Ragwort - the perfect time to start

[sarahbing]

Have just ordered my Barrier H to start on the ragwort. It works all year round as it isn't effected by frost so starting now when the plants are tiny rosettes means its more economical. These sunny clear days are perfect, and my summer grazing field only has short grass in it so the rosettes are easy to spot at this time of year. They start growing before the grass does, so between now and spring I should be able to zap the lot and have a ragwort free field for summer. I don't work for Barrier H, but have to recommend it. 5 litre pack costs around £35 and comes wih spray nozzle and full info on the lifecycle, toxicity of the plant and its effect on horses. Having a friend who only this week has had her horse diagnosed with liver damage, the most likely cause being ragwort poisoning as a foal, I'm not prepared to take any chances.
If you can't rotate your grazing, you can still do this using electric fencing and do a strip at a time. It is far more effective than hand pulling as it kills the root.
It's a perfect day so I'm off out there......x

[The fatty will always remain]

Sounds like a brilliant idea but what happens if there is a small amount of grass in the field. does the formula stay on the grass and if so can it affect the horse or is it horse friendly??

[jill]

Most herbicides recommend use when the plant is growing strongly - I'll be interested to hear how well it does.
Now, buttercups...................I am going to have to have a contrctor spray mine, in some places the buttercups outnumber the grass and they are pretty much all over the 13 acres.

[mandal]

Jill, liming the land may also help as buttercups prefer acid conditions.

[sarahbing]

The barrier H is harmless for the horses, the only reason you have to exclude them is because the dying ragwort becomes more palatable. Its based on citronella, wouldn't advise ingesting large quantities but harmless if they eat a little. It is designed for spot spraying so won't be all over he fields.
JIll, It does work faster when the plant is in vigorous growth, but will work now as well. On sunny days like this you can see the rosettte leaves going black within the hour, so you can easily tell which plants you have sprayed. If you check them after a week they are completely dead with no regrowth around the edges. Starting now also means that even if you can only get out ocasionally, it doesn't run away with you in spring

[wally]

I go mad in spring when the ragwort is visible and growing...then I am like a thing posessed.

[jinglejoys]

I used Barrier H all through last year and the ragwort still kept growing,in the end I dug it up!!