pasture are: spray then top, or top first?

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Llanali

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Hello!

We moved into our home a few weeks ago, and our fields (and house and garden) are a state. Should I top the fields now and get them sprayed, or get them sprayed then top after?!

I have approached a local farmer about the spraying, so have asked him, but would be really grateful for any tips. Its plantain, docks, thistles, buttercyps, the lot. Thanks!
 
im no expert but i would have thought you would need to spray first as if you top you will remove all the leaf surface areas of the weeds which is where most weed killers and taken into the plant, your not going to be very affective at killing them !! i think it also depends on the state of the field though and how overgrown or grazed down it is as to what would work best.
your best bet is to get your local farmer to have a look and he will tell you what needs to be done when and can then spray/top for you as necessary. he will also know which chemicals will work best for the weeds you have.
congratulations on your new horsey home !!
 
It depends on the time frame you are wanting to do it in, if you spray you must leave long enough before topping otherwise the weedkiller will not get down to the root structure and be wasted, if you top first you need to leave time for some regrowth before spraying otherwise it will not get taken up by the leaves, topping will mean that any regrowth will probably be weakened and spraying weak plants should kill them off quickly.
If you are in a hurry to get onto it I would just top now and spray next spring when you can do it in stages as and when it fits in, you may find that having some regular tlc reduces the weeds anyway.
 
I have the same dilemma
I'm going to mow first but go around big patches of weeds then spray those
Smaller patches can be sprayed when they start to regrow
But then it's easier for me as I am doing the work myself
 
If the buttercups are flowering it's too late to have much success spraying them now anyway. As long as there is no ragwort or anything poisonous, I would top and see what you've got.

Or another option would be to strip graze it as it is. Really depends how bad it is and what animals you are putting on it and when. If it's mostly grass with some weeds you could strip graze it as standing hay this year and deal with the weeds in the spring.
 
Thanks everyone.

There's something yellow in there, but its like tall dandelions.... Single stalks with four or five flowers on, about 80cm high. Not spiky. Its the colour of ragwort but doesn't look like it....neighbours and I think its not ragwort. Plus its a bit early for ragwort.

I think we will top first, but not too short, then spray. Neighbour, I just found out, is a qualified pesticide handling person (?) I asked who they used to spray theirs, and he said "I do, I've got the **** certificates, a tractor and a boom. Buy what you want to use and give me a shout". Bless him!/

Now I thought about graze on or headland polo, but he mentioned agritox? Any recommendations warmly Welcome. Thanks all!
 
I bulk spray and I also target spray work a back pack. At best I keep the weeds down, but they always come back again.
 
Same predicament with my new place. Buttercups and docks. I am going to strim the heck out of them from now until the stop coming back and next year I will spray.
 
Just revisiting this, I've been on business away all week, and now the fields are clearly full of ragwort! Rosette stage all over the paddock they are in: not much grass as trying to keep fat ponies weight down! And tall plants all on the rest of the land that needs topping. I feel I have bought a nightmare!

So, my plan is to put them on another section, with the least ragwort. Pony can come off the grass and in with soaked hay for the day times.

Then hand spray the rosettes in their normal paddock, and pull them up as they die? Then in a few weeks I should be able to return them to this normal paddock, then I can top the rest of the land, and leave it until autumn and spray again then? It will be too late to spray by the time they are back in the normal field I think.....


How long would it take after spraying before I can put them back: I mean how long until the dead plants disintegrate, I know That the chemicals will have a time period before returning animals.

Good lord what a disaster! I'm assuming now I know there is rag in there, I can't top first.....
 
Don't panic, it is surprising how quickly pasture can improve with a bit of determination.

I would move the ponies away from the ragwort first. Don't waste money on spraying the ragwort, just pull and burn.

Then I would strim/flail the be jesus out of the paddock, rake up as much as you can. Then repeat in a couple of weeks.

I would then consider spraying the new growth - I have had best results from strimming and spraying at the end of the summer.

We bought a house that hadn't been lived in for eighteen months and the docks in particular were awful. We have been here 18 months and someone commented the other day that my fields and grass look like cricket pitches :D

Remember - no mercy :)
 
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