Pasture Management - getting rid of stinging nettles

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winchester

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I wondered if anybody would be able to give m some advice.

My fields are Clay so get very trashed in the Winter. But as they are quite wet – they always seem to recover well and the grass grows back through. Usually I don’t do anything to the fields apart from poo pick, but Last year I had lots of stinging nettles growing up in the fields in big groups... to be honest the horses’ loved them but it looked an eye saw...

What do people do to look after their fields?
Do you harrow and roll every year?
Do you spray your fields? Do the fields need resting after they are sprayed? Would this reduce the nettles?
Do you rest your fields for a long time to repair?

Any ideas of what I can do to get rid of the nettles???
 
Don't harrow and roll as don't have the wherewithal and finding someone to do it has proved impossible (been looking for years);
Don't spray now but did spend a considerable amount of time, effort and money "watering" docks, thistles and nettles a few summers ago and it had paid off, they have not returned;
Killed said docks, thistles and nettles using Depitox. Brilliant stuff, you can spray it if you have suitable equipment but I used it via a watering can. Very time and labour intensive but you can "spot" treat.
Resting : I have field split into three and rotate . . . . but the one they're in at the moment I am beginning to despair that it'll ever recover from being churned up, I fear I may have to seed it
 
I don't use chemicals if I can help it (will occassionally spot treat the odd dock).
We do roll and harrow on a regular basis but also top the fields in the summer when they are being rested (3 fields 2of 3 acres and 1 of 2 acres rotated as grazing) to cut the long grass that the horses don't eat .
I think nettles generally don't like being cut down so it might be worth topping them off on a regular basis if you don't want to spray .If there are not too many it can be done with a hand sythe The horse do eat them once they have been knocked down.
 
We had ours sprayed last year. Like you we are on heavy clay which is great for good grass but bad in winter....

A local contractor came and it took a couple of hours to do 16 acres. He said we could put horse straight on it but we left it about a fortnight and after we had also had a good downpour. We also had loads of buttercups that were treated at the same time. Total cost was about £200.00.
 
Also stinging nettles hate having their heads chopped off (wouldn't we all LOL). So if there's not too many, periodically chop their heads off. The horses will eat the heads when they wilt and you won't have added any chemicals to your pasture.
 
We asked all the local farmers and then went on recommendation, most local farmers are only too willing to help out provided you aren't in a rush - obviously they have to do their own farms first.
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If you look under agricultural contractors in the yellow pages there are some listed.

Good Luck
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Horses love dried nettles - and they're really good for them too. I'd strim them down every so often, let the horses eat them, then let them grow again and repeat. Definitely wouldn't use chemical spray anywhere near I was going to graze horses.
 
Winchester if your name is a hint as to where you are I might be able to put you in touch with someone, PM me if you are near Winchester!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Horses love dried nettles - and they're really good for them too. I'd strim them down every so often, let the horses eat them, then let them grow again and repeat. Definitely wouldn't use chemical spray anywhere near I was going to graze horses.

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This is interesting as we get loads of nettles and thistles... Do you just chop the nettles and leave them (as if you were cutting grass to make hay) for the horses in the field? Ours will nibble the nettles and one horse in particular LOVES thistles.
 
[ QUOTE ]

This is interesting as we get loads of nettles and thistles... Do you just chop the nettles and leave them (as if you were cutting grass to make hay) for the horses in the field? Ours will nibble the nettles and one horse in particular LOVES thistles.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mine won't eat them when they're still growing but hoover them up once they've been chopped down and dried for a few days - just like hay yes.

Interesting that one of your horses loves thistles - it can be a sign of the liver not functioning properly and the horse is trying to heal itself... or maybe they just like the taste!

Mine will pick rosehips from hedgerows in the summer - rosehips have anti-inflammatory properties and are also great for maintaining healthy joints.

This is an interesting article about what we should be encouraging in our fields for our horses:

http://www.naturalmatters.net/article.asp?article=1508&cat=28
 
He just likes the "flowers" on top.. picks them off gently and rolls them around his mouth. I actually think he likes the spikes in his tongue LMAO!
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Thanks for the article, stuff like that is really interesting. I'm reading a book about equine behaviour ATM and there's a lot in there about how, if we let a more natural pasture grow, horses will pick and choose what they need to keep themselves healthy.
 
I hire a brush cutter a couple of times a year and destroy all the nettles in our fields. I get my frustration out on them, and the horses eat them up the next day once they have dried. The nettles are coming back weaker and weaker each time, so by the end of this year I should have killed them all permanently!
 
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