Have a pasture full of buttercups and other weeds; horses graze there, so weed control needs to be non-toxic to animals.
Regular mowing with a lawn mower may drastically reduce buttercups population. Should be relatively non-toxic for horses.
I'm afraid that is wishful thinking . . . mowing buttercups in a lawn has absolutely no effect in reducing their numbers. Even if you prevent them from going to seed, they spread very quickly with stolens.
Perhaps the species of buttercup you have been successful at controlling by mowing is different than the one growing in Maple Ridge, BC; almost certainly Ranunculus repens. Creeping buttercup identification and control: Ranunculus repens - King County “Creeping buttercup’s growing point is at soil level, so plants resist mowing and quickly re-sprout when cut.” So, the question remains how to eliminate this weed in a way that is non-toxic to animals. This website (among others) gives a variety of options hpiltz may consider. https://www.co.thurston.wa.us/health/ehipm/pdf/creepbcup.pdf "Because it’s a creeping perennial, it grows low enough to escape control by mowing."
Ranunculus repens is a native species here. I can confirm, that frequent mowing has strong effect on the Ranunculus repens also. Tested! Proofed!
What kind of evidence do you need? I have somewhere some photos of flowering Ranunculus field, as it was before, taken maybe 5...10 years ago, and I can take fresh photos how it looks now (without any herbicide used, just by frequent mowing with a lawn mower, that was equipped with a grass collector). But it takes some time, because I do not remember exactly in what folder those old Ranunculus field photos are. I just checked present state, managed to find one single plant of Ranunculus repens. Many sites do recommend frequent mowing against Ranunculus.
It is true, we've never mown the pasture - grazing usually takes it all down, but this year, the buttercups have exploded, out-competing the grasses. Worth a try. Thanks.
Thanks for the article reference. Some useful tips there. I think I should test the soil for pH. I assumed it was alkaline, as our water is extremely hard, but then it's from a deep well, so surface situation may be quite difference. Aerating the soil might help as well - lots ot think about. Too bad the article only recommends glyphosphate and other chemical agents, though.
Did a little research; buttercups are toxic to goats, in that it will taint their milk, and they generally won't eat buttercups until they've eaten everything else. So - maybe not the best option.
Overgrazing may actually be favourable for buttercaps, as usually livestock is not eating it very much, but its competitors, so buttercaps can get better conditions with heavy grazing. Tired of Seeing Buttercup in Your Pasture? https://www.wyevalegardencentres.co.uk/tips-and-advice_how-to-control-creeping-buttercup I did not use any raking before mowing. I used medium mowing height and a mower, that collects the lawn clippings (such mowers have blades, that lift up the lying plants pretty well). Always mowed with a dry weather. Buttercap as a broad leaved weed, does not like frequent cutting, but competing grass gets thicker and stronger with frequent mowing.
