Buttercup

RS1600BDA

Member
Location
Essex
Excuse me if this is a silly question; but this year our grazing land for horses is absolutely covered in buttercups. Do they stop grass growing? If I topped the unused paddocks would it help in any way?
All thoughts and advice is appreciated.(y)
 
Buttercups are problem weed and a lot of people don't know that they are actually toxic for animals. Horses in particular will avoid grazing them and this results in them being overly competitive producing a field of yellow in horse paddocks this time of year. Topping will help but spraying wtih Envy or similar is the only way to eradicate them.
 

Sheeps

Member
I have a couple of fields of old pasture and this year the buttercup seems to have taken over. They got a bag of gran ime in early spring and npk fertilizer. I am going to top paddocks behind cattle. When is the best time for spraying them? Or is any time in the growing season ok
 

DaveGrohl

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cumbria
I have a couple of fields of old pasture and this year the buttercup seems to have taken over. They got a bag of gran ime in early spring and npk fertilizer. I am going to top paddocks behind cattle. When is the best time for spraying them? Or is any time in the growing season ok
What size bag of gran lime? I got into trouble yest for saying "a bag/acre" by the unit police. 50kg or 600kg? Or indeed 1000kg? Or any other non-binary nomination?
 

RS1600BDA

Member
Location
Essex
Had them sprayed last week. All dying now. Will top the fields in a few days. Will do them again next year until they are gone. As with things like this the next door fields have them too but he won't spray his, so i guess I will always have them to some degree.
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
Had them sprayed last week. All dying now. Will top the fields in a few days. Will do them again next year until they are gone. As with things like this the next door fields have them too but he won't spray his, so i guess I will always have them to some degree.
They spread mainly by creeping and seed, but the seed wont blow, so incursion will only be slow
 
When are the little blighters more toxic; when they are dried up, or when they are fresh and producing green foliage? I have read tell that ragwort is more toxic when dried off; I suppose that is because the toxins are more concentrated in the dry foliage of the the ragwort.

Do you keep stock off any areas that have been sprayed for weed control. and for how long?
 
When are the little blighters more toxic; when they are dried up, or when they are fresh and producing green foliage? I have read tell that ragwort is more toxic when dried off; I suppose that is because the toxins are more concentrated in the dry foliage of the the ragwort.

Do you keep stock off any areas that have been sprayed for weed control. and for how long?
Read the label usually two weeks
 

DaveGrohl

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Cumbria
When are the little blighters more toxic; when they are dried up, or when they are fresh and producing green foliage? I have read tell that ragwort is more toxic when dried off; I suppose that is because the toxins are more concentrated in the dry foliage of the the ragwort.

Do you keep stock off any areas that have been sprayed for weed control. and for how long?
My understanding of ragwort is that it becomes palatable while it's dying off and that's why it's dangerous. I think label recommendations to keep stock away revolve around this.
 
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