paddocks and nettles...

[Toffee44]

We have about 1acre of our land that is over run with nettles n buttercups. They grazed this down over winter but it has just sprung up. Now for the issue, the field slopes unto a river so can't use sprays, is my only option to top this land and then re seed?

 

[SpruceRI]

Topping won't stop the weeds, they'll just grow back I think. I found rolling nettles seemed to kill them off better than chopping them. I used to drive round and round my field in my 4WD squashing them all beyond repair! Once they'd wilted, the horses loved em!

Buttercups are the bane of my life too. Without spraying them I don't know how else you can get rid.

 

[appylass]

Topping will get rid of the nettles, fairly easily, they don't take a lot to get rid of at all. Buttercups are a lot worse. It can be a sign that the pH of your soil is wrong, you may need to apply lime. Hard topping, repeatedly, will reduce them a lot but you really need to keep on top of it and do it very regularly. I fight the horrid things all the time and over a few years they are less!

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

no reason not to spray responsibly.

 

[stacie21]

if you spike your field and then roll it the spiking interrupts the roots of buttercups and they die the rolling will speed up possess you can spike now as long as its a good spiker and you drive very very slowly

 

[katherine1975]

We have a similar problem, if you cut the nettles the horses eat them as they are dying. Then spray the buttercups selectively.

 

[stencilface]

You can spray your field with Roundup or anything Glycosphate based, as this breaks down easily in the environment and can be used close to water.

We hired a power scythe last year to chop all our nettles and thistles down - this really seemed to do the trick, and I'm hoping they'll be less this year. Buttercups we also have, but the horses are fences off from the area dominated by them, they don't get let on that bit til they've gone. If we used sprays to get rid of our buttercups, we would also get rid of any other herb plants present in the grass, which I want to keep - I don't want a monoculture of grasses in the field. Plus the amount we'd have to spray would be immense and I wouldn't then want my horses eating somewhere where that many weedkillers had been used, I know I've said it breaks down, but that doesn't mean I want my horse grazing somewhere where loads has been used

 

[alison247]

The field we rent off our neighbours had buttercups although ours bordering theirs didn't. I fertilise my paddocks so maybe that was the difference.
However over the last two years they have wintered the field with sheep and NO buttercups for two springs running!
Coincidence?

 

[Rob Lakeside]

You can spray your field with Roundup or anything Glycosphate based, as this breaks down easily in the environment and can be used close to water.

Warning Round up will kill grass and weeds, it is a grass sward you wish finally.

yes you can spray near a water course as long as you keep the droplet size large so it drops where you spay this and will not drift or blow into lakes and rivers.
Any 24D and Mecoprop spays will work for nettle and buttercups.
Search buttercups their has been lots of posts in the last 2 weeks.