My battle with the buttercup continues!

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kat2290

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My weed killing has been unsuccessful :( I estimate only 50% of the plants have wilted and even those ones looked like they are probably going to cling on and come back.

I definitely did it too late, might try again in autumn if the conditions look right but if not looks like I will have to try again next year. Touch wood they don't seem to be bothering the ponies and I don't think they are trying to eat them.

For those interested the weed killer I used was Depitox, when I rang the manufacturer they said it might be too late in the growing season to be effective and they were right.

However the positive to this is that I now have myself some electric fencing as I had to buy some to fence of the field while I sprayed. At the moment the fence is splitting our field in to two equal halfs, roughly half an acre on each side. I'm wondering if I should keep the fence up and rotate the animals from side to side...is it better for the land to do this? It seems like, in theory, it would be good for the grass to have a rest but then the side that they are using will get hammered and surely that's not so good. Advice welcome!
 
Hi, When I moved into my fields about two years ago they were yellow, just a sea of buttercups and other nasties.
My o/h sprayed them with something and the paddocks were the cleanest ive ever seen horses in!- They are just now starting to re-appear.
I will ask him what he used. It was recommended by an agronomist and I *think* the horses stayed on them- or at least it didn't take long before they went back on them.
 
Would be interesting to hear what you used? I'm pretty sure the depitox would have been effective had I used it at the right time, you are meant to spray the weeds when they are still in the bud stage and actively growing, I think my field was a bit further on. Also next time I do it I'm going to put a dye in with the water so I can see where it's been sprayed.
 
May work if you cut, mow or strim them, wait two days and then weedkiller. I was told to try this and it worked.
 
Not a good outcome!

From AgResearch in NZ
Giant buttercup (Ranunculus acris, subsp. acris) is harmful to grazing dairy cattle due to the production of the blistering agent protoanemonin. Giant buttercup has the ability to outcompete grass and clover in a dairy pasture, and cattle avoid it and the pasture surrounding the plant. At peak cover , giant buttercup in densely invaded pastures may reduce edible dry matter by up to 50%. Spread can occur through seeds in hay. The seeds may also be spread by sticking to the hooves and coats of animals. The rhizomes of the plant, from which it can readily regenerate, and the seeds, can be spread in soil and flood water.

Mowing prior to flowering can be an effective method of controlling seed production. However, herbicides are failing to control the weed. Giant buttercup has evolved resistance to all of the herbicides that have been used against it (the phenoxy and ALS-inhbitor herbicides). This has occurred where dairy farmers have relied upon repeated applications of these herbicides to infested pastures over several years.

I've successfully sprayed off using Glyposate 360 but it does kill off the grass too. Good for large areas where its scared off the grass and if you are careful spot spraying. I use it double strength.
 
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Resting sounds like a good plan - there are different types of buttercup - our mix of Depitox and Agritox has worked really well on the kind we have this year (but it was done a while ago so the manufaturers are right - timing is key)
 
Polos Mum said:
Resting sounds like a good plan - there are different types of buttercup - our mix of Depitox and Agritox has worked really well on the kind we have this year (but it was done a while ago so the manufacturers are right - timing is key)
Click to expand...

I've also been told that liming the paddock helps reduce them. You could buy some bags of lime and spread it over the worst hit areas and hopefully it will put them off growing.

They do spread via suckers so if you can mow with a mower that will collect the cutting, then spread the lime and as they start to regrow spray them.

HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS!!
 
OP: You are not alone...we sprayed with Kaskara, just before the budding stage, and we are in the throes of the worst creeping buttercup infestation we've ever had!! We had to do 3 fields, but couldn't get to the third one before the buds opened, so we've left that field. The first field was done 10 days before the second one. Because of the constant rain we just couldn't adhere to a definite schedule. Plan B is we are going to top the buttercup flowers, suck them up with our muck sucker and see if that helps. We will have to start all over again next spring. I was going to use Depitox, but will add the Agritox as per Polos Mum's experience. We are on very alkaline soil, so liming would be a waste of time, I think.

Depending on the number of horses, resting your fields is a good idea.
 
24d/depitox needs to mixed with mcpa/agritox to use on buttercups but it will need to be done by somebody with a spray certificate and tractor mounted sprayer there is also a relatively new spary available called relay P which has been designed and licensed to be better than the traditional agri/depi mix (again professional use only) i havent as of yet actually used it and am awaitng feedback from people who have as to its effectiveness
 
We've just had our new fields (which looked like a buttercup farm :-O) sprayed with Headland Relay P on advice of the agronomist. Too early to determine results yet.
 
My field has been over run with creeping buttercup. A few years ago I did grazon 90 which i dont think did much(good for most other things etc although now unavailable).
I am wondering if topping early or as someone suggested previously to chain harrow early.

I have just put some horses on this buttercup infested field and they have eaten it to the ground! No buttercups. My horses wouldnt touch them and never ate down to the soil! Most bizarre. They have no blisters on their chops and are quite happy. I am highly pleased. In fact they have demolished everything. I pulled up two ragworts on a bit they are about to move onto. But am thinking topping is perhaps way forward. Or I can lend you the horses currently demolishing all in their path. With the sun the field is really parched too. Excellent.

No doubt buttercups will return though.
 
I have just sprayed with Headland Relay. Creeping buttercup was flowering but still plenty of rosettes.Paddock was well grazed down prior to spraying. Buttercup nearly all dead :D (I missed some), docks dead and plantain hammered and that was only last weekend. well chuffed. might be too late for the other paddock but will see.
 
RiderLizzie said:
Fields definitely need resting. How many horses will you have on the half acre??
Click to expand...

I have two mini shetlands and a llama:o

MaHats said:
May work if you cut, mow or strim them, wait two days and then weedkiller. I was told to try this and it worked.
Click to expand...

Thats a good tip thanks. So far I've only done half the field as have to wait two weeks until we can switch them over to the other side, that's tommorrow but we go on holiday on Saturday. So I'll have to do the other side when we come back by which time it will definitely be too late but I will try strimming them first.

Tnavas said:
Not a good outcome!

From AgResearch in NZ
Giant buttercup (Ranunculus acris, subsp. acris) is harmful to grazing dairy cattle due to the production of the blistering agent protoanemonin. Giant buttercup has the ability to outcompete grass and clover in a dairy pasture, and cattle avoid it and the pasture surrounding the plant. At peak cover , giant buttercup in densely invaded pastures may reduce edible dry matter by up to 50%. Spread can occur through seeds in hay. The seeds may also be spread by sticking to the hooves and coats of animals. The rhizomes of the plant, from which it can readily regenerate, and the seeds, can be spread in soil and flood water.

Mowing prior to flowering can be an effective method of controlling seed production. However, herbicides are failing to control the weed. Giant buttercup has evolved resistance to all of the herbicides that have been used against it (the phenoxy and ALS-inhbitor herbicides). This has occurred where dairy farmers have relied upon repeated applications of these herbicides to infested pastures over several years.

I've successfully sprayed off using Glyposate 360 but it does kill off the grass too. Good for large areas where its scared off the grass and if you are careful spot spraying. I use it double strength.
Click to expand...

I did start with Glyphosate but gave up after about 2hrs as we just have far too many weeds. It would take me weeks to get them all!

Polos Mum said:
Resting sounds like a good plan - there are different types of buttercup - our mix of Depitox and Agritox has worked really well on the kind we have this year (but it was done a while ago so the manufaturers are right - timing is key)
Click to expand...

Glad to hear you have had more success! I rang the manufacturer and told them what I was wanting to spray but they didnt say anything about mixing it :mad:

Tnavas said:
I've also been told that liming the paddock helps reduce them. You could buy some bags of lime and spread it over the worst hit areas and hopefully it will put them off growing.

They do spread via suckers so if you can mow with a mower that will collect the cutting, then spread the lime and as they start to regrow spray them.

HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS!!
Click to expand...

I've been reading about liming but it seems the jurys out on that one, some people say it works others say it makes no difference. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try it on the worst areas.

RutlandH2O said:
OP: You are not alone...we sprayed with Kaskara, just before the budding stage, and we are in the throes of the worst creeping buttercup infestation we've ever had!! We had to do 3 fields, but couldn't get to the third one before the buds opened, so we've left that field. The first field was done 10 days before the second one. Because of the constant rain we just couldn't adhere to a definite schedule. Plan B is we are going to top the buttercup flowers, suck them up with our muck sucker and see if that helps. We will have to start all over again next spring. I was going to use Depitox, but will add the Agritox as per Polos Mum's experience. We are on very alkaline soil, so liming would be a waste of time, I think.

Depending on the number of horses, resting your fields is a good idea.
Click to expand...

I remember you saying you didnt have great results with the kaskara, its so irritating isn't it! Especially as all these chemicals arent exactly cheap!

dalesslave said:
24d/depitox needs to mixed with mcpa/agritox to use on buttercups but it will need to be done by somebody with a spray certificate and tractor mounted sprayer there is also a relatively new spary available called relay P which has been designed and licensed to be better than the traditional agri/depi mix (again professional use only) i havent as of yet actually used it and am awaitng feedback from people who have as to its effectiveness
Click to expand...

Its a shame the manufacturers didn't tell me this when I rang them or I may have had more success...they probably didn't want to recommend another product!

Ali2 said:
We've just had our new fields (which looked like a buttercup farm :-O) sprayed with Headland Relay P on advice of the agronomist. Too early to determine results yet.
Click to expand...

Good luck I hope you have more success than me :)

indie999 said:
My field has been over run with creeping buttercup. A few years ago I did grazon 90 which i dont think did much(good for most other things etc although now unavailable).
I am wondering if topping early or as someone suggested previously to chain harrow early.

I have just put some horses on this buttercup infested field and they have eaten it to the ground! No buttercups. My horses wouldnt touch them and never ate down to the soil! Most bizarre. They have no blisters on their chops and are quite happy. I am highly pleased. In fact they have demolished everything. I pulled up two ragworts on a bit they are about to move onto. But am thinking topping is perhaps way forward. Or I can lend you the horses currently demolishing all in their path. With the sun the field is really parched too. Excellent.

No doubt buttercups will return though.
Click to expand...

You should breed these horses to make a new blood line of buttercup eating neds! :D

MotherOfChickens said:
I have just sprayed with Headland Relay. Creeping buttercup was flowering but still plenty of rosettes.Paddock was well grazed down prior to spraying. Buttercup nearly all dead :D (I missed some), docks dead and plantain hammered and that was only last weekend. well chuffed. might be too late for the other paddock but will see.
Click to expand...

Glad you've managed to get it under control!
 
According to general consensus online that this year is a particularly bad year for buttercup due to the bad winter and lots of wet weather. Hopefully next year wont be as bad if we have a milder winter and if spring arrives when it's meant to not 8 weeks later :rolleyes:
 
I used Relay two years ago and the b*ggers are back. Last year I used Polo (which has 2-4-D as an active ingredient) with a wetting agent so it got well into the plants. That field is almost clear so far - I did the August regrowth after the hay had come off, so you could well be right about topping before treating. I've just been herbicide shoppping and Polo is no longer licensed for use in knapsacks, so they sold me Kascara as an alternative. I got some washing up liquid to add as a wetting agent but I am now wondering whether to spray as is or get them topped first - I was hoping to do paddocks section by section but topping means it invoves a bigger area. My experience is that you need 2-4-D but then again, I was told they need doing every 3 years anyway. I have some Pierce which is MCPA, mecaprop and dicambar, and I did a few patches two or three weeks ago. The plants have wilted but I'm not sure they are dead.
 
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kat2290 said:
What does the washing up liquid do, I'm not sure what a wetting agent is...please excuse my ignorance! :o
Click to expand...
It reduces the surface tension of the liquid and makes it more easily absorbed by the plant. Last year when I was spraying 8 acres with a quad and spray pack I didn't want to waste the cost of the herbicide so I bought some wetting agent called Solar, at great expense - I have since been told that detergents do more or less the same thing, so I am giving that a go.
 
Ahhhh that's so interesting! So do you mix the weed killer with water and then add a bit of detergent? How much roughly do you put in?
 
My relative farmer told me he mixed herbicides with detergents ie fairy. It does work. (I sometimes thought it was the fairy not the weedkiller)? I cant remember why. So thick!
 
Kat2290, for two tiny Shetlands and a llama, splitting the field will be fine I think! So lo g as it stays dry, they won't be churning it up.

Horses are renowned for ruining pasture, so giving one side a while to rest will be good, the. You can swap them over when the grass in the current paddock gets really low and rest that side. Makes poo picking easier too as it isn't in such a large area!!
 
kat2290 said:
Ahhhh that's so interesting! So do you mix the weed killer with water and then add a bit of detergent? How much roughly do you put in?
Click to expand...

I have no idea - just squirt a bit in!! Probably very little if the effect on washing up water is anything to go by...............
 
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