Spin Off From Trashed Paddocks Thread:Spraying

Equilibrium Ireland

Equilibrium Ireland

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Since people here are much more knowledgeable than I am, talk to me about spraying. I'm a city girl so in my head what I've been told doesn't make sense. I've been told no point in spraying for docks and buttercups til May. I have actually bought some seaweed fertiliser and have a couple of paddocks that have been off and am ready to go. But, I feel I'll be fertilising the weeds doing this. In my head I think spray first and then fert. Should I do as told and just put down the seaweed and grass seed and cross my fingers and spray in May or spray first.

Also the only people I talk to are cattle people and people who have magical horses that never seem to founder when putting 10/10/20 on their fields. So your wisdom would much be appreciated. TIA

Terri
 
I agree, you need actively growing weeds for them to take up the weedkiller so (depending on temps and where you are) not really worth it til it warms up quite a bit - that said I'd have thought the same would be true for the fertiliser - until the grass is actively growing it won't draw the fertiliser in so doing it this early you might risk it being washed away before it can do any good - BUT I'm certainly not an expert!
 
I used to use calcified seaweed (not sure if it is still available or if it is the same as the seaweed you have got) but it was reckoned to only maintain the Ph of the soil. If your Ph is low (i.e. the soil is acid) anything will struggle to grow unless you raise the Ph, usually by spreading lime. You can get simple soil testing kits for the Ph level in garden centres, they aren't expensive. The lime contractor I use does it there and then so that he knows what rate it needs spreading at, and he has been known to tell people they don't need it. If youa re anywhere near this part of the country I can give you his details, but from your sig it looks as though ou are in Ireland?
I spread well rotted stable manure on mine, keeps it relatively fertile because I take a crop of hay off it. TBH I stopped using chemical fertilisers in the days before I knew about over rich grass simply because of the price. I was spending £300 to gain an extra £150 worth of hay :(
Echo what the others said about actively growing weeds - they need to take up the weedkiller for it to have the desired effect.
 
Yes would agree dont spray until they are growing (but before they seed, if you have the dreaded docks)

local farmer always says to me :

Spray in May, stay away
Spray in June, be back soon
 
Yep you need to have some leaf for the weedkiller to be taken into the plant however if you do it when they are smaller ie dock you can end up using less weed killer(particularly if you spot spray). I agree lime is good for acid soil which most of these broadleaf weeds like. I tend to spot spray although I have done that lot before ie with Grazon90 which I dont think is available and my next purchase will be headland polo etc.

Seaweed sounds interesting but I dont nitrate my fields at all as it can cause rich grass and make the horses ill. They dont need rich grazing.

Good luck. ps I dont do it religiously weedkilling but I did have a dreadful dock problem and after a couple of years its drastically reduced. I havent sprayed it for about 3 years but may have a go this coming spring.
 
Thank you guys so much. Looks like will send soil off on Monday and if we need lime with the seaweed so be it. Then come May we'll spray and hopefully be in for a decent year!

Terri
 
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