what plant is this?

T

Teacake

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Oct 16, 2019
Messages
235
Reaction score
224
Points
330
hi i have recently got a new run for on the lawn. image.webp
id really like to use it but i have loads of plant in my lawn. clover, ragwort, dandelions and one that is unknown to me. i put the run on a patch where there is no ragwort but this plant is everywhere. image.webp
does anyone know what this is? do i have to remove it or is it safe? thanks (:
 
It could be buttercup. Not 100% sure. I don’t think they should eat it. I wage war on buttercups in my lawn each summer, it’s a hard thing to get rid off as they run and root all over the show
 
I would be more worried about the ragwort! That must be dug up from the roots and burnt - it must not go on compost heaps or in garden waste and you must use gloves when handling it.
 
Guineapigfeet said:
I would be more worried about the ragwort! That must be dug up from the roots and burnt - it must not go on compost heaps or in garden waste and you must use gloves when handling it.
Click to expand...
we removed some of it but it’s a pain to sort out and also maybe you can tell from the photo but we have a huge garden so it would be basically impossible to remove it all. 😉
 
Sorry to be controversial but ragwort is an important native plant for wildlife.
Obviously I would make sure it's not where you put your guinea pigs or if it could spread onto neighbouring land where there is grazing livestock, but leaving it will provide important food and habitat for species like bees!
 
I think it looks like buttercup, try and remove all leaves and runners or move your run somewhere clear of it. It is poisonous to humans and horses.
 
AMMAH said:
Sorry to be controversial but ragwort is an important native plant for wildlife.
Obviously I would make sure it's not where you put your guinea pigs or if it could spread onto neighbouring land where there is grazing livestock, but leaving it will provide important food and habitat for species like bees!
Click to expand...
if you can maybe see in the picture we have cows right behind the fence so we have to make sure it doesn’t get in the fields, for now it’s okay 👍
 
I found this plant ID app really useful...

PlantNet Plant Identification - Apps on Google Play

It's available in the Google play store and helped me identify the fig buttercup that we have raging through our lawn at the moment. I just photographed a leaf and it gave me possible matches. Then I found we had a flower on one of our plants and that gave me a confirmation of what the plant was.
 
Piggylove82 said:
Pigs do eat around some plants, I have found.
Click to expand...
i had them in the run yesterday and have removed the butter cup, when i put grass in their cage i one accidentally gave them a plant that was poisonous. i removed it as soon as i realized but they are all the grass and left the plant
 
Mine also eat around any moss or dead leaves that may get mixed in with the grass I pull from the lawn. They are clever animals
 
Piggylove82 said:
Pigs do eat around some plants, I have found.
Click to expand...
Yes they do, there were times in the drought where I had to put the run down on rare patches of edible grass that also contained traces of buttercup which they never touched - just important to say that the buttercup itself is poisonous. With so many safe wild plants people could potentially pick to feed to piggies, it's essential to know your stuff and not give them the wrong ones!
 
Oh, I agree! I'd never pick a plant I wasn't absolutely sure was safe for them. But when they graze, they graze around plants that aren't good for them where they might be growing in the lawn.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top