M C Ramsay | Spraying and Topping – Which Comes First?

To manage your pasture effectively and ensure that you are providing your horses with the best environment possible, you will need to carry out regular upkeep in order to maintain a healthy paddock.

Weeds that grow in your paddock can be extremely harmful to horses, with poisonous weeds such as Ragwort often leading to liver failure. Not only do weeds have the potential to make your horses ill, they can reduce the grazing potential and damage grass sward.

To help keep paddock weeds in check and understand what’s required when spraying and topping, our guide will provide you with all you need to know. Including, what should be done first.

Spraying

Spraying herbicides is an essential part of paddock maintenance, and while it may not need to carried out every year, when weeds begin to emerge you should ensure that you spray them – this is often done in the spring or autumn months.

Spraying is one of the most effective ways to control weeds, such as ragwort, as pulling weeds out by hand can cause the roots to break, leading plant roots to remain in the ground and increasing the risk of regrowth. Ragwort is also harmful to humans, as it can cause an allergic reaction and/or sickness.

Following spraying, any areas which have been treated should be fenced off from horses before rainfall to ensure that the herbicide does not harm your horses.

Chemical herbicides must be sprayed by a qualified user who holds a PA1, PA2 and PA6 qualification, this is the same for both tractor and knapsack sprayers.

Before spraying, you should keep in mind the following guidance:

Target young weeds which are actively growing
Spray when it isn’t windy – as your herbicide could end up where you didn’t intend it to
Don’t spray when rain is forecast, as the chemical will wash off weeds and into rivers
Ensure drinking troughs are covered
Only make as much herbicide as you require, and ensure a certified specialist has serviced and calibrated your sprayer beforehand
Aim spray away from rivers as this can contaminate drinking water

Topping

Regular grass topping helps to ensure that your grass sward is of a high quality, and can benefit your horses also by providing them with nutritious grassland to graze on – removing unpalatable grass.

Topping also encourages root development and young growth, and when grass is stimulated a thicker sward is grown – providing horses with a pasture that is more desirable as they prefer grass length which is around seven centimetres long and sweeter in taste; grass which has overgrown can become sour.

Dangerous weeds such as ragwort, docks, nettles and thistles are prevented from going to seed – therefore reducing future growth and reducing the risk to your horses.

A flail mower is one of the best ways to top a paddock as it mulches grass sward, rather than cutting it – this ensures that the soil is provided with a revitalising source to replenish from. As the grass is cut to small pieces, it breaks down quicker, allowing your horses back in the paddock sooner than other forms of topping.

You can also top your paddock using a traditional mower and topper, however, this can leave grass thick and with debris which then need to be removed. It leaves your paddock at risk of rotting grass and is yet another time-consuming task.

Finishing mowers are another way to top your paddock, as mulch is chopped finely leaving you with a good finish all round.

What should I do first?

Now to the big question; should you top or spray your paddock first? Well, there are theories behind doing either one first.

As some weeds can grow annually, once they have been cut or grazed they won’t return to the paddock. However, if they have already turned to seed then they will re-grow. Therefore, if weeds are present or they have turned to seed it can be beneficial if this is the case to spray your paddock first. If you do spray first then you will need to leave time between topping to allow the herbicide to penetrate the root structure.

If you are unsure of whether you have any weeds growing then it’s advised that you top your paddock first so that you can see what growth you currently have, before deciding to spray. When topping first you should allow for some regrowth, otherwise spraying won’t have its desired effect.

It’s essential that you regularly check your paddock for any sign of weeds and take the appropriate course of action immediately. Ensuring that you have a healthy paddock all year round, will help to reduce weed growth and provide you with a good grass sward for your horses.