Poor grazing, help please!

[rubyrumba]

We bought a small holding about 2 months ago. The fields had been over grazed but we didn't know how well they would recover/ what would grow. We had been told the land had been limed but now it is over run with buttercups and they are taking over the grass. Hence, not much grass is growing. Is it too late to lime now? What else can i do? Kill the buttercups with weedkiller or would the lime kill them? Any suggestions very very welcome. Thanks in advance.

 

[VictoriaEDT]

once the buttercups are in flower it is too late to weedkill them. they are the bain of my life as well as we supposedly killed them and then more grew through the dead ones! URGH!

 

[Rollin]

You could lime your fields but lime is long acting and it won't kill the buttercups you have now it will just make the soil less hospitable. You only need to lime every 5-7 years but a large amount needs to be spread so best to employ a contracter who specialises in this. Best done in the autumn.

Your best bet is to feed your grass - do that now while you still have rain and cut your weeds with a paddock topper before they set seed. It is better to hit your weeds after you have fed the grass. Topping will also help the grass to thicken up.

I would use something like a treble 16 i.e. a feed with nitrogen for top growth and potassium and phosphorous for roots.

If you can rest your fields in rotation they will start to recover. If they are really bad you might want to seed. Some farmers have a harrow with a grass seed box fitted so you don't need to plough.

Then you can spray your weeds. Different weed killers effect different weeds e.g. Grazon 90 is good for docks and thistles and Pastoral for buttercup. I am a great believer in spot spraying as I don't like to spray too much so use a wand on big patches of weeds. Buttercup is best dealt with if you spray twice in the autumn and spring.