The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: Slimjim on June 18, 2015, 09:10:51 am
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This herbicide has been suggested by a neighbour to deal with an area of densely growing rushes. I know that without extra drainage etc, etc, it might be a temporary solution, but I am keen to do something. The ground is uneven, so any cutting has to be by hand with a brush utter.
Has anybody used this stuff? Can it be applied with a knapsack sprayer? Finally, where did you get it from? The internet is not that helpful. Many thanks.
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We have similar sounding problems with rushes and bought some recently from the local agricultural store without any problem. The drainage has already had some work so I also wanted to tackle the problem from other angles as well.
I plan to use this with a weedwiper towed behind a quad but I'm lucky in that I can borrow all of that kit from a farming neighbour. I just have to get organised with my time (and wait for the right weather)
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I'm sure some on here would agree that repeated topping of rushes will do the job in a more enviromentally way.
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Unfortunately the ground is too uneven for a topper, but a flail would do. But I don't even have a tractor for my small patch, and as you know, the hedge cutting season for my neighbours is not here yet. I'll do what I can with a brush cutter, but I know I'm wasting my time. The same rush area has now been invaded and is infested by giant thistles too, and my lambs have now got orf - almost certainly as a result. So I have to do something that might control these herbivorous thugs.
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I'm sure some on here would agree that repeated topping of rushes will do the job in a more enviromentally way.
Topping rushes does very little. I believe that topping first before sprayng with MCPA helps with the kill though. Be prepared for a big battle as there are usually lots of seeds in the ground. Draining is best (although digging in the drains can activate lots of dormant seeds) and some people claim they don't like lots of slurry/farmyard manure (not sure how true this is).
I deal with small clumps by mixing glyphosate with wallpaper paste then (with my hand in an industrial rubber glove) smearing the mixture up the stems with my hand. A bucket of this goo and a couple of hours wandering round the field can be theraputic!
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Recommendation is to top and then glyphosate the regrowth .... We too have 'hand' weed wiped with glyphosate with additive using a non drip mop ..... very effective!
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I'm certainly no expert but all the advice I've read (on the internet so it must be true! :innocent: ) says that you need to tackle all aspects in a properly planned approach and no individual aspect on it's own will get rid of the problem.... assuming you can ever completely get rid of rushes.
Currently my plan includes drainage improvements (check), wiping/spraying (this week), topping (some last year, more later this year) and perhaps even grazing with cattle if I can trust the buggers not to run off this time!