Replacing Ragwort with Herbs
How to replace ragwort in a horse paddock with herbs for horses.
Every horse owner knows the importance of pulling any Ragwort plants out. But it has been suggested to us by Kelly Marks of intelligent Horsemanship that maybe you can turn this into an opportunity. It may well be that when the plants come out there will be a gap in the sward that needs filling. Our suggestion would be that you take the chance to introduce some mixed herbs.
Planting mixed herbs is very simple. Once the ragwort is removed put a small amount of compost down on the area. Then sprinkle a few seed of mixed herbs on to the compost and tread them in. The idea is that they are pushed in rather then buried too deep. You will then have a low cost way of removing something that is dangerous and introducing something that is beneficial to the horses and the soil structure.
1 kilo of mixed herbs costs just £19.95 and will fill a lot of patches.
Mixed herbs generally contain;
- Chicory Adult horses with moderate to low activity levels need little protein in their diets, but occasional chicory consumption can provide some of the essential minerals a horse requires. You should avoid horses having access to too much chicory but a small amount can benefit the horses diet.
- Sheeps Burnet Burnet is a perennial forage herb it helps lift trace elements from deep within the soil profile. It has a high grazing quality and a long season. It stays green throughout the growing season.
- Sheep’s Parsley Sheeps Parsley is very valuable as a medicinal plant. It is from the parsley family which is hardy and easy to grow. It is highly mineral-rich, high in iron and Vitamin C and extremely good for kidney and bladder complaints.
- Ribgrass This has deep roots which help improve the soil structure as well as being well grazed by horses and having a long grazing season.
