rush problem

[vanderbadger]

lads have a few fields that are plagued with what i would call wire rushes, they are not big clumps like a traditional rush but thin little b4stards that cover the ground like a carpet, i have 2 fields that are bad with and they arent really any wetter than any of the rest of the place, i have sprayed them a few times with mcpa and while this makes a good job of the bigger clump of rushes it doenst seem to work great on these lads, they keep coming back, was half think of burning the place off and reseeding but maybe they might come back even worse then? any ideas on how to get rid, would lime be a factor?

 

[nashmach]

Vanderbadger, do you have a recent soil sample for it?

A good dusting of lime and also a heavy coat of FYM will help it plus MCPA annually.

That's what we had to do here and it has worked wonders.

I'd be slow about reseeding until any underlying soil fertility issues are sorted but others may disagree.

 

[vanderbadger]

Vanderbadger, do you have a recent soil sample for it?

A good dusting of lime and also a heavy coat of FYM will help it plus MCPA annually.

That's what we had to do here and it has worked wonders.

I'd be slow about reseeding until any underlying soil fertility issues are sorted but others may disagree.

no soil test of these 2 fields im afraid but im sure like most of my place the tests always show it to need lime, im kinda holding off on soil testing in case i get into GLAS as i think you have to do test for GLAS anyway
kinda reluctant to spread lime much as it tends to soften land and its soft enough down here already

 

[scottie]

no soil test of these 2 fields im afraid but im sure like most of my place the tests always show it to need lime, im kinda holding off on soil testing in case i get into GLAS as i think you have to do test for GLAS anyway
kinda reluctant to spread lime much as it tends to soften land and its soft enough down here already

If glas is anything like reps then a test done in previous years will suffice once it's within the last 5 years.

 

[johndeere6920s]

lads have a few fields that are plagued with what i would call wire rushes, they are not big clumps like a traditional rush but thin little b4stards that cover the ground like a carpet, i have 2 fields that are bad with and they arent really any wetter than any of the rest of the place, i have sprayed them a few times with mcpa and while this makes a good job of the bigger clump of rushes it doenst seem to work great on these lads, they keep coming back, was half think of burning the place off and reseeding but maybe they might come back even worse then? any ideas on how to get rid, would lime be a factor?

Do they stay green the whole time and grow all over the place intend of in clumps and if you had a great crop of grass you'd hardly notice them?

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[SMID]

lads have a few fields that are plagued with what i would call wire rushes, they are not big clumps like a traditional rush but thin little b4stards that cover the ground like a carpet, i have 2 fields that are bad with and they arent really any wetter than any of the rest of the place, i have sprayed them a few times with mcpa and while this makes a good job of the bigger clump of rushes it doenst seem to work great on these lads, they keep coming back, was half think of burning the place off and reseeding but maybe they might come back even worse then? any ideas on how to get rid, would lime be a factor?

There will be a local name for them, we,d call them sprit mcpa is next to usless on them correcting any deficiency problems is bound to help what about a weed wiper with roundup?

 

[vanderbadger]

Do they stay green the whole time and grow all over the place intend of in clumps and if you had a great crop of grass you'd hardly notice them?

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exactly, from a distance you would never notice them

 

[vanderbadger]

There will be a local name for them, we,d call them sprit mcpa is next to usless on them correcting any deficiency problems is bound to help what about a weed wiper with roundup?

ya might be worth a go, as you say mcpa doesnt seem to be working anyway

 

[AYF]

Nitrogen! Have the same things here in one wet patch we can't get onto with fert early in the season, you see the line the fert lands on and the rushes never cross the line!

 

[johndeere6920s]

exactly, from a distance you would never notice them

Wire rushes there called.
Hard to kill with mcpa.
Best attack there is much them or top them.
Leave stock in there and let the rushes grow up again Wipe them with roundup.
Ideally you'd want a dry day before wiping and a dry one after it.
The wax in the rush is hard to penetrate so a sticker would be no harm fairy liquid maybe.
Give it a good coat of slurry too.
Usually There growing on bogy ground so you could need cronic amounts of lime to get rid of them.
That kinda ground if it gets poached all your going to get comming up is rushes

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[headcase]

no soil test of these 2 fields im afraid but im sure like most of my place the tests always show it to need lime, im kinda holding off on soil testing in case i get into GLAS as i think you have to do test for GLAS anyway
kinda reluctant to spread lime much as it tends to soften land and its soft enough down here already

get yourself 1 of these
http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/ma...gclid=CK_Q7pr5-8YCFRLMtAodPb0A_g&gclsrc=aw.ds
theres no excuse to not know the ph of your land

 

[muckymanor]

Sprat those type of rush are called around here. They grow mainly in the callow meadows - ie. Meadows that get flooded a couple of times per year. Roundup or MCPA will kill what's over ground, but they will quickly pop up again.

 

[bruceythom]

I don't mean to offend, but you're looking to keep rushes at bay to get the most amount of grass off of the ground and you don't want to get the soil fertility up to speed. The softening of soil from applying lime is only a short term problem and will pay back dividends in the long term, it'll create a better structure to the soil. Does the grass grow back with a very light green look to it? Again, I'm not trying to have a pop at you but if lime is the problem, I wouldn't be spending money on sprays that will inevitably stunt the grass. Lime spread is about €48 an acre. All the rushes that were growing on the land here eventually surrendered about 10 years ago (except for in drains) never to come back, no sprays used on them soil tests are what killed them.

 

[vanderbadger]

I don't mean to offend, but you're looking to keep rushes at bay to get the most amount of grass off of the ground and you don't want to get the soil fertility up to speed. The softening of soil from applying lime is only a short term problem and will pay back dividends in the long term, it'll create a better structure to the soil. Does the grass grow back with a very light green look to it? Again, I'm not trying to have a pop at you but if lime is the problem, I wouldn't be spending money on sprays that will inevitably stunt the grass. Lime spread is about €48 an acre. All the rushes that were growing on the land here eventually surrendered about 10 years ago (except for in drains) never to come back, no sprays used on them soil tests are what killed them.

fair enough if the lime helps the situation to stop them thriving Brucey but would you not need the spray to kill the *******s ?

 

[bruceythom]

fair enough if the lime helps the situation to stop them thriving Brucey but would you not need the spray to kill the *******s ?

Possibly, but they all died out here without spray. Id say intensive farming wouldn't suit the *******s and they'd get the hint after a couple of years. Plus you'd get an immediate return for spreading lime in tonnage of grass grown, the spray will have the opposite effect.

 

[Mf240]

Possibly, but they all died out here without spray. Id say intensive farming wouldn't suit the *******s and they'd get the hint after a couple of years. Plus you'd get an immediate return for spreading lime in tonnage of grass grown, the spray will have the opposite effect.

Yes . The beauty of the rush is that unlike docks it thrives in the opposite conditions to grass.

Improve p and k or ph or drainage whichever the problem is and mr rush will fcuk off.


I had a field up the lane from @jf850 that was covered in rushes, and youd just about walk across it .

I shored it, put lime on it and put four spans of slurry on the three acres. No rushes now, and take three cuts of silage off it some years ..... (jf 850 said it wouldnt grow grass!:)

 

[SMID]

Possibly, but they all died out here without spray. Id say intensive farming wouldn't suit the *******s and they'd get the hint after a couple of years. Plus you'd get an immediate return for spreading lime in tonnage of grass grown, the spray will have the opposite effect.

I,d be inclined to agree ther,s been an increase in the amount of rushes in this area since the demise of cereals ph was getting more attention then.

 

[nashmach]

Possibly, but they all died out here without spray. Id say intensive farming wouldn't suit the *******s and they'd get the hint after a couple of years. Plus you'd get an immediate return for spreading lime in tonnage of grass grown, the spray will have the opposite effect.

Clear as daylight here too.

4 acre field drained (again) three years ago. 2t/ac of lime last June 12 months and this time last year got a huge coating of dung.

Rushes greatly thinned out as a result and growing a huge amount of grass compared to before.

 

[diesel power]

Yes . The beauty of the rush is that unlike docks it thrives in the opposite conditions to grass.

Improve p and k or ph or drainage whichever the problem is and mr rush will fcuk off.


I had a field up the lane from @jf850 that was covered in rushes, and youd just about walk across it .

I shored it, put lime on it and put four spans of slurry on the three acres. No rushes now, and take three cuts of silage off it some years ..... (jf 850 said it wouldnt grow grass!:)

Rushes aren't able for silage at all. I think myself it's cutting them off just above ground level knocks the shite out of them. An uncle up tippcons way had a field that got strong for grazing last summer and in one corner of it there was nearly nothing but rushes. I mowed them off and baled them up. I see this year you can count the few that are left. Mowed it again this year so next year the rushes should be almost extinct in it.

 

[johndeere6920s]

Rushes aren't able for silage at all. I think myself it's cutting them off just above ground level knocks the shite out of them. An uncle up tippcons way had a field that got strong for grazing last summer and in one corner of it there was nearly nothing but rushes. I mowed them off and baled them up. I see this year you can count the few that are left. Mowed it again this year so next year the rushes should be almost extinct in it.

You only get whisps of grass growing back really after the spray.
Question for someone that's into soil and plants.
Basically land that has been neglected for 10 years no bag or slurry.
How will it grow a serious crop of rushes every year?
You'd imagine they would take a fair amount of energy out of the ground.


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[guest 1]

You only get whisps of grass growing back really after the spray.
Question for someone that's into soil and plants.
Basically land that has been neglected for 10 years no bag or slurry.
How will it grow a serious crop of rushes every year?
You'd imagine they would take a fair amount of energy out of the ground.


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Like the lads said already rushes thrive in ground with poor fertility, probably because they have less competition from grass. The grasses everyone tries to grow are cultivated species, rushes are not, like anything else if you leave ground idle long enough nature will reclaim it slowly but surely.

 

[johndeere6920s]

Like the lads said already rushes thrive in ground with poor fertility, probably because they have less competition from grass. The grasses everyone tries to grow are cultivated species, rushes are not, like anything else if you leave ground idle long enough nature will reclaim it slowly but surely.

Yeah I know that but it's just unusual that such a big heavy dense plant will grow in very bad ground.
I suppose silly trees will too and we know how big they get.


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[vanderbadger]

Rushes aren't able for silage at all. I think myself it's cutting them off just above ground level knocks the shite out of them. An uncle up tippcons way had a field that got strong for grazing last summer and in one corner of it there was nearly nothing but rushes. I mowed them off and baled them up. I see this year you can count the few that are left. Mowed it again this year so next year the rushes should be almost extinct in it.

i dunno about that, i think you could be cutting them forever and they will come back

 

[Rusty Spade]

i dunno about that, i think you could be cutting them forever and they will come back

No, they will eventually die out.

I changed silage ground a good few years ago to heavier land that was only used for grazing. There was always a good crop of rushes on it despite cutting once a year.

After two years of 2 cut silage, there is only the odd single rush showing up. Improve the pH and improve the fertility of the soil it's on and you will have them under control.

I don't spray rushes anymore. I cut the paddocks for bales once they get strong and top again later in the year. On land with heavy crops of rushes, I cut and get either bale them when dry for bedding or gather them up with a silage wagon and burn. It opens up the sward and allows grass to grow and topping them is a quick job, once they aren't heavy.

A ton of lime every few years and constantly improving fertility is a great cure

 

[diesel power]

No, they will eventually die out.

I changed silage ground a good few years ago to heavier land that was only used for grazing. There was always a good crop of rushes on it despite cutting once a year.

After two years of 2 cut silage, there is only the odd single rush showing up. Improve the pH and improve the fertility of the soil it's on and you will have them under control.

I don't spray rushes anymore. I cut the paddocks for bales once they get strong and top again later in the year. On land with heavy crops of rushes, I cut and get either bale them when dry for bedding or gather them up with a silage wagon and burn. It opens up the sward and allows grass to grow and topping them is a quick job, once they aren't heavy.

A ton of lime every few years and constantly improving fertility is a great cure

Have one field here and up to last year it was a mass of rushes. Topping them wasn't doing much and the cattle wouldn't graze the grass between them either. Sprayed them with mcpa around this time last summer and there's only a third of them in it now. I'm going to spray them again shortly and the cattle are now grazing it the finest. Like everyone I don't like spraying grass land but there are times its the only way imo.