[robert waddell]

 

[Remy]

Hi Amanda, like the others say sadly you have to pull up by the roots then burn afterwards - you can get a specific ragwort fork which is good at the job.

I used to be on a yard which had about three acres of ragwort, it was a thankless task pulling them up!  We did also use this product which was about the best at the job for ragwort - not cheap though Barrier H and not as effective as pulling but useful if you have a large area.

Good luck!

[Pedwardine]

Thanks Gill, just read your reply. Shall pass info onto other half.

A x

[lachlanandmarcus]

agree about Barrier H, if you have to spray, that one seems by all accounts to be the best and worth the money.

[Small Farmer]

For England http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/Images/weed-complaint-guidance_tcm6-26298.pdf and good luck.

Every significant thread on ragwort produces a new forum user who only ever writes one response to the effect that the plant isn't really a problem.  Round here there seems no prospect of either it or its caterpillar dying out, regrettably.

 I can confirm that sheep will eat young shoots down to the ground even when there's good grass.   They died, but as a result of being male lambs! 

[mandos1993]

any decent person would know if you pull ragwort it will grow back more next year as you leave the roots in the ground because they are longer than people think use agritox50 and cut the ragwort, DONT PULL IT UP!!

[smudger]

Try ragwort fork. Pretty good in my experience. We did a 2 acre paddock and following year there was very little reoccured -certainly at a managable level.  we did burn the pulled weeds.

 (We were also told put some sheep on it to eat it, but me thinks the farmer was really wanting some free grazing. Thankfully, in hindsight, they didn't touch the stuff).

[Small Farmer]

The most recent edition of the NSA forage guide states that the lethal quantity of ragwort is 4-8% of body weight for a horse and 2 to 3 times body weight for a sheep.   I imagine this is because of the very different digestive systems but it's a heck of a difference.

[Pedwardine]

Thanks everyone for your advice. We have got a ragwort fork so I'll get set to as soon as the little blighters start revealing themselves. I think it will always be a problem to some extent. I've just got to reduce it to a small manageable one.
You're quite right mandos1993. I recall pulling some hurriedly out of the ground in another field last year. Just the tiniest bit left started up again in a surprisingly short time.

[robert waddell]

disagree about the pulling out i eradicated my ragwort by pulling it out  always done it when the ground was wet that way the root system all came out

[Small Farmer]

I'm with Robert on this.  Pulling ragwort properly eliminates it over time.  The following came from an article written by Dow AgroSciences and published this month


"Cutting or mowing ragwort is not recommended as this stimulates new growth from the base of the plant and leaves wilting biomass on the ground.  These cuttings must be removed before the animals return.

"Digging put the plant, roots and all, in the spring when the soil is moist is a good option where infestations are light.  It is a good idea to wear gloves as the toxins can affect humans

"If the ragwort is growing across the whole field, a blanket spray of Forefront will give very high levels of control.  An alternative option is a mix of 2, 4-D and MCPA.

"All ragwort foliage must be removed or completely decayed before stock is allowed back onto treated fields"


When a big chemical company says to do it by hand it means there really isn't an easier way it can sell you.  Forefront is said to be available for some reason only in Scotland and the South West. 

[OhLaLa]

Ragwort: Spray. Or pull when the ground is soft enough to get all the root out with it.

 

[Sylvia]

If you farm organically as we do then pulling is the only way. I just use a small garden fork. We had four acres of ragwort five years ago, now I find the odd plant. Mind, I had to do my neighbours fields as well and I see patches of it in fields around us, surprisingly most of them with horses in!