![]() ![]() The Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus) sets down a robust root system. Although this non-native wildflower may be troublesome to manicured lawns if left unchecked, it ranks among the popular flowering perennials because it delivers hardy, reliable greenery and fetching flowers year over year. Creeping Buttercup plants produce adorably bright golden-yellow, 1-inch clusters in many full-sun or partial shade spaces. However, you can manage pastures to reduce buttercup incidence and improve your pasture productivity at the same time.Creeping Buttercup plants remain one of the subtly attractive low-growing perennials that thrive in moisture.Ĭreeping Buttercups are resistant to sometimes invasive wildlife such as deer. Chemical control alone will leave bare ground unless there is a strategy to replant or fill in that area. No matter how you go about it, controlling buttercup is not a “once and done” project. Timely mowing in the spring followed by nitrogen application can reduce buttercup seed production and will stimulate spring forage growth that helps shade the lower growing buttercup. Autumn applications of nitrogen will produce taller grass (shading the ground) and will stimulate existing grasses to thicken up or tiller out the following spring. Follow up with an early spring mowing to clip the buttercup and release the desirable species.Ĭover up bare ground. Overseeding these pastures in early spring with forages that establish aggressively (such as red clover or ryegrasses) will add some desirable forage species to the spring flush of growth even though they will not eliminate buttercup emerging at the same time. Realistically speaking, pastures used for overwintering, or hay feeding will always be overgrazed and therefore will be prime spots for buttercup and other winter weed encroachment. To prevent or inhibit buttercup germination in the autumn, manage grass pastures to retain residual heights of three or four inches. ![]() In these cases, clover stands are likely not that thick or need rejuvenating. However, buttercup is able to germinate and grow because of insufficient ground cover of desirable forage species. ![]() Consult the herbicide label for further information on grazing restrictions, precautions or other possible limitations.Īpplying broadleaf herbicides such as 2,4-D will damage clover. ![]() For the best herbicide activity, wait until daytime air temperatures are greater than 50☏ or 10☌ for two or three consecutive days. For optimum results, apply herbicide in the early spring before flowers are observed and when buttercup plants are still small and actively growing. Herbicides registered for use on grass pastures will effectively control buttercup, including those that include 2,4-D. Mowing fields or clipping plants close to the ground in the early spring before buttercup plants can produce flowers may help reduce the amount of new seed produced, but mowing alone will not totally eliminate seed production. Therefore, pasture management that maintains thick stands and promotes growth of more desirable plants during these months is one of the best methods to help compete against the emergence and growth of this plant. Most buttercup plants emerge from seed during the fall or late winter months. If other forage is available, grazing horses will usually avoid buttercup because the leaves, flowers and stems have a sharp, acrid taste. A review of University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory records over the past 13 years found no cases of horse deaths attributable to buttercup ingestion. Death of horses because of buttercup is rare. Less is known about whether ensiling, or conversion into silage or balage, has a similar detoxification effect. The blistering agent is detoxified rapidly by drying, and thus it is not generally a problem in hay. Grazing or mowing will release a powerful vesicant, or blistering agent, which causes blistering of the skin, mouth and digestive system on contact. Buttercups are more than an unsightly weed. ![]()
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