Weedy fields.. Help!

[Deli]

I have recently acquired 2 fields that have been left ungrazed for at least 10/15 years. One of which the grass is really long and they wont really touch the long bits.

The other is incredibly weedy (full of plants that look like ragwort but they are not and are bald) they have a purple flower coming I think.

The fields look messy and the grass is of a really low quality, how can i improve the grass. Do i pull up each weed, fertilise it, weedkiller it.. Any quick fix suggestions?

 

[meesha]

I would ask a farmer to come and cut and bale (if some grass he may do it for free or small fee and use it for cattle) and take it away.

Then once cut let it grow up for a few weeks b4 spraying - if really wet it is worth pulling dock etc if you can as mine come out if wet - same with thistle.

It will cost but will make a huge difference in long run, I wouldnt bother spraying until topped & baled if long though as spraying is good on new growth (also make sure you get right chemical for specific weeds)

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

As above . We had loads of docks I spot them i had the canister on my ride on tractor and would drive round spraying them. It might take a few years but we are almost there.

One thing to remember when you are spraying you can only kill whats above the ground seeds etc already spread will be got another year.

I would invest in a Ragi fork. also. If farmer wont cut for hay use as per post above, I would get a farmer to top it then rake it round into small piles then into one or two big piles and burn it. The start from the beginning on a flat field .


Try someone would would be willing to look after your fields for you. We have a gr8 guy knows what to do when and which stuff.

 

[Dry Rot]

No farmer with any sense is going to cut or top a field of long grass if he doesn't know what stones and other debris it contains. If he does, he risks damaging his machine.

I'd spot spray with a knapsack sprayer. I'm currently using Depitox (http://technical.nufarm.co.uk/documents/Herbicide/Label/Depitox_labelinfo.pdf) which is a new one on me recommended by my local agri-chemical suppliers. It kills are the usual broad leafed weeds as well as ragwort and docks. Frankly, digging weeds out is a waste of time. Better to spray twice a year, spring and autumn, and keep at it until the weeds are eliminated over several years.

You don't say what horses you have but I'd probably divide the field into paddocks with tape and graze hard, obviously keeping horses off sprayed areas, even if I had to supplement feeding with hay or haylage. Once you know what is there, you can top. I might alternatively do a controlled burn to get rid of the long grass when it dies back at the end of the summer.

A more expensive way would be to spray the whole field with Roundup to kill everything, then do a re-seed from scratch -- soil test, plough, harrow, sow seed and fertiliser, then roll. Then graze with sheep or cut for hay. But if you don't own the land, that could be a big expense for nothing.

I'm coming to the conclusion that it is sometimes better to manage what native grasses are already there than re-seed, especially if you have good doers. That's what I'm doing here except for a couple of fields kept solely for hay.

 

[Miss L Toe]

Some farmers have a "thistle basher" which will top anything, probably best to ask a local farmer for his advice.

 

[LD&S]

No farmer with any sense is going to cut or top a field of long grass if he doesn't know what stones and other debris it contains. If he does, he risks damaging his machine.

I'd spot spray with a knapsack sprayer. I'm currently using Depitox (http://technical.nufarm.co.uk/documents/Herbicide/Label/Depitox_labelinfo.pdf) which is a new one on me recommended by my local agri-chemical suppliers. It kills are the usual broad leafed weeds as well as ragwort and docks. Frankly, digging weeds out is a waste of time. Better to spray twice a year, spring and autumn, and keep at it until the weeds are eliminated over several years.

You don't say what horses you have but I'd probably divide the field into paddocks with tape and graze hard, obviously keeping horses off sprayed areas, even if I had to supplement feeding with hay or haylage. Once you know what is there, you can top. I might alternatively do a controlled burn to get rid of the long grass when it dies back at the end of the summer.

A more expensive way would be to spray the whole field with Roundup to kill everything, then do a re-seed from scratch -- soil test, plough, harrow, sow seed and fertiliser, then roll. Then graze with sheep or cut for hay. But if you don't own the land, that could be a big expense for nothing.

I'm coming to the conclusion that it is sometimes better to manage what native grasses are already there than re-seed, especially if you have good doers. That's what I'm doing here except for a couple of fields kept solely for hay.

Depitox is really good but be careful if you use it at the upper strength it's recommended you only spray once a year