Ragwort

ferger1 · 21-05-2014 9:27pm #1

When is the best time to spray for ragworth...or is too late?

whelan2 · 21-05-2014 9:32pm

ferger1 wrote: »

When is the best time to spray for ragworth...or is too late?

at the rosette stage, probably a bit late now. You can also spray in october or pull them during the summer

royaler83 · 21-05-2014 10:40pm

ferger1 wrote: »

When is the best time to spray for ragworth...or is too late?

Sprayed a paddock last week with mcpa that was fairly bad with tall thistles and ragweed, can't wait to see the results, gave it a good doin.
Have another field thats covered in those small flat thistles and a few ragweed. Hope to do them in the next week.

Ragweed hasnt flowered yet so still time to nail them. Goin to keep cattle off at least 3 weeks to make sure the ragweed is gone

Reggie. · 21-05-2014 11:45pm

No sign of ragwort around here at all yet

ganmo · 22-05-2014 12:34am

Sheep...ya need sheep!

Markcheese · 26-05-2014 3:49pm

Or cinnabar moths , friends place was crawling with the caterpillars last year and there's no ragwort left anywhere near for miles...

ravima · 26-05-2014 9:37pm

It probably sounds stupid, but could you let them grow a bit and pull by hand? We pulled a 25acre field by hand a few years back just before cutting hay and we've not had them since. Its backbreaking, but you could make it a funday type effort, if you could get a few young lads to do it and give them €20 a head, along with a bit of grub and drink.

We threw in a heap and let them rot down.

neighbours were laughing, cos it took two days, but we did it!!

Odelay · 26-05-2014 9:49pm

ravima wrote: »

It probably sounds stupid, but could you let them grow a bit and pull by hand? We pulled a 25acre field by hand a few years back just before cutting hay and we've not had them since. Its backbreaking, but you could make it a funday type effort, if you could get a few young lads to do it and give them €20 a head, along with a bit of grub and drink.

We threw in a heap and let them rot down.

neighbours were laughing, cos it took two days, but we did it!!

Well done! Had to look on the bright side of the rain here, soft ground makes pulling ragwort easier. Was just at it thus evening, surprising how much you can get done once started, can be hard to stop, addictive.
I don't leave them rot, let them "heat" and dry out a bit, then burn.

KatyMac · 26-05-2014 9:53pm

Was at them end of last week. It is addictive. Was using a small trowel coz they were almost too small to get a good hold of.

gozunda · 26-05-2014 10:01pm

KatyMac wrote: »

Was at them end of last week. It is addictive. Was using a small trowel coz they were almost too small to get a good hold of.

There is a tool called a 'rag fork' which has three prongs and a long handle - takes some of the back break out of the job.

whelan2 · 27-05-2014 6:12am

just be careful where you put them when you pull them, they are palatable when dying, keep them away from where cattle can get at them

KatyMac · 28-05-2014 8:35pm

gozunda wrote: »

There is a tool called a 'rag fork' which has three prongs and a long handle - takes some of the back break out of the job.

Can you get a rag fork anywhere in the Northwest, do you know??

whelan2 · 28-05-2014 8:41pm

KatyMac wrote: »

Can you get a rag fork anywhere in the Northwest, do you know??

think ebay http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Taller-Rag-Fork-ragwort-fork-digs-out-ragwort-by-the-roots-British-Made-/231217756484?pt=UK_SportingGoods_StableAccessories_SM&hash=item35d5a6f944

Dubl07 · 28-05-2014 8:44pm

KatyMac wrote: »

Can you get a rag fork anywhere in the Northwest, do you know??

There's a National Trust spade making place just north of Belfast. Worth the visit.

whelan2 · 31-10-2014 10:38pm

has anyone sprayed recently? seems to be an unreal amount of new plants growing now

td5man · 31-10-2014 10:55pm

whelan2 wrote: »

has anyone sprayed recently? seems to be an unreal amount of new plants growing now

If not sprayed in the spring the country will be over run with them . Seen neighbour's field is yellow at the moment only re seeded last year

Reggie. · 31-10-2014 10:59pm

td5man wrote: »

If not sprayed in the spring the country will be over run with them . Seen neighbour's field is yellow at the moment only re seeded last year

Bloody scourge that stuff

whelan2 · 31-10-2014 11:01pm

td5man wrote: »

If not sprayed in the spring the country will be over run with them . Seen neighbour's field is yellow at the moment only re seeded last year

yes but field that was sprayed has rosette stage stuff there now. Other fields have a good bit too, think it would be too risky with frost now to spray

DarByrne1980 · 01-11-2014 2:30pm

ravima wrote: »

It probably sounds stupid, but could you let them grow a bit and pull by hand? We pulled a 25acre field by hand a few years back just before cutting hay and we've not had them since. Its backbreaking, but you could make it a funday type effort, if you could get a few young lads to do it and give them €20 a head, along with a bit of grub and drink.

We threw in a heap and let them rot down.

neighbours were laughing, cos it took two days, but we did it!!

Id agree with you fully. One of my best memories as a child on the home farm was out pulling a 10acre field of ragworth. That day the father let me drive the tractor for the first time as he figured i couldnt crash it into anything out in the middle of the field. an ould boy that lived near us said the only way to properly rid the place of them was pull them. Got a huge big heap in the corner with the buck-rake. Fenced the heap off and we were able to keep control of them with sprayin after dat.

Brass Tag · 01-11-2014 3:25pm

Spent today since 9 o clock pulling the fuggers. Same couple of fields were pulled in July and last summer as well.
As I was pulling today I could see a fair number of rosets as well. I'd chance wandering around with a knapsack next Saturday if weather permits.

dodo mommy · 04-09-2015 6:32am

Hi all
I don't keep any sheep and would know nothing about them, but I have a couple of fields with a ragworth problem my question is how many sheep would I need to keep a 7-10 acre field clear of ragworth during the year and what type of sheep should I look to pick up?

rangler1 · 04-09-2015 6:52am

dodo mommy wrote: »

Hi all
I don't keep any sheep and would know nothing about them, but I have a couple of fields with a ragworth problem my question is how many sheep would I need to keep a 7-10 acre field clear of ragworth during the year and what type of sheep should I look to pick up?

One to the acre would do I'd imagine, they'd have to be on the land through the spring and summer to get the plants at the right stage, so more suitable to a lambing system.
Alternatively if you didn't want to be lambing ewes you could buy nice ewe lambs now and keep them twelve mths and sell them next breeding season.
Neither system will make much money for you but they're there to do a job

Gilroy · 04-09-2015 8:44am

I have field over run with them. Sprayed one field with forefront T and seems to be killing them. The length of some of them was amazing...

Then sprayed another field with MCPA 3 weeks ago but bad results....

Heard the best time is to spray in March... with ingredient 2.4 and MCPA mix. Before any come up this way the root is killed in the ground.

rangler1 · 04-09-2015 8:52am

Gilroy wrote: »

I have field over run with them. Sprayed one field with forefront T and seems to be killing them. The length of some of them was amazing...

Then sprayed another field with MCPA 3 weeks ago but bad results....

Heard the best time is to spray in March... with ingredient 2.4 and MCPA mix. Before any come up this way the root is killed in the ground.

Surely there'd have to be some part of the plant over the ground to bring the herbicide down to the root

whelan2 · 04-09-2015 8:57am

Gilroy wrote: »

I have field over run with them. Sprayed one field with forefront T and seems to be killing them. The length of some of them was amazing...

Then sprayed another field with MCPA 3 weeks ago but bad results....

Heard the best time is to spray in March... with ingredient 2.4 and MCPA mix. Before any come up this way the root is killed in the ground.

spray in march when its at the rosette stage. Would sheep eat it at the stage it's at now? Thought they only ate the young plant?

rangler1 · 04-09-2015 9:06am

whelan2 wrote: »

spray in march when its at the rosette stage. Would sheep eat it at the stage it's at now? Thought they only ate the young plant?

No they wouldn't, later land here, ragworth wouldn't be up till april here

whelan2 · 04-09-2015 9:08am

Also cant spray if frost forecast, had to spray mine twice this spring as it didnt die right:mad:

Gilroy · 04-09-2015 9:37am

rangler1 wrote: »

No they wouldn't, later land here, ragworth wouldn't be up till april here

April is also fine ive been told by spray guy in co-op. So spray all the bad fields in late March / April.

rangler1 · 04-09-2015 9:58am

Gilroy wrote: »

April is also fine ive been told by spray guy in co-op. So spray all the bad fields in late March / April.

How long would you keep stock off then.
Unbelievable that it's so easy controlled with the state of the countryside now

whelan2 · 04-09-2015 10:00am

rangler1 wrote: »

How long would you keep stock off then

3 weeks or until all plants are dead. It is palatable when dying

Gilroy · 04-09-2015 10:00am

rangler1 wrote: »

How long would you keep stock off then

Around about 14 day, by i keep them of for 18 days... Just in case

Ragwort

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