I am aware that there have been some of the Nag’s Natter Blog readers who have been keen to see some other topics again, and as promised now that the Horse History Series is complete, today sees the start of a random topic each week.
I recently trialled a Natural Weed Spray Recipe that has been shared by a number of sources on the Internet, hoping that it would be a cheap and effective way to rid the weeds in my horse paddock. Unfortunately I found the natural approach ineffective against the hardy weeds in the horse paddock, but effective with most household weeds. The recipe if you are interested in using it on your household weeds consisted of 1 gallon (3.75 litres) of vinegar, 2 cups of Epsom Salts and 1/4 cup of Dishwashing Soap. I only had a small weed spray bottle so I halved the recipe, and even resprayed a week to two weeks later, with little effectiveness with hardy paddock weeds.
For paddock weeds I understand that it can sometimes be difficult to rotate horses to another paddock on small properties whilst weed spraying is taking place. This is why a Natural Weed Spray Recipe would be ideal, not only on small properties, but also on larger properties where weeds are in the current paddocks occupied. If a horse so happened to eat one of the weeds sprayed it wouldn’t matter, because the ingredients are au naturale’.
For paddock weeds if you are after a cheaper alternative to Round Up, there are other brands available that are effective. In my experience these brands do require a stronger concentration to water if they are not already pre-mixed. It is recommended with non natural weeds sprays, that stock are removed from that area prior to spraying, for 48 hours from the time sprayed. This is just a safety precaution in case the active chemicals are ingested at a troublesome quantity.
Within the week to 10 days, you should see dead paddocks weeds and be on the way to a weed free property.
Feature Image courtesy of Department of Agriculture and Food.
– Skye Pickering Dip. Horse Business Management