[clanger]

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  . 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

[philcaegrug]

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.

[clanger]

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.

Chris

[philcaegrug]

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.