The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: Midas on April 03, 2016, 08:11:14 pm
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Hi everyone,
hope you are all well? I was wondering if anyone had used the spot spraying method with a knapsack to kill off weeds. I am thinking about doing this this year instead of getting a contractor in.
I got someone in last year as the field had not really had much done, only topped, and I wanted to get some hay from it so wanted to give the weeds a good sort out. I hope to get haylage or hay from it this year too.
I have been looking at different products and have heard good things about "grazon" (I think this is what it is called).
Any advice or tips would be gratefully received.
Thank you
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Law has changed you need to do sprayer qualification to use at chemicals on your fields
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Thankyou Backinwellies,
Could have landed myself in trouble, I never knew. Guess I will be digging them out this time then, thankfully there are not too many at the moment.
Does this legislation apply to getting rid of brambles too?, can I still use SBK to get rid of them?
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http://www.fwi.co.uk/academy/lesson/pesticide-legislation (http://www.fwi.co.uk/academy/lesson/pesticide-legislation)
Applies to any 'agricultural pesticides' ...
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I use this website, I think if its your own land you can still apply spray, but they will tell you.
http://www.progreen.co.uk/weed-control/selective (http://www.progreen.co.uk/weed-control/selective)
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I use this website, I think if its your own land you can still apply spray, but they will tell you.
http://www.progreen.co.uk/weed-control/selective (http://www.progreen.co.uk/weed-control/selective)
No you cannot spray on your own land
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Under the new legislation, you cannot buy any pesticde - let alone use it- without the appropriate certificate. Have just spent three and a half days taking a course and two exams just to use a hand held sprayer! I passed though so it can't be that hard :-)
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Well done Maggy! you must be please :excited: I will be getting the spade, Rag fork (If required) and a bit of stubborn determination together then. Not that I know what the weeds look like in the early stages, but will educate myself.
In regards to your course Maggy, was it just hand spraying that was covered? or did you have to cover machine spraying too? I would be interested in the details. :)
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There were two parts - the first was generic and everyone has to do this one (regardless of how the pesticide is to be applied) it covered theory, legalities, best practice etc. Then there are separate modules for types of applicator to be used, eg. hand held, vehicle mounted (covers ATV as well as tractor) injection for knotweed etc. You could end up with having to be assessed for everything as one chap there found out as he thought having the vehicle mounted certificate would cover him legally for hand held. I only spot spray so I have only done the hand held cert. You end up with a card,like a driving licence, which shows the classes of use you are qualified for. You have to have the first part with any of the other options to be able to buy pesticide - unless of course you go to the garden centre and buy the ready mixed sort for your garden, but that's another story......!
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Already applying pathclear to my paths/drives and pasture to my nettles in the garden/paddock with hand held sprayer.Usually end up finishing off by venturing into my fields (10 acres grazed by sheep) and spraying the odd thistle/nettle.
And you can still buy 'pasture' without a licence.
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Wystanstay sold me bottle of pasture a few months ago...no licence required..it cost £35
The Archers has been publicising the course as one of the Grundys has just gone on it.
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As I understand it yes you may be able to buy at pesticides without cert in some places but if found using it without ....look out!
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I agree with BIW. The tightened legislation technically refers to application of product only. As I understand it, suppliers are only required to advise purchasers of responsibilities re spraying, though in time its possible they may be expected to only sell to licensed people. Also, if previous poster meant Pastor (not pasture), then this product is not approved for knapsack spraying.
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I use PASTOR..with a hand sprayer....jolly useful for getting rid of nettles/thistles....leave the sheep to do the rest.
As a matter of interest just who is going to enforce this...Environment Agency have not got the resources...RPA are similarly under resourced.
It's usually when the streams/rivers get polluted and fish die that sets off the alerts here in Shropshire....and that's usually large scale commercial bodies who are responsible.
And why are the government not targeting "gardeners "
Makes my blood boil how the government can target smallholders like myself who are just trying to keep a few fields tidy and free of ragwort/thistles/nettles so it can be grazed by sheep.Yet there are all these horsey people positively ruining pasture with horses that kill trees (rented a field out once..never again) poach the ground and they are allowed to spray pastor to control ragwort.MAKES NO SENSE.
I suppose the bottom line is that I see my fields as maintaining a landscape like an extention to my garden,Bit like Capability Brown....and can't see how you can apply one set of rules to the garden and not the fields.
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Under the new legislation, you cannot buy any pesticde - let alone use it- without the appropriate certificate...
The official line is that anyone can buy chemical BUT the purchaser has to ensure that the end user has the certificate/s to apply it e.g. old 'unqualified' farmer can buy the chemical for his 'qualified' tractor person to apply it. That's what we were told and we're in the trade!
Also that's what was re-laid to sprayer operators UK wide attending the NRoSO workshops over the winter (2015/16). This only applies to 'professional' products for agricultural, amenity, forestry use mainly sold through country stores, agronomy distributors etc.
'Amateur' use products from garden centres, DIY stores, supermarkets do not require a certificate of use.
Retailers of 'professional' products MAY ask for proof of spray qualifications if they have never seen you before and are dubious of your purchase. In this case you are likely to be asked for your address etc and that's where a follow up visit from the authorities may get the 'unqualified' into trouble.
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How much is the training and exam?
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How much is the training and exam?
It will really depend on who is running the courses. SRUC were running them at Elmwood College in Fife and PA1 training and test was in the region of £250-300 and PA6 (knapsack) training and exam was in the region of £200-250. Don't quote me on these prices but it ain't cheap.
Everyone has to do PA1 and once its done and past - that's it. You then do the PA__ that is then relevant to your needs - PA2 tractor mounted sprayer, PA4S - slug pelleters, PA6 - knapsacks etc etc.
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Hi Midas, I am well thank you. You asked about Grazon. It's brilliant for spot spraying from a knapsack sprayer being very effective against nettles and thistles. Pastor the same. It seems expensive to start with, but it is used in such dilute quantities, it's not bad at all. You have to keep stock off the field for 7 days. The recommendation is that the best time for application is when the weeds are small and growing well - late Spring say, but it actually works whatever size they are.
Marking out your field with string and treating a 2m wide strip at a time will help you not to miss any.
It might take you a couple of days, but if you are thorough, it is well worth it. Enjoy.
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Thanks slimjim, I will probably get a contractor to do it, don't want to get into bother.
Already had a neighbour report my Father as he lay dying in hospital, had a letter from planning 2 days after he died accusing him of living there, something he could not have done if he wanted too as he was reliant on oxygen for 16 hours a day. The planning department even went on the land to have nose, didn't even ask me. They were a bit embarrassed when I explained things, very upsetting for me and my siblings though.
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That's terrible Midas, very upsetting for you and your sibs. In my experience the planning people are just woefully cack handed, not actively unhelpful. I had a permitted development notice in with the planners a few years ago and the planning officer turned up completely unannounced one day to discuss it with me, view the proposed site, access etc. I wasn't there of course. Anyway, we discussed it amicably later and it was all fine in the end. In local government, they just appear to have zero access to training on organisational skills, communication skills, problem solving, negotiation, etc. etc. Sad, but if you understand that, it takes the sting out of some of their crass behaviour.