The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: tommytink on March 09, 2019, 06:15:17 pm
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I have noticed a couple of my fields have creeping buttercup. One is next to a stream and can get quite boggy when we’ve had a good downpour. The other is higher up on a slope (so not as susceptible to bogginess as it “should” drain down).
How much of a problem is this to grazing animals (mainly sheep)? I don’t want to use chemicals to get rid of it, especially in the boggier field as assume it’ll probably come back...
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I don't think it should do the sheep any harm. Whether or not they will eat it is another matter.
C.Buttercup can spread quickly though.
Drainage improvement and increasing pH level would help slow it down.
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I've not had any buttercup in my sheep fields for years, I think they pick at it when its small and it just doesn't develop, same with ragwort and dock. I have one horse field that's not well enough fenced for sheep and the difference is huge. Loads of dock, buttercup and I have to check for the occasional ragwort!
If only they'd eat thistle :/
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No problem grazing sheep on buttercups …. they will tend to ignore them. pH is usually the key to reducing buttercups.
A more modern (or is it back to the future?) approach is to encourage wild flower growth and a biodiverse pasture by not sheep grazing pasture tightly between April and July ….. (sheep will eat all flower heads before grass if grazing and thus flowers don't seed for next year. That said, they don't tend to eat buttercups.).
A biodiverse pasture is more drought and flood resistant and can contain medicinal plants which reduce worm burden and increase immunity to disease.