Help, I need field management tips!

[The Trigster]

Can anyone offer some tips. Recently moved to a fab private stable block of 4 stables, with a 4 acre field. The field is in need of some tlc. There is much ragwort on one side, which we have been pulling for the last two weeks but I think its beyond anything we can do ourselves. We would be prepared to rest the worst part for the longer recovery of the area. What do I need to do? The rest of the field has been left so is pretty full of thistles, weeds which we are also trying to tackle. All seems like a whole lot of work, which we dont mind, but with winter approaching we would like to be able to set things in motion. Horses are all sectioned by electric fencing and are aiming to rotate and compensate with hay where/when necessary. It would be a shame to leave because of this as its a great place, quiet and relaxed. I just need some advice on the best way to proceed. Not against hiring machinery etc to do it, just not sure what/when/how. Any keen agricultural bods out there that can offer me an organised pattern of attack please?? All help gratefully received! Thanks!

 

[brown tack]

How about cross grazing with sheep? They are pretty good at cleaning up paddocks, see if you can barrow a few for a few weeks. Then anything that's left you can target afterwards.

 

[The Trigster]

Aah, now there is a good tip. Im such a dummy re this area, never had to worry about field management before. Now wher do I find a few sheep, best I get talking to some farmers! Do sheep eat ragwort? Thanks!

 

[ZarasMum]

Sheep do eat ragwort I believe, and it's just as harmful to their livers as in horses - it's just that usually they're slaughtered before their livers fail. Also, sheep need to have permits issued to move them around (can't remember the name of them) so it's more complicated than it sounds to get sheep in, unfortunately ...

 

[Petalpoos]

You may have to bite the bullet and go for chemical warfare - but it will probably take a couple of years even to get all the stages and to get the really effective chemicals you will have to get a professional to apply them, so not cheap. Good luck!

 

[The Trigster]

Why is life always so difficult huh? I have to live with the fact that the sheep (if I can get any) are as much at risk as my horses, but hey, you're gonna die anyway! Not nice, but I guess thats life...or not!

 

[The Trigster]

Is there specific chemicals you can use to eradicate ragwort? In the worst area, we were thinking maybe ploughing the whole lot up and re-seeding, Is that a mad n crazy option, I really have no idea how long it takes a newly seeded area to be a usable grazing patch. Dumb or what?

 

[Petalpoos]

I had our field sprayed early one year, but the only stuff that is effective (I can't remember the name, but you can Google for it) has to be applied by a licensed sprayer. Even then. a lot of it came back up and the farmer that sprayed it did comment that in an ideal world he would spray, wait for it to die, then plough it all up and re-seed, but that would mean you would not be using your field for about a year!

 

[The Trigster]

Helpful advice (not what I wanted to hear!) - guess I kinda figured if it was easy, there would be no ragwort...damn stuff. May do a compromise and clear part of the field as having no field for a year would be pretty drastic. Such a shame as the place is fab, and the owners dont even like horses, hence field condition, they never knew how important it would be for rental potential to keep it in clear good nick. Well looks like I'll be spending my next months with a ragwort fork permanantly attached to my hands.....thanks for the advice though, confirmed my worst fears!

 

[Petalpoos]

Yes, the other option is 'Never let it see a Sunday', i.e. keep on top of the weeding, which pretty much works for everything really, but takes a lot of time!

When we had the field sprayed we only had to keep the nags off for a few weeks, although we did have to go around scraping up all the dead plants so they didn't eat them.

Have fun with the ragwort parties

 

[The Trigster]

Wanna come? All invited!! Cheers! )

 

[brown tack]

In regards to the sheep, my mum has a orchard that she let's the farmer graze for a few weeks every season for free, it works both ways. They never had a issue with permits etc, the farmer sorts it out anyway. If you offer free grazing for a month they maybe more open

 

[The Trigster]

Thats better news, thank you. Will definately go down that route and chat up a few local farmers. as you say, their need is probably as great as mine, so a good compromise all round.

 

[pinkypug1]

I am in the same situ with the 5 acres i rent, they were left to go wild with ragwort, thistle & other weeds by the last guy who kept horses on it, it looked ok in winter when i took it then one summer day i arrive to a sea of yellow flowers!!

I literally had thousands of the plants, a one acre paddock wasnt too bad so i put horses in there and sprayed the rest but i did it too late in the year (need to be done in may i think) so it didnt really work only a few died. I will do the spraying again in may and hope it does a better job in the mean time i am trying to dig but not making much in road (i have no takers for ragwort parties)

I spoke to a dairy farmer up the lane (his fields are full of it) he said he leaves ragwort as even though it may be harmful he says that if there is enough good grazing the animals wont touch it, he says is only an issue on real waste land with no other form of food! This is not someting im willing to risk & Im still trying my best to get rid of it as hate the thought of doing nothing about it but im only renting the land and plan to have the horse at home again when we get round to buying a new site & land next year.

Good luck

 

[Paddy Irish]

We have 7 acres which we graze 2 riding horses and 2 shetlands ( separated ), we have enough surplus in summer to make a small amount of hay and they graze the whole lot in winter. My advice to you would be to section off your area into 3 or 4 paddocks ( depending on the number of nags you have). Put them onto the paddock with the least amount of rag , then use the rag fork to get these bits up only. Then spot spray with roundup or resolva etc ( use back pack sprayer - hozelok do one quite cheaply ) all the rag in the other sections. I wouldn't worry about thistles or docks at this stage. If you can get someone in to then cut the resting paddocks , fine , if not beg borrow or steel a strimmer and take off the thistle heads and the docks , if you keep these down by cutting the tops they will eventually starve themselves to death. By running a mower over the grass you can generate a nice new cut and this will encourage the sward to grow evenly , if you can't get a nice farmer in - and it maybe too small an area - then a good robust garden lawn mower or ride-on would be fine . It would also be really beneficial if you could pooh pick as this stops the horses making rough areas that hold worms. It may take a little time but you'll be surprised how tidy your horses will make it all in no time - and remember , it's a good idea to poison the docks / rag when the new young leaves are forming - usually in spring for docks although the ruddy rags are popping up all the time or so it seems!

Oh and don't forget your rubber gloves when pulling rag or you could damage your own liver!!

 

[PeterNatt]

Get the Ragwort sprayed and allow it to die. Then remove all of it off site and burn it.
Do not plough up the field otherwise it will be out of action for horse grazing for at least a year. Overseed it instead.

 

[SophieLouBee]

As a quick fix for the thistles, cut them down, the horses will eat the dry thistles, they quite like them actually

Pull as much ragwort as you can, then get it sprayed and leave them off it for a week.

In regards to sheep, it's harder than it may seem!

 

[Rose Folly]

Definitely hit the ragwort. Try to pull up as much as you possibly can this autumn, a.s.a.p., and burn (thoroughly) what you have pulled. I believe ragwort can sew up to 20,000 new plants from one established plant, and also that the seeds can lie dormant for many years. If you can pull up everything that is showing in one area of the field, however small, you have rendered yourself safer until next spring. Remember that ragwort is only palatable to horses when it is dead/dying, so get it up quick.

You sound as though you have taken on a real Herculean task; but if the yard is that nice, it's worth fighting to get the field up to scratch. What is the landlord doing about it all? Ragwort is listed under the ??? (Injurious?) Weeds Act and you can be fined for having it on your land.

Good luck with your project!

 

[Rose Folly]

Have just been on Google to get my facts straight.


1. Ragwort is listed as an Injhurious Weed under two Acts, the Weeds Act of 1959 and the Ragwort Control Act of 2003

2. One plant can release 150,000 seeds (not 20, 000 as I thought). The germination rate is 70%

3. Pulling is the safest means of removing ragwort. "If spraying, you must wait for the plants to die, disintegrate and be cleared" before reinstating livestock"

 

[The Trigster]

Thank you everybody for your input, good and bad news, it has helped a lot and given me at least something to go on and work towards, much appreciated.!!

 

[The Trigster]

Great bits of advice, thats what I needed, how to order what I am doing instead of, what feels like, going from ragwort to ragwort without feeling like I am getting anywhere! It will all be worthwhile, just off to google chemical sprays ....

 

[chestnutmarelover]

This may be worth a thought, we weed killed & re-seeded (as well as rolling/harrowing) 2 years on the trot, then had harsh winter last year, with the ground being rested I thought we'd have lovely grass this year but probably 60% of the field was weeds, mainly butterups but raggy, thistles & stingers, despite it never being over grazed.....Ive since read that weeds love acidic soil, will be buying a PH tester asap (bout a fiver) so if it is too acidic then I think a dose of calcified limestone does the trick

 

[katherine1975]

I would buy Ragtime to kill the ragwort. We strim our nettles and thistles and the horses eat them when they dry out. Our field is poo picked daily and harrowed and rolled in the spring (fertilised if necessary). In the spring we divide the field into 3 sections, the horses live in the middle and we then strip graze up to the top of the field, we still have one strip left working upwards. Then during the winter we will strip graze down to the bottom and eventually the horses will have the whole field. Then start all over again in the spring!

 

[The Trigster]

This may be worth a thought, we weed killed & re-seeded (as well as rolling/harrowing) 2 years on the trot, then had harsh winter last year, with the ground being rested I thought we'd have lovely grass this year but probably 60% of the field was weeds, mainly butterups but raggy, thistles & stingers, despite it never being over grazed.....Ive since read that weeds love acidic soil, will be buying a PH tester asap (bout a fiver) so if it is too acidic then I think a dose of calcified limestone does the trick

Another great tip, what you did is what I planned to do in my head. You could be right about the acidic soil though, its worth testing for the low cost. Its weird, one side of the field is the ragwort side, the other side is free of it and much 'wetter' - and not many weeds, so you may have hit a nail on the head. So glad I came on here, thank you!

 

[The Trigster]

Thats kinda what we intended to do, sectioning bits off (we have 2 shetlands on their own patch) and 2 riding horses. Im beginning to feel a bit like farmer Giles, I strongly suspect that this whole experience is going to be a learning curve and will become a semi expert in the long run with, hopefully, a lovely field to show for it. Thanks for your help.;-))

 

[Tnavas]

Too late in the season for chemical warfare as most field weeds will have already seeded. Keep pulling up the ragwort, sharpen a spade edge and chip the thistles and docks and remove and burn.

In spring get in early with the weed spray, you will have to rotate your fields and then hit them hard. Don't allow any of the dock to flower - if you can't weed spray then again chip out the plant to prevent it seeding again. Chose the right weedkiller for the plant - each tends to need something different.