Grass maintenance

[tmshort]

Hopefully the right forum for this...

As I am trying to decide whether to get a bush hog for my soon to be delivered 2520, I am wondering about how to maintain parts of our property.

Basically about 1.5-2 acres are kept as finished / maintained lawn / turf. There is another 3 acres or so that has been allowed to grow long - basically the same turf grass, but right now it is 18-24" tall and has "gone to seed". It appears to me that the previous owners left it like this and then cut it periodically through the year.

What is the best approach to this? Would a bush hog be good for mowing this periodically? What about all the cut grass - will it choke out the lawn once cut? How often and when to cut? I have some neighbors with the same type property but have not met them yet to ask.

Thanks in advance...

 

[theboy2011]

For the tall seeded grass a brush hog will work if you are not wanting to do anything with it. If you would want to bale hay or something then it would take a little more equipment. For the short turf grass, I would recommend a finish mower.

 

[dave1949]

Ditto on the finish mower for lawn.

For the tall stuff, it depends on what you are trying to accomplish. If you allow the grass and weed seeds to mature before cutting, it will reseed itself plus you will get root spreading as is normal with grass. It will look sorry in the Spring time but will green up and grow again - that's what grass does

The grassland prairies of the central US are good examples - at least before they were plowed down. Your bush hog takes the place of grazing herbivores if you are going for the natural thing but you will still be missing the manure part. :laughing:

Grasslands are good habitat for some ground-nesting birds like killdeer and pheasants, the grass and weed seeds are excellent songbird food sources in the late summer and fall. You will be hosting some mice and voles in the tall grass which provide food for fox, owls and hawks.

If you cut it, it is better to wait until the ground-nesting season is past at least. I have some similar areas that I bush hog once per year in the Fall after the songbirds have migrated for the most part. I have other areas that I only cut every couple of years just to prevent reforestation.
Dave.

 

[theboy2011]

Dave when brush hogging in the fall do you have any problems with rabbits or deer? I know my grandfather has the watch for them cause they wont move for the tractor or brush hog and he gets em if ya know what I mean.

 

[dave1949]

Dave when brush hogging in the fall do you have any problems with rabbits or deer? I know my grandfather has the watch for them cause they wont move for the tractor or brush hog and he gets em if ya know what I mean.

No cotton tail rabbits here. We have snowshoe hare which favor hanging out in the woods. Can't recall seeing one in an open field come to think of it.

We have some deer around but the fawns are well up and moving by Fall and they are all pretty shy anyways.

Worst thing I've mowed was a hornets nest- but I got away sting free
Dave.

 

[theboy2011]

Oh i see. You are pretty lucky not getting stung. i know many people that have been stung because of mowing hornets nests.

 

[Lloyd_E]

Depends how much seat time you want on your small ride on mower. When the horse was away and I didn't have a bush hog or tractor so I mowed about 4-5 acres with my ride on mower. I set the deck higher(usually left about a 2-3 inch grass tip compared to my lawn around the house which is about 1") and mowed every 2-3 weeks as compared to weekly for lawn. I use my bush hog on the fields 2-3 times a year for about an hour each time. I use it to knock down weeds the horses don't eat and to pretty up the pasture a bit.

I still mow around fields with my ride on just to keep things clean. Maybe you can borrow one or rent one for when you need it.

Hope this helps.

 

[boggen]

it greatly depends on what you want to do with the "overgrown area"

something normally should be done, once a year to ever other year, with it. just so, if a fire ever happen. the fire will not burn as hot, and will more likely burn slower through the given area.

a bush hog, is normally cheapest choice, to cut tall weeds and does it, in a fair amount of time. due to bush hogs more so 3pt bush hogs that fit on back of tractors stick out so far. they tend to be more choice for folks that have ponds / lakes. so they can partially back down a hill or perhaps little bit over the banks. to mow edges of the pond/lake. without getting stuck in the lake.

to note it it, a ""bush hog"" is actually a name of a company, but many folks refer to "rotatory cutters" as a bush hog. due to they normally only have one large heavy duty blade under them. ((well at least until ya get into the bat wing styles and 70 plus HP tractors that puts most folks way out of there range or even need))

a "fail mower" can be a safer mower to use, say you were mowing road ditches every day of the week. less chance of stuff flying out and into someones windshield. a fail mower can cut a little nicer path.

a sickle mower, think of it more like bush trimmers / hedge trimmers you might have around your house and you drag an electrical cord around or have a battery operated type. but if on a tractor. think much more heavier duty, and is more tended to help mow ditches and like. due to they can move up and down a few degrees as you drive parallel with the ditch.

your ""finishing mowers"" are your "5hp push mowers" riding lawn mowers, normally belly mowers on tractors. these are more like your every week mowing type of mowers. that can give like golf course like grass pending on how much of green thumb you are with your lawn.

there are many other types of "mowers" or way to deal with things.
================

i thick / tall weeds and grass. it can be very easy to run over a baby dear, a baby cow there mothers put them down in tall stuff to hide them from predators, and the babies think the tractor is a predator, so they stay perfectly still, even after it is way to late and they get hit by the blades
also kids toys, to many other things can quickly be found and you may not even notice you hit them till after it is way to late.

if you have a FEL (front end loader) with say a general duty bucket on it. i tend to keep it just barely off the ground say 2 inches or as ground allows me. when mowing in woods / pasture. so if a tree limb is down or a stump is there or a large rock. i am more likely to hit it with the bucket and more likely to notice it and possibly move it up and out the way. vs letting it find it way back in the blade.

bush hogs / rottory cutters. can be heavy on a back of a tractor. more so than other implements weight same amount. due to how far they stick out the back of the tractor. and can cause quicker "teter totoring" of the tractor on the back wheels causing front wheels to come off the ground. if you have a "FEL" front end loader it can help balance out the weight. but if you do not. then would suggest extra weight on the front more so if you have any hills you need to drive across or deal with.

====================
there are different ways to set the bush hog / rotatory cutters. if you set the front of them so they are lower to ground vs rear of them. weeds / grass only gets cuts once, and you end up with long stalks like if you used a weed-eater. and can leave large piles of dead grass on top of everything. to me this is no real big deal in woods or pasture.

if the rear of the bush hog / rotatory cutter. is lower than the front end. you can kinda mulch the tall grass / weeds. due to everything can get cut up a couple times before leaving the bottom side of the deck.

to note it though. if you to have much difference between front and rear or vice vs. you can create low spots and high spots.

again the pile of dead grass / weeds left behind from just a quick cut is fine for me. generally i am just wanting to nock down the weeds. to within a couple inches of the ground. this keeps me from having to say "start a fire and burn things off" and can keep pretty descent green area. granted the grass is taller than say front yard is. but it stays lush and green. and more likely does a much better control of keeping washouts from happening vs letting things just grow and grow for ever. also by cutting it a couple times a year. i can ensure no major thorn bushes or thorn trees take root. and if they do, a quick cut of the mower normally nocks them down quick and easily. and if i keep up on the maintenance of keeping things half way mowed down say 2 foot or less. i can keep things in control.

again to me the areas i use a bush hog / rotatory cutter. is ""not lawn"" but pasture / wooded areas. or places were i do not need to walk all that often nor need to see down to the dirt within an inch. it is rough cut. rough looking. and used primarly to keep major weeds like stuff with thorns on them down to very min. if the old cut grass kills some stuff out some, no big deal to me. it is rough cut anyhow.

if you want a finish yard look like most city folks yards. then a bush hog will cut everything down to a point were you can then start using a finishing mower. and keep the dead cut grass down to a min.

 

[Soundguy]

hog it...

soundguy

 

[tmshort]

Thanks for the input.
We do not plan on "using" this portion of the property specifically, although we may plant some fuit trees, etc around the area in the future.
It sounds like using a rotary cutter is the best option; can I really get away with cutting it annually in the fall? My main concern is all the long grass falling onto the area when cut - won't that smother the plants?
It might be hard to justify buying a rotary cutter just to use it once per year...

T.

 

[B8FISH]

Keep your eyes open for a good used one--easier to justify! Once you have one, you may cut more than once a year--or keep some open trails through that section of your property for walks.

 

[Soundguy]

grass is pretty tough.. should be ok.

soundguy

 

[BeezFun]

What is the best approach to this? Would a bush hog be good for mowing this periodically? What about all the cut grass - will it choke out the lawn once cut? How often and when to cut? I have some neighbors with the same type property but have not met them yet to ask.

I'd buy a finish mower and use it once a year to do the long stuff- just raise it up all the way and go slow. It's bad for grass to cut a lot off at once. Pasture management books say never cut off more than a third of the length. Also the longer you let it grow the healthier it is and the better at staying green during a drought. I'd suggest mowing it often enough to keep it at the max height of your finish mower, that would keep the weeds down and the grass healthy.

 

[Soundguy]

tall grass is abusive to a finish mower AND the tractor... raising it just takes longer and ain't right...

brush hog tall grass then keep on it with a finish mower if need be for the manicured look.

 

[dave1949]

I'd buy a finish mower and use it once a year to do the long stuff- just raise it up all the way and go slow. It's bad for grass to cut a lot off at once. Pasture management books say never cut off more than a third of the length. Also the longer you let it grow the healthier it is and the better at staying green during a drought. I'd suggest mowing it often enough to keep it at the max height of your finish mower, that would keep the weeds down and the grass healthy.

When they cut grasses for hay around here, they take the whole stem. It regrows just fine for two or three cuttings per season.

You will get some matting when cutting tall grass, but the hog will chop it up some and the grass makes it way up through the mats. That is why I said it will not look great in the early Spring - I assume you live where it snows. It does come back though without problems.
Dave.

 

[tmshort]

Yeah, I am not looking to make this look like lawn. I like the taller grass, as combined with a few small hills it provides privacy from the road. Also like the habitat it provides for different animals, etc. Plus I have enough "lawn" to mow with the finish mower anyway.

Just looking for suggestions on management. It seems like the most common recommendation for now is bush hog in the fall...

 

[theboy2011]

I can understand not wanting to buy one if your just gonna use it once a year. once you make friends with your neighbors, see if they would either let you borrow theirs if they have one or if they will do it for you for a price. And if you are planning on putting in fruit trees you may want to cut the grass a little more often than once a year but that is personal preference.

 

[Michelle K linnane]

I have never understood the concept of brush hoggin once in the fall. If the the field has been let go, brushing it 3 or 4 times will help get the weeds down and promote more grass then weeds.
Even if you have no interest in haying by brush hoggin often you will get the grass to grow more then the weeds. If your field has many weeds waiting to cut it in the fall will only spread the seeds from the weeds. If you get the field so the hay would not be bad maybe somebody else would like to get the hay off, thus you do not have to do anything.
I had a great deal of milk weed and golden rod in some of my fields by spot mowing the milk weed off with lawn mower I had that stuff killed off in two years.
I find where I run over the grass more and really pack it down the red glover comes up very thick there, it never fails. I like clover as it mows down easy and cuts good with mower and does not get that high.
Depending on where you live burning in the spring might be an option. What does burning do?
Hope I did not get off track.
Good for soil
Burning improves agricultural land by releasing nutrients into the soil
Will improve grasses
Burning, particularly useful in large grasslands, enhances native grass-species composition and eliminates the buildup of ground litter. Burning removes old grass stems, standing dead vegetation, and ground litter; controls plant diseases; and helps control the spread of exotic plants and woody vegetation. It encourages growth of native warm-season grasses and forbs (if already present in the soil) and improves forage plant quality and quantity

 

[dave1949]

I have never understood the concept of brush hoggin once in the fall. If the the field has been let go, brushing it 3 or 4 times will help get the weeds down and promote more grass then weeds. .........................

It depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Where I grew up in NW Ohio with residential lots mixed in with the fields, a weedy patch would earn you dirty looks from the farming neighbors :laughing: They are strong believers in clean, straight rows. There is an economic reason for that, plus grass and weeds can booger up a corn sheller's snapping rolls. You get docked for soybeans and wheat with lots of weed seeds in them.

If you are in such an area, it is probably considered neighborly to not be a weed seed supplier.

On the other hand, multiple cuttings per year does promote grasses over weeds. You are creating a mono-culture that has reduced value to wildlife. What is good for wildlife is usually not what looks 'good' to us.

I don't have any row crop fields around me, so I don't need to take the farming downside of weeds into consideration.

For the richest wildlife habitat, what is really the best is to let it grow until your bush hog can barely handle getting it down, like 5-8 years or so. You will be allowing an early successional forest habitat to get started.
Dave.

 

[johnrex62]

For the richest wildlife habitat, what is really the best is to let it grow until your bush hog can barely handle getting it down, like 5-8 years or so. You will be allowing an early successional forest habitat to get started.
Dave.

On my place I have Giant Ragweed that will grow to 25 foot in a matter of weeks. I have to mow at least 4 times in the spring/summer to keep it at waist level.

The frequency of mowing depends on your goals and the type of vegetation you are trying to control.