Paying a professional to get rid of docks

stigofthedump

Active Member
Feb 5, 2009
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Hi. Would anyone recommend using a professional person to spray a really strong herbicide onto docks in a horses's field? Can you give me an idea of how much it would cost? I keep 2 ponies on a field. Half of the field is covered in docks. I can't move the ponies to another field to spray all the docks so every couple of weeks I fence off a small area that is dock-ridden then spray with SBK. This does kills them but inevitably new docks then grow in-between the dead docks. They are driving me mad. Suggestions please. thanks.
 
Timing is important. Trying to spray at this time of year is like peeing in the wind. You need to catch it early in the year really. Probably the best thing you can do right now is chop them down before they drop even more seed everywhere and then when they start to regrow get on them with the weed killer.
I don’t know what SBK is but I always used Thrust, not sure if you need a licence for it now.
 
I think most people just keep strimming them off before they get to seed head stage, which weakens the root.

If the sbk isnt killing them id think about finding another weed spray.
 
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Can you use grazon without a license?
You could top the field, are you responsible for maintenance?
My place does all that as part of the livery.
 
Timing is important. Trying to spray at this time of year is like peeing in the wind. You need to catch it early in the year really. Probably the best thing you can do right now is chop them down before they drop even more seed everywhere and then when they start to regrow get on them with the weed killer.
I don’t know what SBK is but I always used Thrust, not sure if you need a licence for it now.
Thanks for replying. Here's the link to SBK weedkiller - https://www.vitaxamenity.co.uk/product/sbk-brushwood-killer/. I have read something about Grazeon weedkiller (very expensive) but haven't heard of Thrust. Over the past few years i have been spraying the docks according to the instructions on the SBK (Weedol lawn weedkiller is almost as good and cheaper). These state that weeds should be sprayed when actively growing. In my area (South Yorkshire England) this is usually May/June. There are so many of them that I feel I am fighting a losing battle. Your advice matches the conclusion I had come to: chop them down then spray again as & when they start to regrow. By chopping them down at least the field will look better & grass growth is less likely to be stifled. So tomorrow I plan to attack the docks with my brushcutter. Oh, what joy :)
 
Can you use grazon without a license?
You could top the field, are you responsible for maintenance?
My place does all that as part of the livery.
Thanks for your reply. I have been researching Grazon & will consider it but it seems very expensive. I have owned the field since Oct 2017. The docks seem to be as bad if not worse every year despite spraying twice a year with weedkiller. All this warm, wet weather doesn't help. Even the couple who owned the field before me are shocked at how bad the docks are & said there weren't that bad when they owned the field. One option is to move my ponies & spray the whole dock-infested area, not just small areas, with weedkiller each year in the hope that eventually they will gradually disappear. This could take a very long time. The problem with that option is that I can't move my ponies to another field. Even if short-term alternative grazing was available the rents charged by local landowners for grazing around here are exorbitant. £30 per week per animal is not unusual. I can't afford £60 per week (for 2 ponies) even short-term.
 
Sbk is about as good as any of the non-professional ones. I would definitely chop them before they get to seed, then you can spray the young leaves as they regrow. The seeds can stay viable for some time so I could be new plants coming up after you’ve sprayed one lot off, you’ll just have to keep at it.

On a positive, big roots of plants like docks are great at airating compacted soil, so spraying or cutting them makes the root rot leaving gaps which helps drainage and grass roots, they look unsightly but are harmless to horses and do help the land while your getting on top of them ?
 
I've had dock problems for a while in my field. This year I've had some success with cutting them, using not a trimmer but the hedge-cutter attachment for a heavy duty gardening tool. A decent gardener should be able to do this for you for not too much: I've paid £30 for 2 hours' work to get my field done, though this year I did it myself as I have more time.

The docks have come up again after being cut, but they are already much weaker and I'm hoping that 3 or 4 repetitions may do for them. Until next year when seeds come up, of course!
 
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I've had dock problems for a while in my field. This year I've had some success with cutting them, using not a trimmer but the hedge-cutter attachment for a heavy duty gardening tool. A decent gardener should be able to do this for you for not too much: I've paid £30 for 2 hours' work to get my field done, though this year I did it myself as I have more time.

The docks have come up again after being cut, but they are already much weaker and I'm hoping that 3 or 4 repetitions may do for them. Until next year when seeds come up, of course!
Hi. thanks for you reply. Today i spent 40 mins chopping the docks with my petrol brushcutter. I managed to clear almost half the weedy area before the weight of the brushcutter made my shoulders & arms hurt. The field already looks brilliant & I can't wait to finish the job. I know that using petrol isn't very environmentally friendly but I feel it is the lesser of two evils when compared to soaking the field in strong chemicals a couple of times each year. With the help of this Forum's Members I think i may have found the solution!
 
Do you not have a harness for your stimmer. If you havent and it has the eyelet on the pole, i seriously recommend getting a body harness. Wearing a harness then supports the strimmer weight through your back and core not on the shoulders. Apologies maybe you do have one. But ive seen a number of people using these big strimmers without one.
 
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I find a heavy trimmer very hard work but it does do the job. I hate the smell and the noise. I agree with you about 1 litre of petrol vs the chemicals though, absolutely!

Having cut them once I am now using a spanish Azada (a heavy cutting hoe) to keep them down. It's hard work but very, very, very satisfying!
 
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I find a heavy trimmer very hard work but it does do the job. I hate the smell and the noise. I agree with you about 1 litre of petrol vs the chemicals though, absolutely!

Having cut them once I am now using a spanish Azada (a heavy cutting hoe) to keep them down. It's hard work but very, very, very satisfying!
I have been out tonight picking up what the contractor has cut down, then it's been topped. If it's kept topped they don't get chance to grow tall. Any missed I will cut down. Field look so much better.
 
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Do you not have a harness for your stimmer. If you havent and it has the eyelet on the pole, i seriously recommend getting a body harness. Wearing a harness then supports the strimmer weight through your back and core not on the shoulders. Apologies maybe you do have one. But ive seen a number of people using these big strimmers without one.
Hi. Yes I do have a harness. When I bought the brushcutter the seller warned it might be too heavy for me (a 5ft 4 inch older female) & suggested i buy a lighter version. I said i wanted a heavy duty machine to cut long grass & weeds in my field. The brushcutter has proved itself perfect for the job but with hindsight perhaps I should have taken the seller's advice about its weight! Bearing in mind my shoulders ache when wearing a basic backpack holding items I might need on an outing e.g. a drink & a small book, I think I must have a weak upper body. Since buying it I have used it regularly & worked out that a 30 min session is about right - I don't feel achy & I manage to clear a reasonable area. If I have plenty of time I usually do 2 or 3 x 30 mins sessions. My 6ft ex-rugby playing OH has no problem using the brushcutter for up to one hour so he helps when he's not at work.
 
Im only short like you and the vibration on the bigger one gets my hands and it gets my back too. But the harness helps distribute the weight. I usually do a filling worth or two and thats me knackered with the big one two.
We do also have the lighter version strimmer which we use in the garden on stuff. Its okay if the vegetation is small, like early in the season and thin. But as soon as it gets the tougher stalks they are hard work and the bigger one is definitely better for the job.

Weve used sbk and grazon in the past in a knapsack sprayer. Well my brother has. I know one year one product we used was a complete fail and he had to go over it.
I keep seeing thrust mentioned on some sites. Not sure what it covers though. So maybe have a look.

Cant remember if its sbk is still licensed or another product. They stopped a product a few years ago and when we had a spot inspection they pulled us up on having it in the store cupboard. We didnt know it was no longer licensed.
 
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Im only short like you and the vibration on the bigger one gets my hands and it gets my back too. But the harness helps distribute the weight. I usually do a filling worth or two and thats me knackered with the big one two.
We do also have the lighter version strimmer which we use in the garden on stuff. Its okay if the vegetation is small, like early in the season and thin. But as soon as it gets the tougher stalks they are hard work and the bigger one is definitely better for the job.

Weve used sbk and grazon in the past in a knapsack sprayer. Well my brother has. I know one year one product we used was a complete fail and he had to go over it.
I keep seeing thrust mentioned on some sites. Not sure what it covers though. So maybe have a look.

Cant remember if its sbk is still licensed or another product. They stopped a product a few years ago and when we had a spot inspection they pulled us up on having it in the store cupboard. We didnt know it was no longer licensed.
Thanks for your interesting comment. I have been using SBK for a few years & have seen it for sale in Wilko earlier this year. When I bought my first packet (3 years ago maybe), from the local agricultural store, I had to order it then when I collected it I had to sign a form to confirm that I was using it as a weedkiller. I did wonder what other uses it had ! This store adds on VAT so it is more expensive than the other outlets I have used: Wilko, The Range, eBay. I haven't seen anything about SBK losing its license.
 
I’ve just brought SBK, it’s still licenced for home use. Grazeon changed a few years ago and the new one is grazeon pro which is a commercial product that you are meant to have a certificate to use.
 
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