# Dock leaves - What to do?



## Country Cob (27 May 2016)

Hi All,

My field Is full of docks.  The blasted things are sprouting up everywhere, and I have tried in vein to dig them out, but cannot keep up with the rate they are growing.  The previous owners did nothing with the field except mow it occasionally.  The whole field is basically one big dock root system that has been left unchecked for 10 years.  Okay, I thought, no problem, I will have it sprayed.  And then I saw the field next to mine FULL of docks.  I don't just mean a few, thousands of the things that have been left to grow waist height and cover his entire field.  His fields border mine and farmer doesn't seem to want to do anything about it!!!  
If I spray, I will spend a fortune and his will go to seed and I will be back at square one!
Should I just keep slogging away and try and dig as many out as possible?  Would strimming them down regularly to keep them in check work?

Any suggestions welcome, beginning to despair!!


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## millikins (27 May 2016)

Strimming. It takes a lot of energy for broad leaved plants to produce new growth, it will probably take a couple of years but you will win if you regularly strim them. Also with them cut, it allows light in and will encourage more grass growth.


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## Meredith (27 May 2016)

Perseverance. I had a large area of docks in one field. Each year I cut them down and removed every piece I could. Don't let them seed. I cut them when the seed heads were green and removed the leaves too. They have used a lot of energy then and don't have so much summer time left to grow as big again. It seemed to take ages but spraying was impossible as the area surrounded the field gates. Now I have just one left.  I am convinced it has roots in Australia. Hard work but do-able. Good luck.


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## Tyssandi (27 May 2016)

Country Cob said:



			Hi All,

My field Is full of docks.  The blasted things are sprouting up everywhere, and I have tried in vein to dig them out, but cannot keep up with the rate they are growing.  The previous owners did nothing with the field except mow it occasionally.  The whole field is basically one big dock root system that has been left unchecked for 10 years.  Okay, I thought, no problem, I will have it sprayed.  And then I saw the field next to mine FULL of docks.  I don't just mean a few, thousands of the things that have been left to grow waist height and cover his entire field.  His fields border mine and farmer doesn't seem to want to do anything about it!!!  
If I spray, I will spend a fortune and his will go to seed and I will be back at square one!
Should I just keep slogging away and try and dig as many out as possible?  Would strimming them down regularly to keep them in check work?

Any suggestions welcome, beginning to despair!!
		
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I use SBK in a sprayer and do a patch of the field at a time, can you mark an area out and just do that bit then another etc.


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## Dry Rot (27 May 2016)

Spot sprayed mine the other day and now they are all nice and brown and curly!


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## Antw23uk (27 May 2016)

Dry Rot said:



			Spot s9prayed mine the other day and now they are all nice and brown and curly! 

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What with please? Thanks


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## AdorableAlice (27 May 2016)

Round up or Gallup.


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## Cragrat (27 May 2016)

Round up /Gallup will kill everything it touches, including grass. A broad leaf specific spray, like Pastor or Grazon, will only kill things like docks, and ime is easier to use- you don't have to worry about killing a patch of grass around each dock. You still need to keep the horses off for about 7 days.


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## irish_only (28 May 2016)

Definitely Round-up. It's magic.


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## Antw23uk (28 May 2016)

Round up it is then, thank you


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## laura_nash (28 May 2016)

Cragrat said:



			Round up /Gallup will kill everything it touches, including grass. A broad leaf specific spray, like Pastor or Grazon, will only kill things like docks, and ime is easier to use- you don't have to worry about killing a patch of grass around each dock. You still need to keep the horses off for about 7 days.
		
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This^^

If you use roundup you'll kill the grass around the dock too, making it likely that other weeds (or more docks from seed) will grow back.  Use Grazon or Doxstar.


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## pennyturner (28 May 2016)

I'm heading out with the topper to tackle mine today *sigh*

Still, it means I get to cut the heads off lots of buttercups to, which should be satisfying.


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## JillA (28 May 2016)

NOOO - don't use Round Up you will kill EVERYTHING, including any grass and end up with a totally bare field (unless you can take the time to dribble a tiny amount on each plant). MCPA kills broadleaf weeds such as docks, nettles and thistles but not grass, it is in a few products, both for gardeners and agriculture. 
There is a good selection here https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8...qmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_4vr7boj93c_e

Docks have a deep tap root and physical means of removing (digging, strimming etc) are unlikely to prevent regrowth.


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## Bradsmum (28 May 2016)

Morning. Docks are best sprayed when they are small, new leaves. I used Grazon a month ago on patches of small plants and they have now withered and grass is already taking over. If the plants are now bigger, the leaves wax over and the weed killers do not penetrate so well. I think I would cut them down and remove, don't allow anything to seed and then spray any new growth while it is new.


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## indie1282 (28 May 2016)

Ive got docks in my fields and they are a b***y nightmare!  Our farmer rolls, harrows and re seeds but doesn't spary the docks.. I cant spray as dont want to kill what grass thee is so I am in the process of cutting them down by hand. Its pretty back breaking work but at least its giving me a workout as well eh? 

Its a beautiful warm sunny day so off to start it after a brew :-D might even get a tan to boot lol.


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## JulesRules (28 May 2016)

Hmm mm,  I have a couple of big dock patches in my paddock. Horse uses those areas to poop and so far I've just left them. 

Will they get worse and take over if I leave them?


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## JillA (28 May 2016)

JulesRules said:



			Will they get worse and take over if I leave them?
		
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They will flower and go to seed and you'll get seedlings anywhere there is bare ground


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## Rollin (28 May 2016)

Don't use round up it will kill your grass, as already suggested Grazon or Dockstar, patch spray bit by bit.  I used to do this for my paddock in Scotland, any docks missed I ddead headed and burned to avoid seeds germinating for next year.


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## Dry Rot (28 May 2016)

The trouble is you need to do courses and get certificates to buy and use the professional weed killers these days. Not sure how it works out from the garden centre but I'm expecting very expensive.

With the new rules, there are sure to be businesses springing up who will do the job for a fee. Yell.com?

Roundup (Glyphosate) is great for areas that you want to be totally free of vegetation (roads, yards, etc) but as has been said, if you use it you leave a bare area that is a great seed bed for ragwort and other weeds.


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## JanetGeorge (28 May 2016)

Weather was too wet to spray while docks were growing - so mine are too big to spray successfully now (without using a small fortune in Grazon.)  So once my no.2 tractor gets it's new wheel hubs (Tuesday, thankfully) the topper is going on and I will cut - and cut - and spray the bad patches as they regrow.

Repeat, repeat, repeat - do NOT use Round-up - except around the patio - or if you want to reseed.  It kills everything with gay abandon!


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## Britestar (28 May 2016)

Spray, and spray yearly. I'm on year 5 now having them done, and finally I have virtually none.


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## mystiandsunny (28 May 2016)

We just cut ours each year before they flowered and ensured that area was not overgrazed. There was a massive bank of them when we moved in - had trouble finding any for a nettle stint last year!


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## Clodagh (28 May 2016)

We just top ours, regularly, and do it before they have started forming seeds or the seeds still become viable as the plant dies. I have hardly any now. (Worked for the nettles and thistles too).


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## Nativelover (28 May 2016)

irish_only said:



			Definitely Round-up. It's magic. 

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Also magically kills bees!! It should be banned.


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## PorkChop (28 May 2016)

Strim, strim and strim this year.  Then next year, strim once, let them start growing a little and spray.


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## Antw23uk (28 May 2016)

Walk dog, have dinner, go strim. Got it


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## JillA (28 May 2016)

Nativelover said:



			Also magically kills bees!! It should be banned.
		
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And has been shown to be carcinogenic - the active ingredient is glyphosate and there are petitions to ban it currently doing the rounds.


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## Tobiano (28 May 2016)

Wow found this thread really helpful!  I finally got round to attacking the docks in my garden (having checked first with my garden expert that they were docks, as so big and so many of them I thought they must have been deliberately planted!)  - just like OP's mine definitely have roots in Australia - as thick as my arm (ok a bit of an exaggeration but a good inch and a half diameter) - tough as old boots!  Also glad to have seen about round-up and bees (angry emoticon) so I shall make sure I don't use that.  Horses' field is not as badly affected as my garden!


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## Clodagh (28 May 2016)

There will be no agriculture in UK without it, and farmers have no wish to wantonly kill bees off.


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## JillA (29 May 2016)

Clodagh said:



			There will be no agriculture in UK without it, and farmers have no wish to wantonly kill bees off.
		
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???? There was agriculture long before glyphosate, just not chemical based agriculture


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## Goldenstar (29 May 2016)

I just top them, the thing is there's millions of seeds waiting for a chance to grow so you kill the ones that are there and next growing season more pop up.
I have got them under control at my place but have not eradiacated them.


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## Pearlsasinger (29 May 2016)

The best way to keep docks, and most other weeds down is to graze sheep on the land. They won't eat older tough dock leaves but they will eat the young shoots, so this year I would strim/top and then borrow some sheep for next year. You will be amazed at the difference they make  and they are much better for the environment than harsh chemicals


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## indie1282 (29 May 2016)

So over the last two days I have cut down my docks in one field.... hurrah! Now the problem I have is where yhe docks were there is no real grass growth :-( The field was overseeded at the end of April and is coming on ok but the bottom where the docks were are looking v bad and pretty bare in patches.

I'm not going to use the field untill the end of June so was thinking of hand seeding the bare patches but will it have enough time to grow so I can use the paddock at the end of June? We're having fairly decent warm weather down here and its a nice sheltered spot.


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## NZJenny (30 May 2016)

JulesRules said:



			Hmm mm,  I have a couple of big dock patches in my paddock. Horse uses those areas to poop and so far I've just left them. 

Will they get worse and take over if I leave them?
		
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I have same and have done for years.  Am lucky enough that the paddock is big enough - they don't poo on the "lawn" areas, so it's a nice easy care system.  The docks haven't spread at all - I think they like a certain type of soil.  Thistles on the other hand, I have to cut.


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## JillA (30 May 2016)

indie1282 said:



			I'm not going to use the field untill the end of June so was thinking of hand seeding the bare patches but will it have enough time to grow so I can use the paddock at the end of June? We're having fairly decent warm weather down here and its a nice sheltered spot.
		
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It might germinate in that time, if we have some rain, but it won't survive being grazed, it won't have established enough roots. You might be surprised at how it greens up if you leave it, or maybe short term you could use it as a muck heap for when you poo pick the paddock. Then in the autumn chuck the seeds from under the hay on it, it will be fine by next year.


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