Ragwort Weed Eradication & Management
Ragwort is an ‘injurious’ weed. This ‘injurious’ weed poses a serious threat to grassing animals and livestock.
About Ragwort
Ragwort is not just an invasive weed. It is a poisonous species that poses a serious threat to wildlife and livestock such as grazing horses. If there are grazing horses or other animals on land that has a Ragwort problem, the weeds need to be removed immediately to prevent distressing livestock fatalities.
How do I know if I have a Ragwort problem?
Common Ragwort is a native plant to the UK, and can be seen colonising many fields and road side verges. The plant is quite distinctive with its bright yellow flowers and feathery foliage. See the picture above to help aid identification. Please note though that a free site survey is recommended to give a confirmed positive identification of Ragwort.
The plant is biennial or perennial. The stems are erect, straight, have no or few hairs, and reach a height of 0.3-2.0 metres. Over a season, one plant may produce 2,000 to 2,500 yellow flowers in 20 to 60 headed, flat-topped corymbs. The number of seeds produced can be anywhere between 75,000 and 200,000, although many of the seeds do not spread too far from the parent plant, they do have a high germination rate.
Characteristics of Common Ragwort – Senecio jacobaea L.
- It is biennial or a perennial weed
- It grows to a height of 2 metres
- The seeds have a 70% germination rate and can be active for up to 20 years
- Ragwort has bright yellow flowers
How will Ragwort damage my land and poison livestock?
Common Ragwort contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are poisonous to horses and other grazing animals. The poisons contained in Ragwort can cause liver damage in animals that eat it resulting in possible death.
As Ragwort is a perennial plant, this poisoning can occur at any time of year. So it is important to keep any grazing land free from Ragwort at all times with frequent and thorough inspections. A Ragwort Weed Management Plan can help ensure vigilance and prevents the plant occurring and taking hold.
Please call Japanese Knotweed Sussex for a free assessment and survey.
How do I get rid of and control Ragwort?
The most important thing to be aware of is that controlling Ragwort is a legal requirement. Ragwort is an injurious weeds covered by the provisions of The Weed Act 1959. Ragwort is poisonous to horses, ponies, donkeys and other livestock. It causes liver damage, which can have fatal consequences. Under the Weed Act 1959, authorities are able to serve an enforcement notice to the occupier of land on which injurious weeds are growing. This requires the occupier to take action to prevent the spread of injurious weeds.
Controlling and removing Ragwort should be undertaken by a skilled and trained professional. Eradication needs to be done with effective weed management methods by a reputable and safe weed management practitioner. Japanese Knotweed Sussex offer this service and provide a free site survey to explain the best way to get rid of any Ragwort on your land.
Using a professional service ensures that the correct methods are used to prevent reoccurrence that may pose an unexpected problem for horses and other wildlife.
Japanese Knotweed Sussex control has over 10 years’ experience controlling/eradicating Ragwort.
Here are the methods used to remove a Ragwort problem:
- Knapsack spraying
- Foliage Spraying
- Weed wiping
Invasive, injurious and aggressive weeds we manage:
- Japanese Knotweed
- Rhododendron
- Ragwort
- Himalayan Balsalm
- Brambles & Nettles
Where we carry out invasive weed management:
- East Sussex
- West Sussex
- Kent
- Surrey
Arrange a free site survey now
- Call 07791915502 or 01273 499029
- or email japaneseknotweedsussex.co.uk