssandi

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Country Cob said:
Hi All,

My field Is full of docks. The blasted things are sprouting up everywhere, and I have tried in vein to dig them out, but cannot keep up with the rate they are growing. The previous owners did nothing with the field except mow it occasionally. The whole field is basically one big dock root system that has been left unchecked for 10 years. Okay, I thought, no problem, I will have it sprayed. And then I saw the field next to mine FULL of docks. I don't just mean a few, thousands of the things that have been left to grow waist height and cover his entire field. His fields border mine and farmer doesn't seem to want to do anything about it!!!
If I spray, I will spend a fortune and his will go to seed and I will be back at square one!
Should I just keep slogging away and try and dig as many out as possible? Would strimming them down regularly to keep them in check work?

Any suggestions welcome, beginning to despair!!
Click to expand...
I use SBK in a sprayer and do a patch of the field at a time, can you mark an area out and just do that bit then another etc.
 
C

Cragrat

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Round up /Gallup will kill everything it touches, including grass. A broad leaf specific spray, like Pastor or Grazon, will only kill things like docks, and ime is easier to use- you don't have to worry about killing a patch of grass around each dock. You still need to keep the horses off for about 7 days.
 
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laura_nash

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Cragrat said:
Round up /Gallup will kill everything it touches, including grass. A broad leaf specific spray, like Pastor or Grazon, will only kill things like docks, and ime is easier to use- you don't have to worry about killing a patch of grass around each dock. You still need to keep the horses off for about 7 days.
Click to expand...

This^^

If you use roundup you'll kill the grass around the dock too, making it likely that other weeds (or more docks from seed) will grow back. Use Grazon or Doxstar.
 
P

pennyturner

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I'm heading out with the topper to tackle mine today *sigh*

Still, it means I get to cut the heads off lots of buttercups to, which should be satisfying.
 
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JillA

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NOOO - don't use Round Up you will kill EVERYTHING, including any grass and end up with a totally bare field (unless you can take the time to dribble a tiny amount on each plant). MCPA kills broadleaf weeds such as docks, nettles and thistles but not grass, it is in a few products, both for gardeners and agriculture.
There is a good selection here https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8...qmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_4vr7boj93c_e

Docks have a deep tap root and physical means of removing (digging, strimming etc) are unlikely to prevent regrowth.
 
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Bradsmum

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Morning. Docks are best sprayed when they are small, new leaves. I used Grazon a month ago on patches of small plants and they have now withered and grass is already taking over. If the plants are now bigger, the leaves wax over and the weed killers do not penetrate so well. I think I would cut them down and remove, don't allow anything to seed and then spray any new growth while it is new.
 
indie1282

indie1282

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Ive got docks in my fields and they are a b***y nightmare! Our farmer rolls, harrows and re seeds but doesn't spary the docks.. I cant spray as dont want to kill what grass thee is so I am in the process of cutting them down by hand. Its pretty back breaking work but at least its giving me a workout as well eh?

Its a beautiful warm sunny day so off to start it after a brew :-D might even get a tan to boot lol.
 
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Rollin

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Don't use round up it will kill your grass, as already suggested Grazon or Dockstar, patch spray bit by bit. I used to do this for my paddock in Scotland, any docks missed I ddead headed and burned to avoid seeds germinating for next year.
 
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Dry Rot

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The trouble is you need to do courses and get certificates to buy and use the professional weed killers these days. Not sure how it works out from the garden centre but I'm expecting very expensive.

With the new rules, there are sure to be businesses springing up who will do the job for a fee. Yell.com?

Roundup (Glyphosate) is great for areas that you want to be totally free of vegetation (roads, yards, etc) but as has been said, if you use it you leave a bare area that is a great seed bed for ragwort and other weeds.
 
JanetGeorge

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Weather was too wet to spray while docks were growing - so mine are too big to spray successfully now (without using a small fortune in Grazon.) So once my no.2 tractor gets it's new wheel hubs (Tuesday, thankfully) the topper is going on and I will cut - and cut - and spray the bad patches as they regrow.

Repeat, repeat, repeat - do NOT use Round-up - except around the patio - or if you want to reseed. It kills everything with gay abandon!
 
Clodagh

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We just top ours, regularly, and do it before they have started forming seeds or the seeds still become viable as the plant dies. I have hardly any now. (Worked for the nettles and thistles too).
 
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Tobiano

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Wow found this thread really helpful! I finally got round to attacking the docks in my garden (having checked first with my garden expert that they were docks, as so big and so many of them I thought they must have been deliberately planted!) - just like OP's mine definitely have roots in Australia - as thick as my arm (ok a bit of an exaggeration but a good inch and a half diameter) - tough as old boots! Also glad to have seen about round-up and bees (angry emoticon) so I shall make sure I don't use that. Horses' field is not as badly affected as my garden!
 
Clodagh

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There will be no agriculture in UK without it, and farmers have no wish to wantonly kill bees off.
 
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