spraying ragwort?

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jojo180

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hi all just a quick query, last week i had my field sprayed with forefront to rid of dock,dandilions and ragwort. my only concern is the ragwort as there was so much i wouldn't be able to pull before it flowered so decided to spray.
Horses will be moved on in august.
The ragwort has just started to wilt a bit and curl at its leaves i was wondering if its working correctly as iv never come across spraying before. Its just seeing the dandilion leaves brown and then the ragwort just wilting a bit after a week. they say to leave off for 6 weeks and is this because it should have rotted down by then or just reached the roots to kill it all? im prepared to pick it out after just doesn't seem that it will rot down by 6 weeks or that its working?
anyone else sprayed and with what results?
 
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Yes four weeks ago. Husband INSISTED that the thistles were the main target of the spray but the contractor said that the ragwort might not respond to that particular spray. As it is the nettles are dead, the thistles are misshapen and I've just dug out three dustbins full of seemingly unaffected ragwort.

I'm afraid I don't know what product was used.
 
I have my fields sprayed every year & I know the farmer uses 2 types of chemical as the Ragwort needs a different one to all the other crap in the field & advises me to keep them off for 2 weeks, sorry that's not very helpful but I just trust my farmer to get on with it!! I would be interested in any info too though
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my farmer has used forfront.. my frined has had the chemical man down and that only seems to be doing the job .. but im unsure as to how long i have to keep them off and also with the nettles as mine like to eat them.. do i have to wait until they all die down and then pick them? even thr ragwort?
 
Derek Knottenbelt did a lecture for us on Ragwort/poisoning etc. He does recomend digging it up. He divides a field into strips. Each person has a strip and when they get to the top they have a bottle of beer. By the end of the day they are sozzled but had loads of fun ragwort pulling.
We had a question and answers and i did not hear anyone say they had sprayed succesfully.
I pull - lucky my current fields are ragwort free at the mo, but have never tried spraying.
 
It should start to wilt in the next week allow 5-6 weeks for it to decay. Pull out big bits as it won't decay as fast. Forefrount should be okay. Pharo is this years spray tho ( they tend to bring a new one out yearly). Ragwort is allways the last to go as it is such a strong plant. We have been pleasently suprised with the results of spraying. Next year try to get it 6 weeks earlier when its still at its growing but small stage. Make sure theres no frost/rain/wind or it will not work properly.
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Donablue- as far as i know with forefront you keep them off for 1 week (id say two to be sure) as i dont think the spray is then harmful, but with ragwort involved i know its just as deadly dead as alive (more so dead they eat it) so its advised to pick out once dead.

im just unsure if mines working as they said for ragwort 6 weeks , is that to makes sure its rotted and gone or just so that its reached the roots? 6 weeks, 1 week has past and the plants have just tilted over and top leaves slightly curled but the dandylions have gone crispy and brown already.
im not so confident now hearing your reply silver_florin.

does anyone else check that ragworts dead and gone before letting horses on field thats been sprayed? and has it rotted in the time the manufacturers state to keep livestock off for
 
I checked mine before letting the horses back on - which is why they are penned up in tiny areas that have had the ragwort dug out. I'm really cross about the spread on to my field. It has always been arable and never had ragwort and we got it cleaned and seeded but the ragwort has come in from the railway line and is spreading across it.
 
bear with it - you will find they wilt at different rates - buttercups and nettles seem to wilt within a few hours - docks take 24 - 48 hours, plantain about 5 days and ragwort about 7 - 10 days. Then they will rot down over the next few weeks. If you are not putting horses back on till august you have plenty of time - Don't dig it up as you want the poison to get right down into the roots to kill it in the ground. Also next year you want to use it about the beginning of May - when everything starts to grow. We had a real buttercup/dock and nettle problem - now our fields look fantastic. We used Forefront.
 
Jemima too, try complaining to Network Rail about the railway line and then to Defra under the Weeds act if NR take no action.

We had to report our local agricultural college for ragwort infestation - they specialise in equine studies, ironic eh! But they cleared up their act once Defra involved (but only then).
 
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