Ragwort Control Options

farmer2018

Hi all, having big problems with ragwort this year as I hear some others are. All is flowered at this stage. I know I can pull it but I've done that in the past and it comes back. Could I spray it or would mulching it work?

Cavanjack

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058419180/ragwort-control-options

Too late spraying now if they are flowering . Top them or pull them and spray if they regrow or next spring when they are only a few inches high.. Need to spray them for years if they are bad.

Birdnuts

my Shetland Sheep and Cinnaber moths are hammering mine atm🙂

_Brian

Problem now that they are at full size is if you cut them they become a poison risk. Pulling them at least removes them from that.
But ground is hard so pulling them will be hard and less successful if you don’t get the roots out.

Whatever you do it’s not something you beat in one or two years, it takes a few years of work to knock them back and even then you will need to keep on top of them.

dowlerswozere

There is a man in Tullow who makes specialised ragworth sprangs for getting up the roots I can pm you his number if you like

They grow over two years so as people have said already it takes a few years to get rid of them

I’ve been doing an hour a day and you’d be surprised how much you get done

farmer2018

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123619286#Comment_123619286

Will sheep eat flowered ragwort?

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058419180/ragwort-control-options

Mulch it now, give it plenty of time to rot before letting livestock back.
From my experience, I didn't have a ragwort problem, ragwort was only the symptom not the cause, using nothing but implementing rotational grazing, grass measuring and regular topping the ragwort disappeared once the grass could out compete it.

This is from 2017 - just before I took over the farm and the last time I tried to clear a field by pulling.

The same field this morning, will be cut and wrapped shortly and not a yellow flower in sight.

Poor grass management or a nutrient issues will lead to bad ragwort infestations, soil samples came back good for this field, but I blame overgrazing in the fringes of the year allowed the seed the conditions to to germinate, I now close up the worst effected areas first in the autumn to leave them with some cover over the winter and into spring. (Even just the worst strip of a field).

I still have some fields to deal with but every year I'm seeing an improvement, embarrassingly the home farm is still the worst as it is only a 10 acre block, that has been an easy target for abusing with late/early grazing and/or blacking with FYM but I'm targeting that for improvements now.

patsy_mccabe

Works for me.

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123619697#Comment_123619697

Wore that t-shirt long enough, it won't work unless the underlying issues are resolved also.
But far less pulling required if any once they are.

Having said that I wouldn't walk past a ragwort without pulling it in a field that is more or less under control.

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123619664#Comment_123619664

The difference in the presumed ash tree in the back ground is stark.

emaherx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123619799#Comment_123619799

I just thought the same thing when writing the post, both pictures are from the same time of year.
Not many healthy looking ash trees left around here.