Weed control in equine paddocks
At this time of year weeds are becoming more and more of a common sight. For equine owners, it is important to sort out these weed problems for many reasons. See below some examples as to why they should be controlled:
- Many weeds are unpalatable to horses/ponies so can significantly reduce their grazing area
- Certain weeds such as ragwort can be poisonous
- Weeds present in a paddock can make the area look untidy and unkempt
- They compete with the grass for nutrients, water, space and light
- Can spread quickly into neighbouring paddocks/properties
Selective weed killers are one of the best ways of controlling weeds within horse pastures as they allow you to tackle weeds without affecting the important grazing grass. There is no such thing as one single product for all weeds, so careful choice of product is required to ensure target weeds are controlled. Sometimes even herbs and nitrogen-fixing plants (such as clover) are left to improve soil nutrition. Our qualified technical advisors and helpful product pages on the website can help with this choice (see below).
Which weed killers should I use in my paddock
This question largely depends on what weeds you are trying to control. Here are a few suggestions for selective weed killers and what they are great at controlling:
- Leystar 2L – Controls thistles, nettles, docks, buttercups and clover. 7 day livestock exclusion period. Suitable for knapsack and boom spray application
- Squire Ultra – The product of choice for controlling dock weeds and other broad leaved weeds. Squire Ultra is also clover safe so will not kill off any desired clover from grazing areas. 7 day livestock exclusion period. Suitable for knapsack and boom spray application
- PastureMaster and Polo - Both of these products are effective selective weed killers on weeds such as ragwort and docks. 14 day animal exclusion period however if ragwort or other poisonous weeds have been treated you need to make sure that the weed has completely died and cleared away
How should I control weeds in grazing areas?
When it comes to using weed killers in areas that are grazed by animals, it is important to note the exclusion periods you need to leave before allowing animals back into the paddock. Most products have an exclusion period of between 7 and 14 days however if you are treating weeds which are poisonous to animals these exclusion periods will be extended. If you are controlling ragwort weeds, for example, post-spraying they become more palatable to horses and their toxicity increases, so dead plants must be removed or grazing animals kept out until there are no remains left…
Once the animals have been removed from the area that is going to be treated, you will be able to spray the weeds with a selective weed killer and allow for the weed to die off.
To view our full range of paddocks and grassland selective weed killers please click here.
For help on specific weeds, please see our Dealing with Weeds by problem pages.
If you need assistance on which weed killer you should use, please call our expert technical advisers on 01778 394052
