Ragwort

E

elve

Banned

• May 9, 2005

• #1

Haven't been able to put the bunnies on my grassy garden yet, as I noticed last year that I had ragwort growing there - one good thing came from not cutting my grass for months!

Ragwort is notifiable to ministry of ag if you are a farmer - will check the field behind my house when I can be bothered to find a ladder as there's a 7' wall there...Notifiable because it causes expensive loss of livestock through liver failure. It also tastes nicer when dead with weedkiller, and is still poisonous dead...

Poison can be absorbed through skin so if you see any growing in your garden (you would have to have pretty cheap turf I guess) wear gloves when you dig it up.

Here's a pic of the baby plant

A Pic of the adult plant (found this growing on top of my wall)

and a pic of the stem - it's about a foot tall or more (but only if you slob out and never cut your grass)

 

B

bunny-mad

Mama Doe

• May 9, 2005

• #2

oo yuck, it sounds horrid and very harmful!

 

SOAD

Wise Old Thumper

• May 9, 2005

• #3

I use to have to dig this out of my paddock, because of my horse.

 

W

.::.whiterabbit.::.

Mama Doe

• May 9, 2005

• #4

thanks for the warning i wasnt aware that it was poisonoius (sp!) but now i am so thanks elve!

 

L

Lynn

Mama Doe

• May 9, 2005

• #5

We had a load of this stuff growing behind our fence - but it started to stick through it - I had no idea what it was, but didn't like the look of it especially with the bunnies running in the garden. :roll:

The bit behind our fence is maintained (supposedly!!) by contract gardeners, and doesn't actually belong to any of the houses. It had some plants in it as well as this stuff. We phoned them and moaned about it and they said someone would come out and tend to it soon.

Not quick enough for me they didn't :wink: , so Chris and I just went and pulled it and all the plants out, covered it with black stuff (forget the name), and threw load of chuckies on top. Problem solved.

The contract gardeners asked if we saw who had done it - we said we didn't have a clue :lol: :lol:

 

B

bunnyhuggger

Warren Veteran

• May 9, 2005

• #6

:shock: norty Lynn and Chris :no: *goes off to find contract gardeners phone number......*

 

L

Lynn

Mama Doe

• May 9, 2005

• #7

bunnyhuggger said:

:shock: norty Lynn and Chris :no: *goes off to find contract gardeners phone number......*

Click to expand...

He lead me astray Lynda - forced me :? - I would never do anything like that otherwise :wink:

If you do find their phone number can you tell them they are a week and a half overdue for cutting the side grass - save me the bother of phoning and moaning again :wink:

 

R

rngpwelfare

Mama Doe

• May 9, 2005

• #8

Once dug up it should be burnt.

It's horrible stuff I have a real bee in my bonnet about this stuff and drive my family mad about it. Spent to much of my working life pulling it up and disposing of it.

 

E

elve

Banned

• May 9, 2005

• #9

hi

Thanks Tracey - I've just stuck mine in the wheelie bin as I can't burn it anywhere - At least I didn't put it on the compost heap!

I do worry about it being in hay though - if a farmer was mad, bad or ignorant :?

 

K

Katie

Mama Doe

• May 9, 2005

• #10

omg! i thought this was ok! i feed it to my guineas!!

 

K

Katie

Mama Doe

• May 9, 2005

• #11

*sigh* panic over i've just realised its groundsel not ragwort *pheew*

 

E

elve

Banned

• May 9, 2005

• #12

hi

I was going to say - groundsel looks similar and is the same family - I think it's edible though? Guinea pigs can eat apple pips anyway can't they? - they must be tough! :?

 

A

anon101

Banned

• May 9, 2005

• #13

I spent most of my late teenage years checking fields for Ragwort and pulling it out of horse fields and burning it.

I believe there is a nifty fork on the market designed to pull Ragwort out of the ground, roots and all.

Louise

 

O

ollie

Warren Scout

• May 10, 2005

• #14

With having horses I have seen what damage Ragwort poisoning does, its not a nice thing. Round our way we have found it difficult to get a decent hay resource with last cutting season being very damaged due to the heavy rain last year. Therefor, most of the hay we have has ragwort storks in it, it is a brown like twig with ridges and is easily mistaken for non harmful plantage.

They have a ragwort awareness week for horses, they should do them for all animals.

Its an offence to grow/have growing ragwort on your property, so 'have you pulled lately?'

If anyone wants a specialist fork I can put you in contact with a very reliable mail stockist you can order one from !

 

M

MissB

Young Bun

• May 10, 2005

• #15

I am starting to panic that I have got this in my garden.

How can you tell the difference between groundsel and ragwort?

Help pleeeease!!!

 

E

elve

Banned

• May 10, 2005

• #16

hi

Ollie I had no idea it was so common to find it in hay - farmers are 'supposed' to notify min of ag and get rid of it :shock:
I'll get paranoid with checking my hay now - it usually has dead buttercups in it anyway...

I now have 9 holes in my 'lawn' (rough grassland) Would need to knock the wall down to get the one I photgraphed though - it's an old stone wall
So that will continue to grow I guess

Miss B - I think groundsel is more dainty than ragwort, and the flowers aren't daisy shaped - just ittle yellow tufts aren't they? Just did a search and all I could find was this site http://www.ryenats.org.uk/detail2.htm
- not quite the same type of groundsel but nice pics. Best get a book from the library and check?

 

N

norrielian

Mama Doe

• May 12, 2005

• #17

It's a horrible plant. Very poisoness for horses and other animals. I'm lucky, my garden is half patio, half pebbles so I don't have to worry about plants other than those I put in tubs and pots.