Ragwort

einn32 · 10-07-2014 8:59am

roosterman71 wrote: »

Is it not covered by some piece of legislation related to "Noxious Weeds"? If so, get onto the council to have it cleared. If you owned land beside that road you would be infested by it soon

Years ago the guards would tell lads to get rid of ragwort. We always have to pull a few every year while neighbouring fields are full of it and probably provide the seed for our ragwort.

k mac · 10-07-2014 11:35am

Pulled as much as i could hopefully will be able pick some more out of the swards. Think 1kg of ragwort when dried would need alot of it in a bale.

whelan2 · 10-07-2014 11:39am

k mac wrote: »

Pulled as much as i could hopefully will be able pick some more out of the swards. Think 1kg of ragwort when dried would need alot of it in a bale.

but if its in silage it would never dry? It mightnt be in one feed but over the space of time. best to get rid of any you can see

greysides · 10-07-2014 2:17pm

Ragwort at sub-lethal doses is still not going to be doing any good.

Upstream · 11-07-2014 2:06am

Teagasc advice is to not let cattle back onto land until ragweed is dead and rotted away, how long would you have to leave cattle out of a field for? Would it take longer now than when it's at the rosette stage?

whelan2 · 11-07-2014 12:31pm

Upstream wrote: »

Teagasc advice is to not let cattle back onto land until ragweed is dead and rotted away, how long would you have to leave cattle out of a field for? Would it take longer now than when it's at the rosette stage?

i dont know, but some lads never let them off it after topping:eek: i would be saying 2-3 weeks but i would walk the land to make sure they where gone before i let cattle back in, maybe pick the dead ones and throw them away

Upstream · 11-07-2014 8:52pm

whelan2 wrote: »

i dont know, but some lads never let them off it after topping:eek: i would be saying 2-3 weeks but i would walk the land to make sure they where gone before i let cattle back in, maybe pick the dead ones and throw them away

Thanks, got a field well cleaned off, it was our worst field for them. Pulled about half and took them away and the rest were clipped, will lift as many as I can and keep the cattle off for 3 weeks for any I've missed. Starting to see them in my sleep now

whelan2 · 11-07-2014 9:01pm

Upstream wrote: »

Thanks, got a field well cleaned off, it was our worst field for them. Pulled about half and took them away and the rest were clipped, will lift as many as I can and keep the cattle off for 3 weeks for any I've missed. Starting to see them in my sleep now

yup. was on a neighbours farm last year and i started pulling a few in his field unbeknowns to myself, he was laughing at me.... i hate ragworth

Base price · 11-07-2014 9:19pm

Every 4 or 5 years we would have an onslaught on them and spend a few afternoons/evenings pulling them and throwing them onto the trailer. A few people helping you and you will clear them in no time. I always pick any I see when out herding even if they are in the ditches.
Unfortunately most of our neighbours are not so conscientious and the seeds from their ones end up growing in our place.
Also very important to put the pulled ones out of reach from livestock. We used to put them in a pile at the back of the yard and after they dried out burn them with a few gallons of diesel.

KatyMac · 12-07-2014 10:29am

whelan2 wrote: »

yup. was on a neighbours farm last year and i started pulling a few in his field unbeknowns to myself, he was laughing at me.... i hate ragworth

Walking past a garden in town the other day and there was two plants growing out of a crack in a wall. I pulled them much to the embarrassment of my daughters.

td5man · 12-07-2014 12:31pm

KatyMac wrote: »

Walking past a garden in town the other day and there was two plants growing out of a crack in a wall. I pulled them much to the embarrassment of my daughters.

It can be hard to walk passed them when you're used to pulling them.

sandydan · 12-07-2014 10:22pm

greysides wrote: »

Ragwort at sub-lethal doses is still not going to be doing any good.

thought ragwort poison is accumulated over time in system, or so my old vet used to say,just needs the balance to kill.

greysides · 12-07-2014 10:39pm

sandydan wrote: »

thought ragwort poison is accumulated over time in system, or so my old vet used to say,just needs the balance to kill.

It does, it still won't be doing the animal any good before it builds up enough to kill.

ganmo · 12-07-2014 10:52pm

best thing about sheep

whelan2 · 14-07-2014 7:59pm

went out there for an hour pulling ragworth under the fences, alot easier to oull them after the rain

smokey-fitz · 14-07-2014 8:08pm

Went topping a field today, started on one side plenty of buttercups.. So wasnt paying to much attention to the all the yellow flowers as I was topping away.
Got off the tractor a little after half way to strain the spuds and was looking at ragwort! Oh dear.. The field was covered in it (12ac). 1000s of young flowered plants.
Finished topping anyway and moved cattle off it, I can afford to keep cattle off it for rest of the year, but what should I do now? Wait for regrowth and spray? September'ish maybe?

weatherbyfoxer · 15-07-2014 1:48pm

smokey-fitz wrote: »

Went topping a field today, started on one side plenty of buttercups.. So wasnt paying to much attention to the all the yellow flowers as I was topping away.
Got off the tractor a little after half way to strain the spuds and was looking at ragwort! Oh dear.. The field was covered in it (12ac). 1000s of young flowered plants.
Finished topping anyway and moved cattle off it, I can afford to keep cattle off it for rest of the year, but what should I do now? Wait for regrowth and spray? September'ish maybe?

Get yourself an lorry loads of goats...sounds like they would feel right at home!..

smokey-fitz · 15-07-2014 5:17pm

weatherbyfoxer wrote: »

Get yourself an lorry loads of goats...sounds like they would feel right at home!..

Or ill swipe your sheep they will do either

sandydan · 15-07-2014 5:29pm

smokey-fitz wrote: »

Went topping a field today, started on one side plenty of buttercups.. So wasnt paying to much attention to the all the yellow flowers as I was topping away.
Got off the tractor a little after half way to strain the spuds and was looking at ragwort! Oh dear.. The field was covered in it (12ac). 1000s of young flowered plants.
Finished topping anyway and moved cattle off it, I can afford to keep cattle off it for rest of the year, but what should I do now? Wait for regrowth and spray? September'ish maybe?

pity you didn't stop topping and spray at least half would be gone as it may not regrow good enough for spraying now before night-frosts,which may neutralize spray,
cattle aren't as quick to eat growing ragworth as withered stuff which is lethal in small doses even.
were spuds done

gozunda · 15-07-2014 5:31pm

smokey-fitz wrote: »

Went topping a field today, started on one side plenty of buttercups.. So wasnt paying to much attention to the all the yellow flowers as I was topping away.
Got off the tractor a little after half way to strain the spuds and was looking at ragwort! Oh dear.. The field was covered in it (12ac). 1000s of young flowered plants.
Finished topping anyway and moved cattle off it, I can afford to keep cattle off it for rest of the year, but what should I do now? Wait for regrowth and spray? September'ish maybe?

If the Ragworth plants topped are in flower you will need to remove them to prevent the seed germinating next year.

Plus If the plants dry on the ground there is a danger that cattle may eat them and be poisoned.

Not much spraying flowering plants at this stage imo.

I have previously loaded cut plants into a trailer and covered in an old pit with heavy black plastic - they eventfully rot to nothing. Some advocate burning but not too sure what the regs are about that.

If you can pull all the flowering Ragworth plants you can - plenty of older kids on school holidays with little to do -

Ragworth wars! Great game but make sure they wear gloves and cover arms and legs.
Again collect all the plants you can and remove.

The normal time for spraying is at the rosette stage early in the year - so you might have to wait till next.

I reckon once you got the cut and pulled plants out you should be ok for grazing as regrowth will only start next year. Make site to spray with a dedicated Ragworth killer then. Can't remember offhand the one I used last time.

just do it · 15-07-2014 7:10pm

When spraying ground with MCPA last year I was advised to keep stock out for 4 weeks if there was ragwort

smokey-fitz · 15-07-2014 7:44pm

sandydan wrote: »

pity you didn't stop topping and spray at least half would be gone as it may not regrow good enough for spraying now before night-frosts,which may neutralize spray,
cattle aren't as quick to eat growing ragworth as withered stuff which is lethal in small doses even.
were spuds done

Yea taught that myself, but how much did I top before I realised it was ragwort, probably as much so I kept going.
I can keep cattle off it anyway, under stocked at the moment.

smokey-fitz · 15-07-2014 7:58pm

gozunda wrote: »

If the Ragworth plants topped are in flower you will need to remove them to prevent the seed germinating next year.

Plus If the plants dry on the ground there is a danger that cattle may eat them and be poisoned.

Not much spraying flowering plants at this stage imo.

I have previously loaded cut plants into a trailer and covered in an old pit with heavy black plastic - they eventfully rot to nothing. Some advocate burning but not too sure what the regs are about that.

If you can pull all the flowering Ragworth plants you can - plenty of older kids on school holidays with little to do -

Ragworth wars! Great game but make sure they wear gloves and cover arms and legs.
Again collect all the plants you can and remove.

The normal time for spraying is at the rosette stage early in the year - so you might have to wait till next.

I reckon once you got the cut and pulled plants out you should be ok for grazing as regrowth will only start next year. Make site to spray with a dedicated Ragworth killer then. Can't remember offhand the one I used last time.

Problem is there is so many of them, they were young light plants, ive been pulling them in other feilds as I see them but never seen a field as infested as this one..
I will keep an eye on regrowth and spray probably next year.

Is there a spray that can do both ragwort and rush?

sandydan · 15-07-2014 8:54pm

mcpa i used for rushes but not sure if it works on ragworth, best cut rushes early and manure, then spray before they seed, works a treat,probably in may,avoid night frost anyway it neutralises or limits response to many sprays including bandock, gallup and roundup
have you ever tried spot spraying with hand held sprayer or weedlicker on clumps of weeds

sandydan · 15-07-2014 8:58pm

just do it wrote: »

When spraying ground with MCPA last year I was advised to keep stock out for 4 weeks if there was ragwort

did it kill ragworth

whelan2 · 15-07-2014 9:06pm

d50 for ragworth spray in spring, used it this year, killed thistles too

smokey-fitz · 15-07-2014 9:47pm

sandydan wrote: »

mcpa i used for rushes but not sure if it works on ragworth, best cut rushes early and manure, then spray before they seed, works a treat,probably in may,avoid night frost anyway it neutralises or limits response to many sprays including bandock, gallup and roundup
have you ever tried spot spraying with hand held sprayer or weedlicker on clumps of weeds

Used gallup along fences and on a few clumps around headlands, yard ect. Have a quad sprayer which is pretty handy.
Its my 1st year farming so alot of stuff to get the head around, at the moment rushes are the enemy (along with factories) will be sorting some sort of spraying plan for them and in time drain that land, at least the ragwort infestation is only in one field at the moment, so preventing that from spreading is important.

sandydan · 15-07-2014 10:44pm

smokey-fitz wrote: »

Used gallup along fences and on a few clumps around headlands, yard ect. Have a quad sprayer which is pretty handy.
Its my 1st year farming so alot of stuff to get the head around, at the moment rushes are the enemy (along with factories) will be sorting some sort of spraying plan for them and in time drain that land, at least the ragwort infestation is only in one field at the moment, so preventing that from spreading is important.

an old harvester will knock the stuffing out of rushes double or single chop if not sure of ground,this will give you some break rather than spraying big acreage together, if good ground a topper or mower, there is a thread devoted to this elsewhere so i wont go there,but a harvester and trailer will gather ragworth or heavy cover handier rather than topping and leaving on ground to rot,rotting grass left after mowing or topping can soil round bales of silage if not removed i think. know a chap uses baler he bought cheap with narrow pick up for same purpose and use Gozunda's suggestion of covering heap of ragworth with plastic to rot,

greysides · 15-07-2014 11:05pm

AFAIK, if a ragwort is topped prior to seeding instead of living as an annual plant it becomes biennial.

In other word, it doesn't die but over-winters to put up several flowering stalks the next year.

smokey-fitz · 15-07-2014 11:10pm

sandydan wrote: »

an old harvester will knock the stuffing out of rushes double or single chop if not sure of ground,this will give you some break rather than spraying big acreage together, if good ground a topper or mower, there is a thread devoted to this elsewhere so i wont go there,but a harvester and trailer will gather ragworth or heavy cover handier rather than topping and leaving on ground to rot,rotting grass left after mowing or topping can soil round bales of silage if not removed i think. know a chap uses baler he bought cheap with narrow pick up for same purpose and use Gozunda's suggestion of covering heap of ragworth with plastic to rot,

I have a flail mower for the rushes so not to bad on that front.. have done alot of searching and found alot of usefull info off here

My ragwort crop field wont be used for anything other than grazing, to rough, few rushes in there too.. untill its drained and reseeded in the future.

Ill just have pick what I can, I will make a pit an let it rot down..

Thanks lads for your suggestions, and advice. Appreciate it

Ragwort

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