Grazing Control, Cultural Control and Biological Control

Grazing Control

Cattle (and pigs) avoid grazing oxeye daisy because of its bitter, acrid taste. In Great Britain, oxeye daisy is not common on lightly-grazed meadows, and its abundance is positively related with the intensity of grazing or cutting. Therefore, prescribed grazing management should be a part of oxeye daisy control and prevention on pastures and rangeland. Horses, sheep, and goats graze oxeye daisy; however sheep and goats are more likely than horses to provide population control. It is recommended that sheep or goats be confined to an infestation prior to bloom and removed when 50 percent of the grass is utilized. Repeated grazing over a number of years may reduce oxeye daisy populations. Periodic herbicide applications may be needed to maintain oxeye daisy below threshold levels. If livestock graze oxeye daisy infestations after bloom, animals should be held for five days and fed weed-free forage before moving to weed-free areas to prevent the spread of viable seeds that pass through the digestive system.

Cultural Control

Plant competition reduces the invasiveness of oxeye daisy and increases the effectiveness of controlled applications. Therefore, practices that increase the competitiveness of desirable plant species and communities such as conservation crop rotation, nutrient management, conservation cover, and critical area planting (for example, after a wildfire) will make the environment less hospitable for oxeye daisy to survive and spread.

Biological Control

Currently, there are no biological control insects available for management of oxeye daisy.

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Last Modified: 03/20/2008