How to get rid of buttercups?

[Welly]

So we have done docks and thistles how about buttercups! My fields got poached last winter and the buttercups have come back with vengeance.

 

[NariNags]

I would test the soil ph and lime it improve the soil and remove buttercups

 

[Red-1]

As above for long term solution.

If you also top them every couple of weeks that keeps them down too. We cut and collect with a lawn tractor.

I prefer not to spray, but you can spot spray, with a backpack sprayer. The horses need keeping off for 7-14 days after.

 

[JillA]

I have limed mine and sprayed and topped and they still keep coming back. I even ploughed and reseeded one field about 8 years ago and it is worse than the rest now. I was told once you need to spray (with a proper spray and wetting agent to really get the chemical into the plant) every three years. They have an underground rhizome so just keep regenerating and last winters wet weather has just given them a real boost - if anyone has a tried and thoroughly tested method of getting rid of them for good I'd love to hear it. What do the organic people do, anyone know?

 

[Tnavas]

They just love poorly drained, wet soil.
I've had great success in the garden with double strength Roundup, I spray before they start flowering. Unfortunately the Roundup kills the grass as well so I hand scatter grass seed once the buttercup have died back.

Liming is one treatment that helps reduce buttercups.

 

[honetpot]

http://www.progreen.co.uk/weed-kill...in-grass/weedkillers-for-paddocks/cat_28.html
I am using Thrust but its not cheap

 

[LovesCobs]

I've just got rid of 90% of mine, in flower with headland polo, kept horses off for 2 weeks after. I just have 2 nice neat strips of buttercups where I missed!
It did the rag (not many this year as been pulling them for 2 years) and dock etc
I doubt I've got rid of them for good though

 

[JillA]

My local suppliers sold me Kaskara a couple of years ago and it did nothing at all - so best avoided IME. I have used Polo but it is only a temporary set back for them.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I had my fields limed and it didn't knock the buttercups back at all.

ETA Grazon 90 is supposed to kill buttercups, but is ineffective unless they are very juvenile plants. I'm going to try Headland Polo next, asked at my Countrywide store recently and they hadn't heard of it .

 

[Tnavas]

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup. Knocked buttercups really hard

 

[Tiddlypom]

Roundup would be ok for spot treatment, but it kills every other green plant that it comes into contact with too.

 

[JillA]

I did wonder about a weed wipe with glyphosate but the only bit high enough are the stems and flowers, the leaves are too close to the ground.

 

[Tnavas]

Roundup would be ok for spot treatment, but it kills every other green plant that it comes into contact with too.

If you get the spray nozzle down close to the base of the plant you can generally kill selectively.

Once the buttercup are dead you usually need to chuck some grass seed down so killing off a bit around the plant is not too much of a problem.

 

[Loftyrules]

Unfortunately it's probably too late to be killing them now, the best time is the end of April/Early May but they need to be sprayed before they form a flower bud or they'll flower regardless. I have been using a Mix of 1.5l/ha of Thrust, 3l/ha of Headland Staff & .5l/ha of Companion Gold as an adjuvant the results have been good but it is a 2-3year program to get on top of them.

 

[Adopter]

I used to have lots of buttercups, but they are a favourite treat for geese, who pull them out for you. I have four geese on my 6acres with the ponies, and buttercup removal is just one of the advantages!

 

[rowan666]

My local suppliers sold me Kaskara a couple of years ago and it did nothing at all - so best avoided IME. I have used Polo but it is only a temporary set back for them.

We also found this useless!

 

[rowan666]

I used to have lots of buttercups, but they are a favourite treat for geese, who pull them out for you. I have four geese on my 6acres with the ponies, and buttercup removal is just one of the advantages!

Ooh this is interesting, do they eat the grass though or just the buttercups? Do they eat doc leaves? (im aware i sound stupid but if geese are the way forward i dont care! )

 

[Adopter]

Ooh this is interesting, do they eat the grass though or just the buttercups? Do they eat doc leaves? (im aware i sound stupid but if geese are the way forward i dont care! )

The geese like the roots of buttetcups so pull the whole plant out with their beaks! Sadly docks do not seem to have the same appeal, but I have sorted them by always removing all seed heads and then digging out a patch at a time when ground is moist and they come out relatively easily.

Other advantages are geese keep unwanted people out of the field, and the eggs make lovely cakes and omelettes!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

The geese like the roots of buttetcups so pull the whole plant out with their beaks! Sadly docks do not seem to have the same appeal, but I have sorted them by always removing all seed heads and then digging out a patch at a time when ground is moist and they come out relatively easily.

Other advantages are geese keep unwanted people out of the field, and the eggs make lovely cakes and omelettes!

Gosh........ hadn't thought of a "natural solution" like Geese!!! I remember my uncle & aunt used to keep them and they were as good as guard-dogs on their smallholding; terrified the life out of me as a child........

 

[MotherOfChickens]

chickens also love buttercup and mine eat docks as well. There is however a very slightly higher risk of GS when keeping poultry and horses together so something to be aware of. Probably doesn't apply to geese as they forage in different ways-unfortunately I don't have enough grazing for geese and husband says no anyway.

 

[JillA]

I need about 3,000 geese - anyone want to tack some on my fields?? A pair of wild Canada geese and 5 hens aren't keeping up