Ragwort pulling

[Honey08]

Do you all help pull ragwort at your DIY yard? Is it expected?

 

[AmyMay]

Maintenance has always been done by whatever yard I’ve been at (diy), and to a very high standard, therefore ragwort was rarely a problem. However if the odd plant sprouted and was spotted before the YO we’d pull it and hand it over.

 

[little_critter]

I’m not aware of my YO doing any active ragwort control. I pull any ragwort I find in my paddock (And any I spot on the communal areas).
I was mightily annoyed this morning to find the yard next door had pulled ragwort and chucked it over the hedge into my paddock. If it happens again it will be returned to their doorstep with a note!

 

[TheHairyOne]

My DIY yard you most definatley are. But I also pay lower end of the price for where I am and I am fine with that. I

 

[Dyllymoo]

My field currently has fairly large patches of it. It is a big field with grass, but I want to set some time aside this weekend to pull it all/ most of it. I do some as I poo pick but I just want to get a complete handle on it all.

 

[chaps89]

I pay pennies where I am. So field maintenance is definitely down to me. I'm on my 5th feed sack of ragwort since March... wish the previous person and the field next door were a little more on the ball with it!
I've always been DIY and it's always been a general expectation that we've chipped in and helped/done it together, but I've never really been anywhere that had a massive problem with it before to be fair, just the odd plants here and there, and no-one minds that.
I am starting to mind how much I have to do now though but cest la vie!

 

[MissTyc]

My DIY everyone is expected to either join Ragwort pulling "parties" for a few hours here and there, or else do their own bit in their own time and take a photo for evidence! (you can probably guess how the photo requirement came about)

 

[Orangehorse]

Use gloves, people, and a mask is a good idea.

 

[scats]

Have to do our own fields. I’ve taken over a field from someone who rarely bothered so I’ve had to do a lot. Did 3 hours with my dad the other day and didn’t even get it all done. Will have to get back in there this weekend.

 

[Honey08]

Thanks everyone. I’m just wondering. I wasn’t really planning on asking, but wondered what other yards did. We’ve got 16 acres and usually pull about 20 ragwort plants in total, so it’s not much but it’s spread out so there’s a fair bit of walking with it. I’ve only a few liveries. Two of who I’d imagine would help, and one who doesn’t do an inch more sweeping than she has to!

 

[PeterNatt]

Although pulling up Ragwort solves the immediate problem of stopping it from going to seed and then spreading unfortunately by just leaving a tiny part of the root in the ground it will regenerate to form a new plant. The ideal solution is to get it sprayed and killed off completely and then remove the dead Ragwort and burn it. For spot spraying I use Barrier H and for best results it should be used when the weather is warm and sunny and their is no wind as in these conditions it will be completely killed off within a few days and can then be removed and burnt.

 

[Surbie]

I'll always dig it out when I see it.

There was a thread on similar lines yesterday:

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/ragwort-in-fields.791995/#post-14342230

 

[Honey08]

Thanks Surbie, typical that I turn up a day too late!

 

[sport horse]

Thanks everyone. I’m just wondering. I wasn’t really planning on asking, but wondered what other yards did. We’ve got 16 acres and usually pull about 20 ragwort plants in total, so it’s not much but it’s spread out so there’s a fair bit of walking with it. I’ve only a few liveries. Two of who I’d imagine would help, and one who doesn’t do an inch more sweeping than she has to!

I would organise a ragwort 'party' and provide tea/cake afterwards. Those absent would be noticed!!

 

[dorsetladette]

When I first took over our place it was covered in the stuff. Imagine rapeseed field. Some of the stuff was over 5ft high (taller than me). We cleared a bit an the ponies went on then strip grazed as we cleared it.

I bribed teenagers (my kids friends) with BBQ's and cider in return for afternoons ragwort pulling. It got cleared pretty quickly and actually the majority of it didn't come back.
Obviously we have to keep a close eye on things and I probably do about a wheel barrows worth every few weeks before they move to the next paddock.

So, maybe if you are wanting to get your liveries to join in and help organise an afternoon 'pulling party' with a BBQ and a couple of refreshments afterwards. You could maybe offer some incentive like a couple of bales of hay or a tenner off next months livery. Something that doesn't hurt your pocket to much. Bearing in mind the going rate for ragwort pulling round here is £4.50 a barrow load.

Might do wonders for a bit of team building too. (you never know)

 

[chaps89]

Just wondering, do people pull it when it's diddy or wait for it to grow a bit?
I seem to have lots of little rosettes but few actual tall/yellow plants (I'm hoping that's because I pull them when they're small)
It means from a distance my field doesn't look bad, but up close in certain spots it can look pretty awful.
But a wheelbarrow of little plants would be an awful lot?!

(Sorry to thread jack OP)

 

[chocolategirl]

Do you all help pull ragwort at your DIY yard? Is it expected?

I’m a DIY YO and I do ALL the ragwort pulling. We do spray too, but inevitably some plants manage to survive ?

 

[Polos Mum]

Just wondering, do people pull it when it's diddy or wait for it to grow a bit?
I seem to have lots of little rosettes but few actual tall/yellow plants (I'm hoping that's because I pull them when they're small)
It means from a distance my field doesn't look bad, but up close in certain spots it can look pretty awful.
But a wheelbarrow of little plants would be an awful lot?!

(Sorry to thread jack OP)

It's a biannual plant so it only goes tall and generates flowers in the second year. In the first year it stays at the flatter rosette stage. For those I would spray or next year you'll have a field that looks like a rape seed crop from a distance.
You can use a knapsack sprayer for medium sized areas if professionals aren't available. - it's more tasty when dead so you keep horse off for months until it rots away or collect dead plants.


OP - for 20 plants couldn't you just ask liveries to pull any they happen to walk near to when catching in or collecting discarded fly masks / muzzles etc.
That would probably get them all over a few days without any extra effort.

 

[little_critter]

Just wondering, do people pull it when it's diddy or wait for it to grow a bit?
I seem to have lots of little rosettes but few actual tall/yellow plants (I'm hoping that's because I pull them when they're small)
It means from a distance my field doesn't look bad, but up close in certain spots it can look pretty awful.
But a wheelbarrow of little plants would be an awful lot?!

(Sorry to thread jack OP)

I pull it when I see it. I believe ragwort is biennial - year 1 it is a low rosette, year 2 it sprouts the stem and flower.

 

[Nicnac]

I'm at home but pull it with a rag fork at rosette stage or occasionally when it grows if I've missed a rosette. The DIY yards around poopick but owner takes care of everything else. I know there's bitching about some who don't poopick as much as they should so rotas best way of doing it.

Can't imagine anyone would be dumb enough to leave ragwort growing in their horse's field whether they're DIY or at a top notch livery but guess some people are selfish/stupid/lazy (delete as appropriate)

 

[chaps89]

It's a biannual plant so it only goes tall and generates flowers in the second year. In the first year it stays at the flatter rosette stage. For those I would spray or next year you'll have a field that looks like a rape seed crop from a distance.
You can use a knapsack sprayer for medium sized areas if professionals aren't available. - it's more tasty when dead so you keep horse off for months until it rots away or collect dead plants.

Oh b*ll*cks.
I can't keep the horses off and know they only tend to eat it when it's dead so will have to keep an eye out for dead plants.
I'm pulling all of those ones up anyway and trying to make sure I get the root but do I need to spray too to avoid a yellow field next year?

Ets- thanks for responding!

 

[Polos Mum]

do I need to spray too to avoid a yellow field next year?

Does your field have any rest time normally? You've missed peak spray season (May) so when you do it isn't too key. If you have notable patches with loads of little ones all over (they can be as tiny as a 20p) then practically spraying is the only way. Digging leaves roots in which re-grow, if you could even be bothered for the tiniest.
I would really consider spraying. The seed lasts in the soil up to 25 years so letting one go to seed gives you a headache for a long time.

Another tip is to go around very local verges / uncared for land and chop off the seed heads into a bag, bring home and burn (less strenuous than digging someone else's problem). It can travel on the wind and infect your land. Councils are the worst at clearing and I used to live next to a disused railway so that was a disaster.
I know technically they wouldn't be my plants to chop but it was an argument I was prepared to have if anyone every asked what I was doing.

 

[Surbie]

We have hoary ragwort in our fields, more often than the common ragwort. It's a grey/green leaf, which makes it a bit easier to spot but we take it out at seedling stage wherever possible.

Hoary ragwort seems totally able to grow from seedling to flowering in the same year.

I can see common ragwort flowering in clumps on the hill of the yard next door, currently being grazed. I assume the seeds might get blown down to our fields but thankfully not too many are germinating.

 

[tda]

Our ragwort burden has become less over the last 12 years we've been here, strip grazing so pulling it up as we go, but I'll have to go and pull the rest shortly before it flowers, but my farmer neighbour grows it for fun ? he's just done his annual topping of it, like that's going to help ?

 

[honetpot]

I like to pull it as it's starting to flower. I had five acres of the stuff, tackled with spraying in spring when it's the size of a tennis ball, and pulling, in flower about now, most come up by the roots at that stage. If you strip graze in a line and pull a line a day it doesn't seem so bad, honest. This year I haven't filled a large Aldi bag for life with it, and that's out of fourteen acres, so I am feeling pretty happy. Its only taken five years.

 

[pixie]

My liveries poo pick, so they'll pull out the odd plant as they go along. We don't get many ragwort plants, so we all just work together and pull them when we see it. I'm pretty lucky in that they are the sort who would rather just pull it out when going past than leave it for someone else to do it.

 

[ihatework]

As a DIY I would 100% expect to have to pull ragwort if it was needed. Full livery I would expect it to be pulled by YO/staff

 

[Jeni the dragon]

There was a bit the first year I moved to where I am now, which I pulled. Tend to get about 6-10 wee ones each year which I spray. The next door field is very neglected so I tend to pull if I can reach or cut the heads off!

 

[Pedantic]

We are "all" supposed to do our own ragworting in our fields, but best not get me started on that one...

 

[dorsetladette]

Our ragwort burden has become less over the last 12 years we've been here, strip grazing so pulling it up as we go, but I'll have to go and pull the rest shortly before it flowers, but my farmer neighbour grows it for fun ? he's just done his annual topping of it, like that's going to help ?

That's what had been happening on our land. Like I said we had what would of looked like a rape seed field had it had chance to flower. I even contacted the highways agency and they came out to hand pull the ragwort on the grass verges around the field.