Topping rushes.

[PhilipB]

Any point? And would now be the time to do it?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

No . Unless you want to get rid of the dead stuff so you can spray . I suppose going to the Barbour makes your hair look tidy but it wont make you bald will it , and to onlookers , I ain't trying to sell him rush seeds or sprays . [emoji16]

 

[Ysgythan]

You can’t just top them once. If you top them you have to keep bashing them back for them eventually to get the message. However weed wiping works a lot better on the fast growing regrowth.

 

[Adam@Rumen]

Topping then spraying/wiping seems to be the best action here.

Some that we topped but didn't get on to spray because it got too wet have come back and you can't even tell what's been topped and what hasn't. Complete waste of time and diesel just to top in my experience. Mowing and baling actually did a better job, but not as good as spraying.

 

[Sid]

top or mow and subsoil

 

[ImLost]

On paddocks with less of a problem here we have topped, then wiped.

With fields thick with rushes we have wiped first and will top later in the season. Weed wiping obviously kills the rushes, then turns them brown and dry, which causes more of a shattering effect when we top, rather than thick, green, live stems burning the belts on the topper out.

 

[PhilipB]

Is there a selective herbicide for them?

I'd have to find a contractor for wiping.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Only two ways to properly rid your self of rushes imo . Farm intensively or roundup them

 

[Formatted]

We've topped them and then going to weed wipe the regrowth in September, top again in the spring and weed wipe the regrowth.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Top them off now, low as you can. Spray or wipe them when they are green, growing hard and looking fresh. Will be a while now. You'll get them though if the weather plays ball, if not do it next year. Investigate drainage and soil test.

 

[jimred]

Got to be realistic about what caused them to grow in first place. If it's seriously wet you'll struggle without drainage. If it's only moderately wet or better and there's been neglect/poor management get some lime/phosphates/fert/muck etc on them and graze hard. If they are thick they'll need a helping hand with the mower or chemicals but whatever you do if you don't correct the nutrients/management you are wasting your time.

 

[Wishful Thinker]

Top then good dose of slurry. Ideally spray regrowth but I find plenty of power on the ground hurts them.

 

[Muddyroads]

top or mow and subsoil

Is subsoiling effective? I’ve got quite a large area of them which I’ve cut for bedding over the last couple of years and had wondered about putting the grassland shakerator through it.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Top then good dose of slurry. Ideally spray regrowth but I find plenty of power on the ground hurts them.

Yes, the more competitive the grass growth the better off you will be.

 

[marco]

Lots of dung/slurry/k we use a disk mower here and cut them tight.

 

[Sheepfog]

Is there a selective herbicide for them?

I'd have to find a contractor for wiping.

MCPA & 24d work well on them with a wetter/sticker, any missed bits are easily spotted! You can buy them as a mix but I prefer buying them separately as you can legally mix them to a stronger formulation.

My preferred rush control method is;
1. Top in previous year
2. Spray new growth with above mix in May/June
3. Top after 1 month

They will return if the ground lies wet, is acidic etc but the above method will get rid of them for a few years.

 

[JHT]

MCPA & 24d work well on them with a wetter/sticker, any missed bits are easily spotted! You can buy them as a mix but I prefer buying them separately as you can legally mix them to a stronger formulation.

My preferred rush control method is;
1. Top in previous year
2. Spray new growth with above mix in May/June
3. Top after 1 month

They will return if the ground lies wet, is acidic etc but the above method will get rid of them for a few years.

What strength are you making the mix please?

 

[livestock 1]

Is there a selective herbicide for them?

I'd have to find a contractor for wiping.

I’ve been using Lupo which is 24-D and MCPA I will let you know how I get on it’s the spray of choice

 

[Mur Huwcun]

A lot were cut and baled recently during the dry spell so if you can mow them get them baled

 

[Sheepfog]

What strength are you making the mix please?

From memory 2.5 l/ha Agritox (MCPA) & 2.5 l/ha Depitox (24d) with a wetter. This gives a much stronger mix than max application rate of Polo (MCPA + 24d combined).