Pasture Invasives

Since replacing our two heifers with sheep, we've seen a huge improvement in the weed population in the pastures, though they do tend to get a bit more overgrazed. We're managing the thistle with the help of a secret farm animal The goats have started to nibble the horse nettle. The sheep learned to eat burdock and asters (leaves only). A few of the goats and sheep nibble the seed heads on the grass (most prefer the clover and tender new shoots of grass).

My BIGGEST problem right now is Creeping Charlie. It's essentially a mint, I think. It's been in our yard forever, but recently it has migrated to the pastures (and my garden). The worst part is that nothing eats it. Absolutely nothing. It's edible, but not palatable.

Has anyone dealt with Glechoma hederacea before? Will it die back on its own over the winter so the grass can overtake it in the spring? Will it take over my whole pasture without management? Any luck training goats or sheep to eat it? I can't seem to train any of my poultry. The rabbits like it okay, but we don't have a lot of them.

I'm really concerned... it's everywhere, and spread very quickly last season due to the cold, rainy weather (its favorite conditions are shady and moist areas, though it tolerates drought like a champ).

Creeping Charlie is supposed to be poisonous.
It grows in shade. I have it in the dog yard where the tree gives it near 100% shade, it hasn't grown outside of that area.

Burdock is also a herb/plant that can cause abortions, humans have used it, I think in rabbits and guinea pigs it causes birth issues. My sheep eat it and I always chase them away from it, just in case...

Next ... chemical warfare !

Oh man, I hate chemical warfare I've heard a lot of things listed as aborticants, including pine, but I find that it doesn't hurt them to nibble here and there. The problems come when it's huge quantities of the stuff... like this freakin ground ivy. Yikes.

Mine is growing in full sun pastures, so I would not call that shade. And the grass has stayed relatively short all year. I'm beginning to think it's a potential mineral or nutrient deficiency in the soil that allows it to spread.

The internet says that smothering it with cardboard and mulch will kill it, spraying with 2,4-D will kill it, and that mowing (with a bag that picks up mowed bits) will help control it, though I've found that last bit to be false. Bleh.

I'm going to go out there over the next few weeks and physically pull all of it (there's only 4 acres that it's mixed into, not like 10+ acres). Then maybe spray all the places where I pulled with vinegar/salt/dishsoap mix. Then maybe do it again for years until it goes away This is awful

Yea, I did the " earth friendly " but very labor intensive physical stuff of pulling, hoeing, cardboard , mowing ,discing , vinegar,dish soap, fire, etc. thing in my pasture ( but different pest weeds ) until I was blue in the face , had very SORE BACK ,sore knees, and chapped cut up sores on my hands for a couple years and still the weeds outperformed all of my efforts in spades . I too hate chemical warfare, but there comes a time when it is time to take action of the more lethal kind to maybe win the war against the weeds.