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  Discussion on Buttercups
Author Message
Member:
Imogen

Posted on Monday, Feb 10, 2003 - 4:27 am:

Dear all

Anyone any experience with trying to remove buttercups from established pasture? Due to a very wet year last year we have had an invasion of R. repens with some R. acris. Horses don't like buttercups as they are irritating to them so I am developing "horse sick" patches they won't eat where I never had them before.

As far as I can work out from asking around and the Internet, the best buttercup killer is MCPA but this kills clover. The clover safe preparations all seem to be pretty poor at buttercups. So it seems like either MCPA spot-weed the buttercup patches and use more nitrogen fertiliser than usual, or spray the whole pasture using the clover-safe stuff and accept the buttercup control won't be great.

I would prefer not to try and reseed because the amount of rainfall here means it takes several years for a good enough root system that is resistant to poaching of the ground by horses hooves gets established. Also from gardening here I can tell you that you need 2-3 strong applications of glyphosate or similar to blat buttercups - they are highly persistent.

I checked the soil pH thinking that liming would help but in fact in the main it's 6.0 to 6.3 which is ideal pH for pasture in Ireland. I hope to try to improve the drainage sometime this year since buttercups like it soggy.

All the best

Imogen
Board Administrator
Username: Admin

Posted on Thursday, Feb 20, 2003 - 7:55 am:

Since you have not got any other suggestions and you really hit the high spots of any recommendation I would have, I do not have a lot more to add. Repeated spot treatment with the clover safe preps would be my first step. If that did not do it you will have to resort to the stronger preps.
DrO
Member:
Imogen

Posted on Thursday, Feb 20, 2003 - 2:08 pm:

Thanks, Dr O.

In the meantime I got information from a horticultural friend that in fact 2-4-D is the herbicide of choice for buttercups (won't kill grass but does kill clover). Our local pharmacist/vet supply/herbicide supply place also reckons 2-4-D, so this is what I'm going to spot weed with in April. I'll let you know what happens...

Also I wasn't paying attention in the last post - I meant to say that most of our pasture is 6.3 pH not 6.0 to 6.3 - we just have some patches in the sacrifice paddock that are that acid and may need liming.

All the best

Imogen
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