Ragwort!

[pistolpete]

It’s mental this year!! Just crazy!

 

[katie_southwest]

It's crazy indeed, we pull ours every year and it seems to be bigger and in more places this year! My arms and legs will feel it tomorrow after pulling it both weekend days

 

[dreamcometrue]

It’s everywhere! All the road verges are full of it.

Luckily we cleared our fields early when it was easier to pull up.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

The A1 is just a sea of yellow along the verges.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I have a 2 acre field and an unhelpful fieldmate, so I have done at least 14 hours of ragwort pulling so far this year, if not more and it's still peeking through. Thing is we have farmers fields with it in all along one side and some other field users don't prioritise clearing it as much so I can only do what I can do firefighting it, I'm never going to eradicate fully.

 

[dorsetladette]

About 6 years ago I had the highways come and pull all the ragwort along the roads along side my field. It needs doing again now, but it really made a difference.

Our place looked like a rape seed field when we first took it on in early 2018. we've had a couple of easy years since the big clearance, but it's coming back with gusto this year. Horrid stuff!!

The highways, council and a local farmer are really letting it take over locally.

 

[Highmileagecob]

If anyone has any tips and hints on how to motivate other liveries to assist in ragwort pulling, I would be delighted to try them. At the moment, we have dug around three tonne bags full, and the novelty is wearing off. As we have about as much again to clear, we really can't afford to stop.

 

[dorsetladette]

If anyone has any tips and hints on how to motivate other liveries to assist in ragwort pulling, I would be delighted to try them. At the moment, we have dug around three tonne bags full, and the novelty is wearing off. As we have about as much again to clear, we really can't afford to stop.

You could suggest to have paid help come in and do some of it. The people not willing or able to help then share that cost between them?

just an aside - make sure you keep the pulled ragwort covered. The flowers drop to seed even when pulled - I nearly cried when I realised this on a windy morning with a huge mound of pulled ragwort in the corner of the field.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

If anyone has any tips and hints on how to motivate other liveries to assist in ragwort pulling, I would be delighted to try them. At the moment, we have dug around three tonne bags full, and the novelty is wearing off. As we have about as much again to clear, we really can't afford to stop.

As someone who had to just clear the field alone for the same reason, if you find a way please let me know!
I think unless you have YO buy in, who will sub-charge for any ragowrt removal having to be paid for (and good luck finding someone to do it even paid) you're on a hiding to nothing.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I have a 2 acre field and an unhelpful fieldmate, so I have done at least 14 hours of ragwort pulling so far this year, if not more and it's still peeking through. Thing is we have farmers fields with it in all along one side and some other field users don't prioritise clearing it as much so I can only do what I can do firefighting it, I'm never going to eradicate fully.

Won't the yard get it sprayed

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

If anyone has any tips and hints on how to motivate other liveries to assist in ragwort pulling, I would be delighted to try them. At the moment, we have dug around three tonne bags full, and the novelty is wearing off. As we have about as much again to clear, we really can't afford to stop.

Have a Ragwort party supply some wine and beer tins of gin are good for taking into a field, give everyone some gloves a wheelbarrow and rag fork put some music on and have your party then a BBQ afterwards

We used to have them at a yard I was on everyone chipped in for drink and food and we made a day and night of it.

 

[dorsetladette]

Have a Ragwort party supply some wine and beer tins of gin are good for taking into a field, give everyone some gloves a wheelbarrow and rag fork put some music on and have your party then a BBQ afterwards

We used to have them at a yard I was on everyone chipped in for drink and food and we made a day and night of it.

Pretty much what we did. Bit different as it was our field. But we roped in some of the (then teenage) kids friends. We supplied drinks (soft and low(ish) alcohol) and a BBQ when we had finished/had enough. We got about an acre of ragwort forest cleared in an afternoon. Even the kids thought it was satisfying looking across a clear paddock and comparing to the one next door to it.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Pretty much what we did. Bit different as it was our field. But we roped in some of the (then teenage) kids friends. We supplied drinks (soft and low(ish) alcohol) and a BBQ when we had finished/had enough. We got about an acre of ragwort forest cleared in an afternoon. Even the kids thought it was satisfying looking across a clear paddock and comparing to the one next door to it.

Pulling ragwort is much nicer when done in company and with wine

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Won't the yard get it sprayed

We don't have enough fields to rotate for spraying on the top yard unfortunately

 

[pistolpete]

We don't have enough fields to rotate for spraying on the top yard unfortunately

Spraying doesn’t work and I hate chemicals on my ponies food.

 

[Highmileagecob]

All ragwort is bagged and covered, and thanks for the suggestions. The land owner has agreed that we can look into spraying for next year, but liveries would then have to agree to bring the horses up for the winter around September time. I'll work on that one. Considered the alcohol based day - think our lot would be in a heap under the hedge rather than digging, but a good incentive. We have agreed a Friday afternoon dig this week, so hopefully, we can make a big dent in it. It is so annoying that two liveries with four horses between them, absolutely refuse to join in. It is pointed out to them that we pay below normal rate for total DIY but to no avail.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Spraying doesn’t work and I hate chemicals on my ponies food.

Spraying does work but you need a farmer to do it with the right stuff.

You have to take them off it for at least a week.

Pulling is not enough as there is always normally a bit of root left so it grows back, then the following year you have more and then it gets out of hand

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

All ragwort is bagged and covered, and thanks for the suggestions. The land owner has agreed that we can look into spraying for next year, but liveries would then have to agree to bring the horses up for the winter around September time. I'll work on that one. Considered the alcohol based day - think our lot would be in a heap under the hedge rather than digging, but a good incentive. We have agreed a Friday afternoon dig this week, so hopefully, we can make a big dent in it. It is so annoying that two liveries with four horses between them, absolutely refuse to join in. It is pointed out to them that we pay below normal rate for total DIY but to no avail.

They shouldn't be able to turn out then I was on a yard and if you didn't poo pick or pick ragwort he used to close the fields.

 

[Highmileagecob]

I really wish we had the authority to do that, but unfortunately, our farmer owner just shrugs.

 

[dorsetladette]

Pulling is not enough as there is always normally a bit of root left so it grows back, then the following year you have more and then it gets out of hand

If you put table salt in the hole you pulled the ragwort from it with kill the remaining root. Pulling and this worked on my place.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

If you put table salt in the hole you pulled the ragwort from it with kill the remaining root. Pulling and this worked on my place.

I tried that and vinegar the only thing that had an impact was spraying with barrier h after pulling.

 

[dorsetladette]

I tried that and vinegar the only thing that had an impact was spraying with barrier h after pulling.

That's a shame it has worked for us. Our place was a forest of the stuff, like one of those fields you see on the motorway and it makes you feel a little sick, when we first took it on. The following year we had rosettes to clear and from there onward's we have just had what I would call the standard routine pulling. This year has been worse than others but I'm basing that partly on the surrounding fields not being looked after and the the weather being just right for the germination of dormant seeds.

Maybe the difference is the soil type? we are on sandy soil and in really dry weather the only thing to stay green is the ragwort - maybe the salt is just enough to take the remaining moisture out of the plant? maybe?

I've never heard of the vinegar one though - does that change the PH in the soil?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

That's a shame it has worked for us. Our place was a forest of the stuff, like one of those fields you see on the motorway and it makes you feel a little sick, when we first took it on. The following year we had rosettes to clear and from there onward's we have just had what I would call the standard routine pulling. This year has been worse than others but I'm basing that partly on the surrounding fields not being looked after and the the weather being just right for the germination of dormant seeds.

Maybe the difference is the soil type? we are on sandy soil and in really dry weather the only thing to stay green is the ragwort - maybe the salt is just enough to take the remaining moisture out of the plant? maybe?

I've never heard of the vinegar one though - does that change the PH in the soil?

I read on line that you make up a solution of salt vinegar and dish soap and it kils it but it didn't really do much, I have done the putting salt in the hole after pulling but again didn't do much so I went and bought barrier h killer.

That year I sprayed cut and pulled and it was much more effective but this year I had so many new plants I got the farmer to spray it, mainly because he was doing all the fields around me as well and I was fighting a loosing battle there is only me that does it.

He sprayed it in April and I found about 4 little plants this week but it looks really clear now so I'm gonna keep on top of it and will spit spray with the barrier h.

 

[dorsetladette]

I read on line that you make up a solution of salt vinegar and dish soap and it kils it but it didn't really do much, I have done the putting salt in the hole after pulling but again didn't do much so I went and bought barrier h killer.

That year I sprayed cut and pulled and it was much more effective but this year I had so many new plants I got the farmer to spray it, mainly because he was doing all the fields around me as well and I was fighting a loosing battle there is only me that does it.

He sprayed it in April and I found about 4 little plants this week but it looks really clear now so I'm gonna keep on top of it and will spit spray with the barrier h.

Well done for breaking the cycle. I think that is the hardest part!

Brilliant news that your local farmer is also doing something about it!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Well done for breaking the cycle. I think that is the hardest part!

Brilliant news that your local farmer is also doing something about it!

He grows crops and has a livery yard and to be fair he sprayed everything this year because it was so much worse, its in both our interests to keep it away really so I really don't mind paying him to do mine because he does his own.

 

[Highmileagecob]

We have tried salt and vinegar to the tune of 16 litres of the mix. Ours seem to thrive on it....

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

About 6 years ago I had the highways come and pull all the ragwort along the roads along side my field. It needs doing again now, but it really made a difference.

Our place looked like a rape seed field when we first took it on in early 2018. we've had a couple of easy years since the big clearance, but it's coming back with gusto this year. Horrid stuff!!

The highways, council and a local farmer are really letting it take over locally.

I bet you wanted to cry taking on a field full of it I know I would have done I hate it.

It's terrible along the A1 and surrounding roads here as well.

 

[nagblagger]

I've given up and just recruited a ragwort puller to do a field for me tomorrow, see what he's like, if good he can do the rest of the 15acres.! He's starting at 6am, I will drop by after work to check but seems honest enough. Never known it so bad.

 

[dorsetladette]

I bet you wanted to cry taking on a field full of it I know I would have done I hate it.

It's terrible along the A1 and surrounding roads here as well.

At the time I was leaving a yard with a terrible bully so I was between a rock and a hard place. We cleared enough to move the ponies on and electric fenced them in. Then we moved the fence as we cleared the ragwort. The first summer was expensive as we had to hay all year, but I wouldn't change it for the world now.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

At the time I was leaving a yard with a terrible bully so I was between a rock and a hard place. We cleared enough to move the ponies on and electric fenced them in. Then we moved the fence as we cleared the ragwort. The first summer was expensive as we had to hay all year, but I wouldn't change it for the world now.

Sounds like a good move then.