Soon will be Buttercup time...sprays

[0ldmare]

Last year one of my paddocks had waaay to many buttercups and I want to be ready with my sprayer to do them this year before they flower.

So what's the best to use? Must be ok to spray from a back pack! Used grazon before but whilst good on everything else it failed on the buttercups.

Liming is not going to help, I've had the soil tested.

Suggestions please

 

[Deseado]

Yes, I'd like some advice on this too please......

 

[flirtygerty]

Advice on this for me as well please

 

[eggs]

I used Pasturol (sp?) which I bot from Countrywide with good success

 

[Ibblebibble]

farmer did ours about 4 years ago but it's going to need doing again this year, will have to find out what he used and report back as it did the trick

 

[madeleine1]

why dont u want buttercups

 

[Ibblebibble]

because the pollen is acidic and can cause ulceration to noses and even worse the inside of the mouth, plus it reduces the amount of grass over time as the buttercups take over and you end up with a pretty yellow field thats useless for grazing

 

[katherine1975]

I used a spray called ragtime which is mainly for ragwort but did kill the buttercups.

 

[0ldmare]

Eggs I'll check that out, thank you.

Also ibblebibble, yes please ask, but I only have a back pack sprayer so what he used might not be suitable?

 

[chestnutmarelover]

Ive got creeping buttercups They dont all flower like normal buttercups but it is taking over the field & literally drowning the grass Nothing seems to kill it......

 

[0ldmare]

Chestnutmare, I've got both types The creeping are a flipping nightmare. There must be something that kills them. Napalm?

 

[0ldmare]

Just talked to a farmer neighbour and he recommends Headland Relay which apparantly is v effective (he says). Its also ok for a backpack. Will look into it tomorrow...off to bed now

 

[bryngelenponies]

I've just bought headland polo for the coming season so will report back on whether it works on buttercup or not. I hope so because the creeping stuff is a total nightmare!

 

[tallyho!]

Aahhhh yes, the buttercup problem.

Where I lived in Weston-Super-Mud a few years ago we had a major problem! Well, it wasn't really a problem, as horses didn't eat it but it was like a crop!!! Years of mismanagement before my YO had the land, had made the soils creep back into high acid levels where before they had been limed year on year.

She sprayed it with chemicals which meant horses couldn't be turned out for a while but they did disappear for a year. They came back with a vengeance the next year though... see photo below. The advice she had from Agri was to continue a liming cycle. which means it needs doing year on year to change the pH levels. This is what most landowners do in WSM as it is common. Yes, it leaches out every year, especially if you on the flood-plain area but you do just have to keep adding the correct amount in every year. Infact, I think it's now thought best to fertilise one year, then lime the next, never both together. It's a long old process but better in the long run for the soil. It does leach, but that's just what happens and why you need to carry on managing it year upon year.

 

[0ldmare]

Thanks tallyho, but I've had the soil tested and the PH is just about perfect so liming won't help me.

 

[LaurenBay]

We had our feilds sprayed last year, so hopefully I won't be seeing one buttercup this year! So far so good. I will ask farmer what he used and get back to you

 

[loopylass]

You need a grassland herbicide such as mecoprop-P and MCPA - order it from your local agricultural merchant - it will kill creeping buttercup. Follow the instructions carefully, I think it advised not grazing livestock on the paddock for at least two weeks after treatment. It will also kill your clover, so if that's an important part of your sward don't use this herbicide!

 

[madeleine1]

thanks for the explanation