Pony has (mostly) dry lot that can open onto pasture. I don’t know if it’s because we had such a warm winter but her dry lot has been overtaken by buttercups. Wondering what the best way is to remove/kill them and keep the space safe for her. (I don’t mind her paddock having bits of edible green here and there, just not happy with the proliferation of toxic weed).
Thanks for any suggestions!
do a search on old threads. I think people suggested for small areas, the best thing was to try to pull them up. It’s been a terrible year for buttercups where I am! My entire farm is covered, pastures, open fields, my back yard…
We have a small field. We have sour soil and buttercups all around.
We first had the field sprayed professionally years ago, then spot spray by hand for the others that showed up.
They love being mowed - makes them grow more.
We limed, and limed. We fertilized, and re-seeded over the parts that were bald.
I can’t imagine hand digging all of them…but my little field is quite nice now.
Spraying is almost against my religion, but it seemed to be the only way.
Lime. Tons (quite literally it seems!) of it. Or spray with an herbicide designed for them. Consult with a professional. I HATE them…they are awful here in the wet PNW. Mowing doesn’t seem to help (as Foxtrot’s said, they seem to see it as a challenge to increase in size and number).
First, soil sample. That will tell you if you need lime or anything else.
But it takes 6 months for lime to be effective. You need to do something NOW. The Answer: 2,4,D. I’ve cut the buttercup population by more than 90% in all the fields I’ve treated. That means the Sun and water and nutrients available are going to the grass NOW, not to the buttercups.
Some folks have a PCM* when 2,4,D is mentioned but it works, is not unreasonably expensive, and has no significant negative effects. What’s not to like?
Better things for better living through chemistry! 
G.
*PCM: Pearl Clutching Moment
G - how long until horses can go back on pasture after application?
[QUOTE=MoonWitch;8677478]
G - how long until horses can go back on pasture after application?[/QUOTE]
The book says 24hrs., IIRC. I usually wait 7 days as I want the plants very dead when I return the stock. As things die they can change taste. I’m told the dying process turns them “salty” and this can attract grazing.
Maybe I don’t need to be that conservative, but I’d rather not feel the “bern” of horses eating bad stuff!!! 
G.
[QUOTE=Guilherme;8677640]
The book says 24hrs., IIRC. I usually wait 7 days as I want the plants very dead when I return the stock. As things die they can change taste. I’m told the dying process turns them “salty” and this can attract grazing.
Maybe I don’t need to be that conservative, but I’d rather not feel the “bern” of horses eating bad stuff!!!
G.[/QUOTE]
Thanks G!!
I’m skeptical about lime helping much as I live in a place with fairly neutral soils and have problems with buttercups nonetheless. Digging has helped for a small area but a bit of evil chemical killers may be the easiest way if there’s too much to dig.
[QUOTE=alfonsina;8677826]
I’m skeptical about lime helping much as I live in a place with fairly neutral soils and have problems with buttercups nonetheless. Digging has helped for a small area but a bit of evil chemical killers may be the easiest way if there’s too much to dig.[/QUOTE]
For me the “de-buttercupped” area runs just about 12 acres. That would take an awful lot of “digging.”
G.
they really know not to eat them!!!
The extension agent here in north Alabama recommends spraying in the winter since these wicked weeds are green and growing slowly then. That way you don’t kill your clover too.
Also, sadly learned first hand, don’t use Grazon or Grazon Next. Horses can be turned back out on it as soon as it is dry however, it doesn’t not biodegrade. In fine print the label warns not to use composted manure from animals grazing treated fields. I put compost from a 2014 Grazon treatment mixed with potting soil in new raised beds this spring and it is killing anything broad leafed including zucchini, green beans, tomatoes and watermelon. I’ve had to empty those beds, dig a giant hole and bury all of the contaminated compost. I buried under a big trail obstacle I’d built so if it effects the turf there it won’t really matter.
Yes I had the same problem using horse poop from Grazon treated hay. I worked so hard getting all my tomatoes planted, mulched, drip set up… They were dead in two weeks. I did use that area for sweet corn after my tomatoes died since it was a grass so all was not lost that year. Now I ask my hay growers what they use and any Grazon hay poop gets composted for 2 years. Then it is fine for tomatoes. That was a hard lesson. Sorry you are going through it!
[QUOTE=littlebaypony;8678193]
The extension agent here in north Alabama recommends spraying in the winter since these wicked weeds are green and growing slowly then. That way you don’t kill your clover too.
Also, sadly learned first hand, don’t use Grazon or Grazon Next. Horses can be turned back out on it as soon as it is dry however, it doesn’t not biodegrade. In fine print the label warns not to use composted manure from animals grazing treated fields. I put compost from a 2014 Grazon treatment mixed with potting soil in new raised beds this spring and it is killing anything broad leafed including zucchini, green beans, tomatoes and watermelon. I’ve had to empty those beds, dig a giant hole and bury all of the contaminated compost. I buried under a big trail obstacle I’d built so if it effects the turf there it won’t really matter.[/QUOTE]
Time to spray is dictated by local climate. IIRC we begin in late Feb. or early Mar. with working on early emergence weeds. We’ll start on the late ones in June. This schedule (at least the early part) won’t work in either Florida or Wisconsin!!!
I’ve got some areas of heavy, weedy plants (including encroaching locust trees). The 2,4,D doesn’t seem to have much effect on those. So I’m looking for a more powerful control but one that doesn’t cause secondary contamination issues. I’ve not used any Grazon (in spite of suggestions to do so) for just this reason.
Sometimes “life’s a dance, you learn as you go.” We’ve all made mistakes that afterward we ask ourselves “what was I thinking?” Keep on learning and that will reduce the chances of error.
Good luck going forward!!!
G.
[QUOTE=Guilherme;8678568]
I’ve got some areas of heavy, weedy plants (including encroaching locust trees). The 2,4,D doesn’t seem to have much effect on those. So I’m looking for a more powerful control but one that doesn’t cause secondary contamination issues. I’ve not used any Grazon (in spite of suggestions to do so) for just this reason.
G.[/QUOTE]
Look for a product with the active ingredient Triclopyr (Tri-klo-peer), often pre-mixed with 2,4-D to help defoliate, to go after woody type weeds and small trees. Some trade name examples: Garlon and Crossbow.
These products work well in pasture and fence line situations, but I would find other options for hayfields, which are more likely to carryover if someone feeds the hay in a stall situation.
Do not use the compost for at least a full year, more if you experience a true winter. Adding an inoculant to encourage microbial activity may be beneficial, as well as adding another nitrogen source, such as 32% UAN (liquid) or 46-0-0 Urea (dry granule) and mixing it in to your compost pile.
The half-life of triclopyr is usually 30-90 days, depending where you live, which is considerably less than some other AI’s.
Do not be afraid of herbicides! Just read the label, make sure you understand it, and follow the directions. And let me know if you have any questions! 
I just finished last week spraying my three pastures with Trimec Classic and Nitrogen. There isn’t a single weed --just grass --thick grass. While I understand the thoughts on not spraying, I simply do not agree. One pass with my Trimec/Nitrogen mixture and I’m weed free and grass is growing thick. Accountant husband figures our spraying saves 60 bales of hay a year (we pasture about a month longer because we have more grass and better grass) which off-sets the cost. Further, I don’t mow every year because I don’t have to. The grass does get longer in some places than others, but I see the horses eating it (eventually) after it snows and that’s what they can find above the snow. Not only does Trimec kill ALL the broad leaf weeds, but (my favorite part) it kills all the burr plants too —cost is about $40 an acre and my labor spraying --but except for riding my horse W, riding my tractor is my favorite thing to do.
Foxglove
We just sprayed with Pasture Pro. I believe it’s a 2,4,d concoction, just watered down.
It worked for us. We kept one horse on the same pasture while we sprayed. The other was let out the next day.
Everyone’s fine :yes:
Take a look at Kentucky - those fields do not have a weed in them and it does not happen magically - they know pasture management.
(or does somebody go around in the dead of night hand pulling weeds and weed eating the fence posts - always wondered).
I think we all dread using chemicals, but once the pasture is in good shape it does not have to be done every year.
[QUOTE=goldenrow;8678756]
Look for a product with the active ingredient Triclopyr (Tri-klo-peer), often pre-mixed with 2,4-D to help defoliate, to go after woody type weeds and small trees. Some trade name examples: Garlon and Crossbow.
These products work well in pasture and fence line situations, but I would find other options for hayfields, which are more likely to carryover if someone feeds the hay in a stall situation.
Do not use the compost for at least a full year, more if you experience a true winter. Adding an inoculant to encourage microbial activity may be beneficial, as well as adding another nitrogen source, such as 32% UAN (liquid) or 46-0-0 Urea (dry granule) and mixing it in to your compost pile.
The half-life of triclopyr is usually 30-90 days, depending where you live, which is considerably less than some other AI’s.
Do not be afraid of herbicides! Just read the label, make sure you understand it, and follow the directions. And let me know if you have any questions! :D[/QUOTE]
Thank you!
I’ll give this a look.
G.
For our neck of the woods in TN - excellent resource from the extension service. Pasture weed control starts on page 59 and includes restrictions for grazing after application on pg 71. This was printed for 2016.
https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/PB1580.pdf
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