Second Chance Horse Rescue Discussion Boards

Muso · Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Posts: 630

Do you know what are the main noxious weeds you have on your property?

If so, which ones - are they known to be toxic to horses, and what plans have you put in place for eradication (if any)?

We have flatleaf cape tulip sprouting up everywhere. I've heard it's toxic to sheep, but need to do more research about it's toxicity to horses (assuming it's only eaten when horses are very hungry, like a lot of weeds). Our exccuse is that it's a new property, and we're still getting to know what's in the ground before we arrive at a plan of attack!

How about you?
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SecondChance · Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 6:48 am Post subject:

Well we've got cape tulip here too, the horses leave it well alone as they're well fed. Thats the only bad one we've got.

In York cape tulip was everywhere at my grandparents, as was the awful pattersons curse. That stuff is poisonous to horses too but I didn't know that back then. My grandparents didn't eradicate it because the tourists loved it so much (from a distance, they never touched the stuff) but again the horses didn't touch it as they were well fed.

I've been told horses raised in areas where these weeds grow won't eat it unless they're starving and desperate but I don't know how true that is.

I must admit I do love Cape Weed though, all those pretty yellow flowers over the paddocks in springtime...
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Muso · Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Posts: 630

Sugar's Mum · Joined: 04 Jul 2009 Posts: 82 Location: Busselton

we have blue lupins which are poisonous to horses so I pick them out by hand. Not hard to do but you have to keep it up for about 7 years before all the seed in the ground is gone. Apparently if you put sheep in the paddock when the lupins are small they will eat them

we also have milk weed is a small amount so I pick that. I have my horses agisted on less then ten acres so it is relatively easy to hand pick the weeds out if needed.

onion grass or guilford grass apparently doesn't like lime.
also cape weed if sprinkled with urea will be eaten more by the horses and there will be less next year

shadowkat · Joined: 21 Feb 2009 Posts: 127 Location: perth, wa

Hey, any chance y'all can put up piccies of these nasties? I'm not very knowledgeable about plant names, but I want to know everything! (I'm nosey Smile

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Muso · Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Posts: 630

Was just thinking the same, shadowkit!

**off to google image some of the above mentioned weeds**
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ozbatt · Second Chance Mod Joined: 27 Aug 2008 Posts: 713

There's a really good book that's been brought out by the Ag Dept - it's called Western Weeds & has lots of pics of the weeds. Costs about $27.

Muso · Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Posts: 630

Just wanted to add - the orange flowers in my sig are actually Cape Tulips! Embarassed

And no, Velvet isn't eating them. Neither of the ponies touch them. That photo was taken in a patch that I more or less gave up on, after pulling out buckets each day... next year I'm going to go down the herbicide path and really get on top of them.

They're an annual bulb that multiply under the ground, with the seeds speading through wind and water run off. Absolutely prolific through the South West, and a real pain in the butt. Landcare wrote a recent article in the local newspaper pleading with property owners to take responsibility for their own outbreaks. A lot of city people are moving down to these areas, buying up little 5-20 acreages chasing the lifestyle, without having any knowledge of this noxious weed. So it's vitally important to get on top of them.

You can hand pull, but you need to get the whole bulb out of the ground, preferably the soil around it to get the surrounding corms (mini bulbs).
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