There are a lot of excessively negative reactions when it comes to ragwort. Personally I find it very attractive, it's very good for a whole range of insects (bees, hoverflies, cinnnabar moth and others), and I don't find it all that troublesome a weed. It seeds around a bit where you've got bare earth, but it's not all that competitive and the plants die after flowering.
The fact that it's poisonous to horses and other livestock isn't really relevant for the occasional plant growing in a garden. IO'd leave it be and enjoy it.
I'm not convinced it is ragwort but if it is I was told to use gloves when pulling it. If you pull too much by hand, supposedly toxins can get in to your blood stream that can cause liver problems in humans. Not sure how true that is but better be safe than sorry.
When it's growing it isn't a problem re cattle etc. But when it's pulled and dropped or worse still, gets into hay bales then it don't do 'em any good at all. It also seeds pretty freely so it isn't difficult to get a whole heap of them all of a sudden. Sheep kept in a pasture with it merrily chomp it to the ground as it grows with no ill effects at all. And yes, when I find a healthy clump or two growing where they are no harm to any animal, I always look for the cinnabar caterpillars
Cattle will occasionally graze Ragwort and if they get a taste for it, it will kill them.We try and pull all we can from our fields.Always wear gloves as it does go into the skin and will gradually build up in the liver.
Thanks - usually wear gloves when gardening but have been known to take a fancy to a weed when on a wander and yank with bare hands Will resist the temptation
Posts
There are a lot of excessively negative reactions when it comes to ragwort. Personally I find it very attractive, it's very good for a whole range of insects (bees, hoverflies, cinnnabar moth and others), and I don't find it all that troublesome a weed. It seeds around a bit where you've got bare earth, but it's not all that competitive and the plants die after flowering.
The fact that it's poisonous to horses and other livestock isn't really relevant for the occasional plant growing in a garden. IO'd leave it be and enjoy it.
I'm not convinced it is ragwort but if it is I was told to use gloves when pulling it. If you pull too much by hand, supposedly toxins can get in to your blood stream that can cause liver problems in humans. Not sure how true that is but better be safe than sorry.
When it's growing it isn't a problem re cattle etc. But when it's pulled and dropped or worse still, gets into hay bales then it don't do 'em any good at all. It also seeds pretty freely so it isn't difficult to get a whole heap of them all of a sudden. Sheep kept in a pasture with it merrily chomp it to the ground as it grows with no ill effects at all. And yes, when I find a healthy clump or two growing where they are no harm to any animal, I always look for the cinnabar caterpillars
Cattle will occasionally graze Ragwort and if they get a taste for it, it will kill them.We try and pull all we can from our fields.Always wear gloves as it does go into the skin and will gradually build up in the liver.
Thanks - usually wear gloves when gardening but have been known to take a fancy to a weed when on a wander and yank with bare hands
Will resist the temptation 