The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: clanger on August 30, 2018, 10:50:14 am

Title: Red Bartsia
Post by: clanger on August 30, 2018, 10:50:14 am

Hi All,
I'm currently in the process of purchasing four and a half acres of paddock on the South Downs for ponies and sheep  :fc:. A lot of the ground is covered in Red Bartsia.  Short of going out with a pair of Marigolds and pulling, pulling, pulling - does anyone have any suggestions on how to remove it?

Cheers

Chris

Title: Re: Red Bartsia
Post by: philcaegrug on September 06, 2018, 09:43:06 pm

I've had a few patches and pulled by hand 2 years ago. Now i get the odd one or two pop up and i pull them as i walk the fields.

Title: Re: Red Bartsia
Post by: clanger on September 07, 2018, 09:27:35 am

Cheers - Unfortunately, there is too much to sensibly hand pull.  I have tried that.  I read up that it is an annual, so what I have done is strim it close to the ground. Most plants are still in flower and only a few have gone to seed.

Hopefully I have caught it in time to keep the spread down and then I'll hand pull that area next year whilst then focussing on another paddock.  I reckon I will have it cracked in four to five years. :fc:

Chris

Title: Re: Red Bartsia
Post by: philcaegrug on September 10, 2018, 10:22:41 pm

Good luck Clanger. My land was full of ragwort when we bought it and i topped to stop it flowering and hand picked as much as i could.  Now i barely fill one sack in 8 acres. This year i picked about 20 red barsia plants.