Ragwort in flower beds

countrywoman

We have a number of very large flower beds. This year they have been next to impossible to keep weed free.

There has been an invasion of the weed Ragwort this year. It must have blown in from the field's bordering our house

It seems impossible to eradicate. I pull it as soon as it appears but then it appears again. Millions (maybe slight exaggeration) of tiny seedlings consistently appear

I cannot spray the area as there are plants in the beds

Has anyone any advice?

I would love to put down weed barrier and decorative stone, but the area is so big that funds wont allow

lottpaul

Am afraid that if you live beside a field with ragwort you will always have it
Unless it's eradicated at the source you will always have seedlings that seem to sprout and grow overnight - and if your neighbour isn't willing to mow/spray then there's not a lot you can do.
The only option is to pull, spray or put down a mulch/barrier. From what you said pulling seems your main choice. It's a pain but usually they are easy enough to pull up - horrible smell though!

GrumpyMe

You could become a grass...


http://tinyurl.com/hwjl5h4

Under the 1936 Noxious Weeds Act, failure to prevent the spread of poisonous plants like ragwort is an offence. Any owner, occupier, user or manager of lands who allows the plant to grow can face a fine of up to €1000 on conviction.

countrywoman

Thanks for the replies
i have spoken to the farmer and he agreed to take measures to get rid of it

never knew there was such a thing as the 'Noxious Weeds Act'!!

Tefral

countrywoman wrote: »

Thanks for the replies
i have spoken to the farmer and he agreed to take measures to get rid of it

never knew there was such a thing as the 'Noxious Weeds Act'!!

Better for himself anyway.. its bad news for cows and horses. Its even bad news for humans.

Thargor

It's habitat for a few butterflies though, keep an eye on a couple of plants and they'll be crawling with caterpillars soon if it's any consolation...

looksee

There has been a plague of ragwort this year, I doubt the butterflies will starve!

Thargor

Yeah I notice that whenever I go down to Galway recently, some fields look like its a crop, completely overgrown, field after field aswell not just the odd one like in other years.

SILVAMAN

looksee wrote: »

There has been a plague of ragwort this year, I doubt the butterflies will starve!

but it is the main food source for the cinnabar moth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnabar_moth

looksee

SILVAMAN wrote: »

but it is the main food source for the cinnabar moth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnabar_moth

The point I am making is that even if you dig up every bit of ragwort in your garden, there is so much that none of the insects that depend on it will be affected.