Ragwort... help!

[Neptune]

So the dreaded ragwort topic...

One part of my field has been rested for the past couple of months. Just moved the horses on to it and noticed the amount of ragwort on it

I never noticed it before as there are just tons and tons of seedling plants. They are not even at the rossette stage yet. My back is killing me already from bending over trying to spot them to dig them out. There are tons of them, and I have a bout 2 acres to do

Some of the plants are also confusing me as they are not the typical ragwort rossette. Some are growing taller from just one single little measly stalk, like the stem of a daisy. It does look like ragwort though, just with slightly skinnier leaves. Or is this not ragwort?

Will the horses be likely to eat the seedlings? I am just worried they will get picked up when the horses take a mouthful of grass. it is not going to be a quick process to get rid of all these tiny tiny plants and I have no were else to turn the horses out.

Any quick tips on how to get rid of ragwort seedlings?

Thanks

 

[L&M]

Could you get photos as agree they do not sound like ragwort, but there are a few types so may be one of the more uncommon ones?

 

[YasandCrystal]

If you are only concerned with 2 acres I would buy the Barrier H Ragwort spray and go around and spray it. Check online and see if the horses need to be off the paddock and what to do with the wilted/killed plants. I think it will be a case of blitz it by digging them up or getting the horses off spraying and waiting for plants to rot. The spraying will definately help to diminish the number of plants coming up in spring.

 

[Dizzleton]

I feel your pain!

Generally most horses dislike the taste of ragwort and will spit it out in accidentally eaten. But horse are very careful what they eat, and will usually nimbley munch the grass around a ragwort plant without even touching a leaf.

You could always put an ad up in your local tackshop asking for paid help

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We use a weed burner wand on small rosettes. You can fairly quickly turn them into ash, the horses don't need to be kept off the land (although in your case I would put electric fencing up to split the grazing for safety's sake) and you don't need to bend as much s when digging. The plants don't come back next year. Our local Aldi had weed wands last week for less than £15.

 

[Neptune]

I will try and get some photos of the other type of Ragwort I seem to have. Although having googled it it looks a bit like the Oxford Ragwort, leaves wise. But they say that starts as a rosette stage also. So not sure?

Have looked at the Barrier H spray just now. seems to get some good reviews. It says to rest the paddock for 2 weeks which isn't to bad. Could section it a bit at a time. Just not sure If i would need to do anything with the wilted/dead plants. Or does it kill the seedlings dead off and I wouldn't need to pull? Does anyone know?

 

[sueonmull]

Even with Barrier H you have to leave the horses off until the ragwort has totally rotted away and I wouldn't like to guess how long that would be as it depends on the conditions in your field. Good idea from Pearlasinger to split the field while you treat it just to be on the safe side. Do feel for you and hope it turns out not to be ragwort. Running some sheep on the field might help but not a permanent solution I don't think. Is there ragwort round about where it could have seeded from?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Ragwort is just as poisonous to sheep as it is to horses, so please don't do that.
If you use a weed wand and turn the rosettes to ash, there will be nothing to remove. It is a really easy job.

 

[sueonmull]

Sheep not so sensitive to ragwort as horses but I agree they can be affected too. If they are being fattened for slaughter anyway then they could do a clean up job and are unlikely to suffer any ill affects in the time they are on there. I have to swallow hard when I say that because I am a vegetarian who keeps pet sheep!!!
Anyway hope the wand works and will be interested to hear what happens.

 

[OrangePepper]

Horses will eat live or dead Ragwort.
Burning Ragwort does not destroy the root structure and the remaining fillaments of root will eventually re-generate to form a new plant.
To permanently destroy a Ragwort plant including hte root structure you need to apply Barrier H when the weather is dry and wait for one week and then apply again. Once the plant has completely died remove the plant and burn it. Ragwort flowers every second year and each plant produces thousands of seeds which can be spread by the wind and birds.
Fence of a part of your field and then treat it and remove the dead plants and then do another part of your field.
Each time you horse eats Ragwort some of the cells of the liver are permanently destroyed. Eventually so many cells of the liver are destroyed that the liver no longer functions and the horse will die.
As reported in the equine press about 2 weeks ago the RSPCA has started to prosecute horse owners that keep their horses in fields with an infestation of Ragwort.

 

[Neptune]

Unfortunately surrounding fields contain a fair amount of Ragwort. So probably blown over from there.

So I will still need to some how remove all the seedlings even after spraying them with the barrier H? There are so many of them Will the chemical not burn right through them as they are only tiny?

 

[OrangePepper]

Neptune I am afraid you will find it very difficult to remove the seedlings and unfortunately they are impervious to any chemical and can lie dormant in the soil for many years before sprouting.
Your best course of action is to treat specific area of the field in rotation in the Ragwort growing season over the next few years and eventually you will see a decline in the number of Ragwort plants.
Sadly this is the problem with Ragwort if it is alowed to get out of ontrol the ground becomes infested with the seeds.

 

[asmp]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fiskars-UK-Limited-009910-Puller/dp/B0002TTRT4

If you want to save your back, get one of these. I have been using mine regularly on my field to pull up the ragwort plants before they get too big.

 

[Jesstickle]

If all your surrounding fields are full of the stuff there isn't much point worrying too much about spraying and killing it off. Just do what you need to do to make it safe for your own horses (burning the beggars sounds like a potential go-er) as it is only going to get re-seeded from next door anyway.

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

The skinny stalk like ones with dinky leaves are still ragwort.

 

[jinglejoys]

RPCA would do more good prosecuting the councils and Highway Authorities

 

[HaffiesRock]

I feel your pain OP.

Some people have recently left my yard so I got to extend my field. Unfortunately, they were not one for poo picking or ragworting so I had quite a job pulling it. Manage to pull all the mature plants although they were flowering already so I am sure I have spread seeds. There is still quite a lot of seedling plants that I pull when I poo pick. It does feel like it is never ending!

 

[sueonmull]

If you know who owns the surrounding fields you can explain your problem to them and ask them to clear the ragwort in their fields. Not much use to you for this year but might help for the future. Not easy to approach a neighbour but they are responsible for controlling the ragwort to prevent it spreading to grazing land or land used for feed/forage production see: www.gov.uk/wild-plants-dangerous-invasive-and-protected-species.
There are quite a few hoops you have to jump through to progress these complaints but hopefully the neighbour will understand your problem - I know you have enough to do trying to get your own field safe but if you offer to help your neighbour that might make them more willing to do something.
Hopefully the land might be owned by the council as it is much easier to approach a 'faceless' body.
I think we all feel for you.

 

[sandi_84]

I really feel your pain! We've got nearly 2&1/2 acres, been there since december and it just seemed like they magically appeared overnight one day and there were thousands of them! :eek3:
The land we are on hadn't been used for anything for years and obviously they had just spread with every season.

Nearly 9months on and we are still waging war against it, we dug it out and it grew back, we dug it out and it grew back, we are now in the process of digging it out... again :rolleyes3:

Next year we are spraying them along with the docks that are infesting our grazing and hopefully it'll be easier to manage as all it seems we do right now is poo pick and ragwort pull