Ragwort bane of my life!

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rcm_73

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Lately there seems to be ragwort springing up all over the place in my two fields..for every one wheelbarrow I fill there seems to be another thirty to pick. I pull any flowering plants out immediately so there are none of those but I can't seem to get on top of the rosettes and have a feeling I'll still be pulling it out this time next year and beyond! Moving the horses isn't an option, the most i could do would be to electric fence bits off. In the meantime whilst I am digging the stuff out is it harmful for my horses to be grazing around these rosettes?
 
rcm_73 said:
Lately there seems to be ragwort springing up all over the place in my two fields..for every one wheelbarrow I fill there seems to be another thirty to pick. I pull any flowering plants out immediately so there are none of those but I can't seem to get on top of the rosettes and have a feeling I'll still be pulling it out this time next year and beyond! Moving the horses isn't an option, the most i could do would be to electric fence bits off. In the meantime whilst I am digging the stuff out is it harmful for my horses to be grazing around these rosettes?
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If you have a reasonable amount of grass then its unlikely they will touch them however if its puled up or trampled and dying, then they may eat the residue...its a PIA but spraying and or pulling it is the only way we pull and pull!!! and each year there is a little less but it is such a vigorous plant it is a constant battle......
 
At this time of year there should be no ragwort growing. However, around this time of year a non poisonous version known as Oxford ragwort.

The general difference is the leaves are slightly different and the stalks will be green rather than reddy/purple of the poisonous variety.

But still if any doubt pull it anyway, I have to do 70 acres a year so I can recognise it, you may find it on google I've never looked!
 
I got half a bucket out of my winter field yesterday.....It most certainly *is* growing round here!!! I had only been out there a week or so ago, yet some of the rosettes were the size of my hand!
 
Finding rosettes all over the place.

I think it's down to the fact we've had rain and dormant / small plants are sprouting like mad. I dig them out as I find them, we have a home made ragfork thingy that makes the job much easier, although it's still a PIA finding them.
 
welsh_monster said:
At this time of year there should be no ragwort growing. However, around this time of year a non poisonous version known as Oxford ragwort.

The general difference is the leaves are slightly different and the stalks will be green rather than reddy/purple of the poisonous variety.

But still if any doubt pull it anyway, I have to do 70 acres a year so I can recognise it, you may find it on google I've never looked!
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I was under the impression that all ragwort contained alkaloids and was toxic. It's true that the DEFRA codes etc on ragwort spread only apply to common ragwort, but that's only because that plant causes the most problems. What leads you to say that Oxford ragwort is not poisonous?
 
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