Buttercups, what to spot spray?

[QRTRHRS]

I no longer have or need a lot of pasture. We only have about 3 acres in grass, hardly enough to need more than a mower to maintain. I just want to keep the buttercups from spreading. We are on a narrow ridge so the soil does drain well.

Also, we are down to three horses, all Arabians actually. One has PPID (cushings). Her half brother while not diagnosed will get a cresty neck if grazed too much. So, they only get maybe an hour a day while I clean, otherwise they are on dry lots. All three are 24 this year. Our quarter horses have gone on to the great pasture.

The third, a ~1200 lb gelding can eat all he wants but he is too bonded to put him out alone.

 

[ponytug]

I no longer have or need a lot of pasture. We only have about 3 acres in grass, hardly enough to need more than a mower to maintain. I just want to keep the buttercups from spreading. We are on a narrow ridge so the soil does drain well.

Also, we are down to three horses, all Arabians actually. One has PPID (cushings). Her half brother while not diagnosed will get a cresty neck if grazed too much. So, they only get maybe an hour a day while I clean, otherwise they are on dry lots. All three are 24 this year. Our quarter horses have gone on to the great pasture.

The third, a ~1200 lb gelding can eat all he wants but he is too bonded to put him out alone.

My bet is that they would graze around the butter cups if they have other forage. If you go the vinegar route, I am sure that they would leave it alone. Arabians tend to be pretty savvy, but there are exceptions to every rule. We've dealt with a few with Cushing over the years.

Perhaps borrow a steer or two to trample things for a bit? I've found for our land that "integrated pest management" often means a couple of ways of pressuring the pests at the same time gets the weeds down or the bugs gone. We have an ongoing battle with a toxic invasive, but as the adjacent properties don't actively do anything, seeds are always being brought in.

All the best,

Peter

 

[QRTRHRS]

I sprayed a couple of flowering buttercups yesterday with household vinegar. Today, they are wilted. Now it's wait to see the long term effects.