Paddock maintenance - spraying reeds

[Ceifer]

Does anybody else have reeds in their fields? One of our fields has a lot of reed in it and I’d like to get rid of it. The field is on a slope and can run wet. We’re hoping to install some drainage later this year. I’m trying to get the local farmer to spray it but he’s really busy. I’ve found another licensed farmer but he’s said it could take several goes to get rid of it which could be pricey

 

[Palindrome]

My horses love reed.
I found this old thread that says it's not poisonous but I would double check, my paddock only had a small amount (and they scoffed the lot before I realized they were eating it):

Are reeds in horses field poisonous?

We are moving to our new place soon&some of the horses field have reeds in.I'm trying to findout what their called to see if the horses will eat them&if they do whether its poisonous.the fields have been used for sheep before and to make hay.please help!

forums.horseandhound.co.uk

 

[PurBee]

Theyre commonly called rushes, and are a feature of wetter lands.
I had several fields covered in them, very tall 3 foot bunches of them everywhere. Land had been un-used for 50yrs prior to me owning it.
I mowed it, and mowed it. Grass growth improved with every mowing.

As you have just small immature strands poking up here and there, grazing animals usually eat them when theyre small and grassy. Its when they get fibrous and filled with ‘polystyrene’ as i call it , that animals wont eat it.

The usual spray for them is glyphosate on a ‘weed licker’ attachment. The rushes have to be fully grown, poking above the grazed grass, so the weed-licker coats the tall rushes, leaving the grass untouched.

Because rushes have a glossy outer coating its hard for many of the herbicides to penetrate, hence why glyphosate is commonly used, which kills all plants, grass included. So it’s use for rushes specifically, is done with a weed licker.

 

[PurBee]

My horses love reed.
I found this old thread that says it's not poisonous but I would double check, my paddock only had a small amount (and they scoffed the lot before I realized they were eating it):

Are reeds in horses field poisonous?

We are moving to our new place soon&some of the horses field have reeds in.I'm trying to findout what their called to see if the horses will eat them&if they do whether its poisonous.the fields have been used for sheep before and to make hay.please help!

forums.horseandhound.co.uk

Mine too. I panicked they might be poisonous when I first got my land, but theyre ok for horses, who’ll happily eat the fresh strands growing. They tend to avoid the really mature thick bunches of it though.

 

[JackFrost]

I wouldnt spray, just let the horses eat it, all the horses I have had have loved it and not come to any harm.

 

[Quigleyandme]

Rushes and creeping buttercup thrive where the soil is acidic. Sweetening the soil with lime at a rate of 2 tonne per acre discourages them from growing for about three to four years. Applying fertiliser at the same time maximises take up of the lime. The wretched rushes and buttercups will take over if left unchecked.

 

[Ceifer]

Thanks for the replies.

@JackFrost I don’t really want to but it is overtaking the grass now and encouraging a hell of a lot of moss which isn’t helping the grass situation.

@Quigleyandme ah that’s very interesting so would you veto the weed killer, lime and fertilise? I am concerned that spraying will take several goes

@PurBee - we have experimented with mowing and it does help but I am losing the battle and the will to live with it

 

[Britestar]

I was told top first then lime.
I took the easy option, sold the field

 

[Quigleyandme]

@Quigleyandme ah that’s very interesting so would you veto the weed killer, lime and fertilise? I am concerned that spraying will take several goes

You can still lick them but you will need to lick them from late May every single year. You can also top and mulch them but they’ll be back stronger and more vigorous than ever like any plant that you cut back. The better and more ecologically sound solution is to make the soil less friendly to them.

 

[Honey08]

We have lots of rushes and some of our ground can be quite wet. We had the rushes sprayed two years ago and the results were quite amazing. I’ll try find a before and after shot.
You ideally need to spray small, green rushes, so we topped the rushes at the end of summer, then sprayed as the new shoots start to come through in spring. The farmer suggested doing them every other year, and he seems to be correct. Two years later the rushes are starting to appear again in places. We topped the fields last year and really need dry weather to get the fields dry enough to get a tractor on to spray!

 

[Lois Lame]

if you are going to add drainage, the conditions will change so as not to suit the things that currently suit it. Maybe you can avoid spraying.

I think anything that adds (safe) variety is a good thing, though.