RAGWORT, EVERYBODY PLEASE READ!!

Thats very incorrect, perhaps your YO should think about a change in career. It is more palatable when dry but equally as poisenous when alive or dead.
 
I know. I always thought ragwort was poisonous in any stage. but did not want to start a dispute over it and rather checked on web again.
Do you mind me asking, how did you upload those lovely pictures? I assume the beautiful creatures are yours?
 
Ragwort is on the proscribed list of poisonous plants and you are duty bound to get rid of it if you have it on your land, if you don't then you can be prosecuted. Of course we see masses of it at the side of the road but they wont prosecute local councils, private land is a different matter though.

If your YO is running the yard as a business she could also be guilty of gross negligence by not doing anything about it!
 
Im sooooo tired and bored of people's misconceptions of ragwort. How many equines have to suffer before people take responsibility for this poinsonous plant? Im planning a ragwort pulling session this week - we have done one field at our yard but its spreading everywhere from hedgerows and other peoples land. We need a nationwide effort to eradicate it but I doubt that is going to happen
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Cassandra
 
I was reading a dog weekly "Dog World" this weekend and read in there about a young dog being made very ill by eating ragwort. I read it out to my daughter but now can't find the piece to give exact info, but I don't think I dreamt it! I have never before heard of it being poisonous to dogs but it makes sense I suppose, so another reason to try and eradicate the horrible stuff.
 
We have ragwort in our field.

My YO said that once it flowers we will all spend the day clearing it out.

but is he right.... does we need to wait until it has flowered until we pull it up?

(sorry for hijacking post
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No you don't! Ragwort is poisonous at ALL stages of its growth and really any decent YO would eradicate it when it is only at the rosette stage!

Shocking husbandry going on here - these YO's need shooting I'm sorry to say......or at the very least a change in career!
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Regarding flowering rag wort. 70% of the seeds will germinate and form new plants so from one plant that has flowered you will get thousands of new plants. Is this realy what your yard owner wants?

Each time a horse eats Ragwort some of its liver cells are pertmanently destroyed. Once 50% of the horses liver is destroyed the horse will die.

Whether the Ragwort plant is alive or dead it will still do the same damage to the horses liver.

Pulling up Ragwort does not solve the problem as it re-generates from the root and forms a new plant. Ragwort should be sprayed with a specific spray in dry weather several times until it is dead and then removed and burnt (taking care not to scatter the seed by putting it into a container/bag).
 
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I was reading a dog weekly "Dog World" this weekend and read in there about a young dog being made very ill by eating ragwort. I read it out to my daughter but now can't find the piece to give exact info, but I don't think I dreamt it! I have never before heard of it being poisonous to dogs but it makes sense I suppose, so another reason to try and eradicate the horrible stuff.

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Ragwort is dangerous to ALL animals, including humans, and the poison can enter your system from touching as well as eating.
I am amazed that so many people are still so ignorant about it where horses are concerned.
 
I agree. we should all make sure that horrid plant is not taking over. In my last place I spent the entire summer pulling the weed out and made sure I got the roots as well, but it is there again (I walked my dogs in the adjacent field this weekend). It spreads from the neighbouring fields that are left untreated. I have complained last year to the land owner and they said they could not do much more but top the field as it was too late to spray and they would treat it next spring with weed killer, but obviously they did not bother.
I think people who do not look after their land and ignore the problem should have the land taken away from them. Would you not agree? They should give it to caring horse people who would appreciate and treat it far better!!!!
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I spent a lot of my time last year lobbying my MP, Defra, the Highways Agency, Railways and the Ministry of Defence about the widespread invasion of ragwort with a very disappointing result. All they can tell me is that it is not illegal to allow it to grow as long as it is more than a few hundred yards from grazing or pastureland. In other words if the highways and railways are not bordered by grazing land then the land-owner is not breaking the law.

This is absolutely crazy - OK, so the Cinnabar moth larva feed soley on ragwort but it should still be made compulsory to eradicate as much as possible and fine land-owners up to £5,000 or six-months imprisonment if they are found guilty. Has anyone heard yet of someone being fined?

The Weeds Control Act can be found on:-

http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/wildlife/weeds/index.htm

You might smile at the following. I went to visit some friends in Northern Ireland at the back end of July about 4 years ago. I was astounded to see so much ragwort growing in all the fields being grazed by horses, sheep and cattle. I couldn't help but comment to my friends how shocked I was that it was allowed to grow everywhere. Their answer? 'It's not poisonous while it's growing, so what's the problem?' !!!
A typically Irish answer, I'm afraid!!!
 
Yes! it is important to wear thick rubber gloves when handling ragwort.

It is impssoible to pull Ragwort up and pull up the roots at the same time as small fibres from the roots remain in the ground. This is why the Ragwort whould first be sprayed and allowed to die before pulling it up so that the roots are also killed off.
 
We only get the very occasional plant that manages to grow.... but we only pull it up and it doesnt regrow.

I think there are only a handful of plants to pull each year and those seeds blow in from neighbouring fields.
 
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