What weedkiller REALLY REALLY gets rid of buttercups

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Patchworkpony

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Bought a new property lovely soil and NOT wet but the pasture is overrun with buttercups. The lady we bought from thinks they look so pretty! We are planning to run a PH test as I am sure the ground needs liming but what have you guys found to spray buttercups that really works in the long term.

I have heard that grazing sheep on fields can help keep buttercups down but I also think they are equally bad for sheep as they are for horses. Help - all positive experiences welcome. I do wish people didn't neglect their land in the first place - grrrr!
 
In fairness if the lady liked buttercups she wasn't neglecting her land. I have noticed this year though when driving around there are zillions of buttercup in fields which have not had them gor the six years I have lived in the area.
 
There are different types of buttercup - first task is to find out exactly what you have.

This year you are probably too late - they are harder to kill once they are in flower.

We sprayed with a mix of agritox and depitox and this has certainly given the buttercups we have a very hard time! Only 10 days ago so they aren't dead yet but it's looking good (or bad if you're the buttercups!!)
 
Last year I sprayed one of my fields with Polo, which contains MCPA, mecaprop and dicambar, and on the advice of a local agronomist, used a wetting agent to make sure it did the job. Very very few buttercups on that field this year, but because they have an underground rhizome you need to spray again (every 3 years I seem to recall). I am about to get some more Polo, add washing up liquid as a wetting agent and do patches on the other fields. You need to leave stock out for 2 weeks, more if there is any ragwort which hasn't rotted away, but it is the only way as far as I am concerned.
Two years ago we did a different field with Triathlon, and the buttercups are back :(
It's become a personal challenge for me ;)
 
I've just sprayed 1/2 acre with Headland Relay for creeping buttercup and plantain. am quite encouraged by the results so far, even on those buttercup that are flowering. I'm going to spray, rake up and then reseed.

JillA will the wetting agent work for the Relay as well? am doing knapsack-don't have access to anything else.
 
Should do, with anything it just ensures the chemical gets into the plant and doesn't just run off. I'm going to try washing up liquid - the one I bought last year for the 8 acres I was spraying (borrowed a neighbours quad for that) cost almost as much as the herbicide itself.
RelayP was the same as the Triathlon (or at least, we were sold it as such, I didn't know about active ingredients then) and that would probably have done better with a wetting agent. I do knapsack most of the time, and am going to stock up on cheap washing up liquid for it.
 
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Thanks so much for info everyone. It seems encouraging that it works even if it is too late this year - which I guessed from spraying years ago. Does anyone one now if sheep really help keep buttercups down? We are going to get some more sheep anyway as they are so good for eating down rich grass.
 
Headland Polo is spot on for the dreaded yellow things (and also mares tail & plantains).
Had 40% of mine sprayed a week ago on the Sat & there is not a yellow bobbing thing to be seen in those paddocks, just very wilted plants :D But this was with a big contractor with boom arms on the tractor, who brought own water bowser too.

Makes the other paddocks look horrible tho, but could not afford the time in keeping mine off all the fields for the required 2 weeks after spraying :rolleyes:
 
Nothing now IMO.

7 years ago you could get stuff called blaster (I think) which really sorted them out for years irrespective of liming. Then the EU banned it (and anything else worth a damn). I've left mine for the last two years and am planning to move but otherwise I would be starting a limiing/reseeding rota and aim to get paddocks limed and reseeded on a six year cycle.

HATE THEM!
 
Off to stock up at Aldi, or any other shop selling cheap washing up liquid LOL. Had never thought to use it in the sprayer for spot treatment (large spots in the case of buttercups) Some of the small garden weedkillers have a foaming agent and I have found better results with those. Maybe that will help me see the ones I have missed as by the time you have done spraying you can't tell the difference, you don't see them untill afew days later amongst the wilted ones. Thanks for a good tip.
 
There is a note there that says use Thrust for knapsack use - might ask about that when I go in in the next few days. I thought the active ingredients were different too, but I have a good stockist who knows the answer to all those questions - that is the best way to find something that works for you.
 
one of our paddocks has terrible buttercups this year. Soil has been tested and its fine. We used Broadshot from Mole Valley to kill them. It has worked well but I am sure they'll be back!
 
We don't normally get buttercups but this year one part of our filed is covered in them and my garden also has loads coming up in the lawn and borders. They may be pretty but they are a pain.:(
 
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