[Bionic]

OH started strimming the field this morning so some of the buttercups have now gone. Its a long job though.  Luckily for me the strimmer is his new toy so I don't need to get involved 
Sally

[OhLaLa]

OH started strimming the field this morning so some of the buttercups have now gone.

Wish it was that easy, but no, they are still there, you've just taken their heads off.
Now their heads have gone they will put all their energy into throwing off runners (hence 'top, top, top'). Unfortunately your OH can look forward to many many more hours of strimming over the coming months/years in an attempt to try and eradicate them.
 
 
 

[Bionic]

Oh dear, perhaps I should let him have his moment of glory for a little while longer before I show him this thread 

[norfolk newbies]

This is all very interesting, and a bit depressing. Our 4 acre field ( new to us, grazed by horses previously, our sheep on it at the moment) has swathes of buttercups (which I was thinking were quite pretty 'til I started reading!) Field is ridge and furrow and the buttercups  are in strips. I have been periodically scything the patches of nettles and the odd thistle......I am not sure I can manage to do the buttercups as well.
 
(Just mentioned the scything to those of you feeling hard done to with strimmers! Still it was  my choice to go 'less mechanical')
 
How long should you keep animals of the land after liming??
 
thanks
Jo
 

[robert waddell]

lime has no effect on livestock  but if you are putting on 3 tons to the acre let it wash of the grass first

[Mallows Flock]

I just get mine topped off... the sheep will eat them then when wilted as they are less bitter to taste. Cheaper than lime application and pretty natural too

[JMB]

Thank heavens I'm not the only one!
I went on a Land Management course a few weeks ago and have been having nightmares about my buttercups ever since.
I'll try the lime treatment - do I have to wait till Autumn now?
I came back from Oatridge College all ready to chain harrow the lot (no equipment, just optimism), but breaking up the grounds seem a bad idea.
What is weedpiping anyway? Is that like spot-treatment?
Any advice on a good product to use on them?
Thanks, Joanne xxx

[Small Farmer]

I just get mine topped off... the sheep will eat them then when wilted as they are less bitter to taste. Cheaper than lime application and pretty natural too

Liming is one of the most cost-effective improvements you can make to land.

[Factotum]

Hi

I've been spraying our pastures with Depitox - mainly to control the ragwort. It seems active against most broadleaved plants - I've tried it on Scots Thistle and Dock and both wilt within hours of being sprayed. The tech specs indicate that it would be good against buttercup too. Depitox should be available from your nearest Ag Supplies merchant.

Livestock has to be kept off the grass for at least 2 weeks after herbicide treatment, longer to wait for the ragwort to disappear.

I agree that buttercup does go rampant on acidic soil - we had a contractor spread lime last year (after doing soil analysis) and the buttercups are not so widespread this year.

[littleacorn]

We are thinking of having haylage made this year instead of hay and I wondered if it is still ok with a buttercup infested field?  I know that buttercups in hay is ok as they get to dry out quite a lot but haylage is a lot more moist? 

[supplies for smallholders]

The ideal product to use is Pastor, applied at 2 Litres per Hectare - as well as buttercups it will control nettles, docks, thistles, ragwort etc.

[Foobar]

Chickens will graze on buttercups.  Not a terribly practical solution though if you have a large area, unless you happen to have a rather large flock of hens to hand!

[MichelleP]

I also have lots of buttercups in our 4 acre field which has had horses on it (not mine) for years.

Is there a problem with buttercups in hay?

[Small Farmer]

No really because the dried plant won't be a lot of the bale by weight.  The point is more that it's a pernicious weed that animals mostly won't eat and is a symptom of the land being far too acid.