Landscape help for my yard

[ByronBob]

I've finally gotten my property to a point where I can work with it some. The problem is before my house was built it was old farm field. I've moved it all down and keep it low as much as I can. I asked a farmer down the road from me to come evaluate what would be necessary to smooth it out or how to.

He said he can't do much for me. Said the best way is to spray it until the roots die. Disk it up and then work it over and over again until it smooths out. With his own chores up to do I get the feeling he may not want to bother and he mentions it might be worse when it's done.

It's gut pounding to say the least to mow. Is anyone out there familiar with how to landscape a rough field the best way. (Not necessarily the cheapest) Should I get some more opinions?

 

[beenthere]

Could till it with a tiller, and drag it smooth with a variety of drags from toothed to springs. I am doing that to some of my old pasture that is now lawn (and I do relate to the rough spots).

I rent a 60" tiller for my Deere 4300.

You might try some parts of it and see what works for you. It will be good tractor time. Other than that, a good size lawn roller used when the ground is 'movable' like early in the spring after the frost goes out, but before the ground sets up.

 

[EastTexFrank]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> Do I need to get more opinions? </font> )</font>

Nah !!!! You'll get all the opinions you'll ever want right here. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

It really depends what you want to end up with. Do you want a "lawn" or a "yard"? If you want a lawn, it'll be a lot more work but if all you want is a yard that doesn't bruise your kidneys to mow, your farmer friend has it right but I don't know how it could possibly be worse after you've finished discing. I don't know that I'd even spray it first. I might save the spray to control the weeds after you've finished discing and things start to regrow.

At the farm, after the wild hogs have finished rooting it up, I disc the area and smoothe out 2' deep holes. You just have to run over it half a dozen times, change the angle of the discs and lighten the weight on it for the final passes and it ends up pretty darn flat ... certainly good enough for a pasture. Discing will also clear the weeds and grasses that are growing but it will turn in all the weed seeds that are lying around and haven't germinated. That's why I'd use a selective herbicide after things have started to regrow to kill the weeds and keep the grass.

I don't know what size of disc your BX can handle but it should be in your owner's manual somewhere.

 

[Glenn9643]

I've got about 13 acres in pasture with oak seedlings planted in 50' rows on 50' centers. After subsoiling next to each row of trees last year when it was way too dry it's been mighty rough when bush-hogging. I used my 6' tiller to try to flatten it out better a few weeks ago, and need to go over it again but it's too wet right now. Seven inches of rain in the past five days!

 

[ByronBob]

I got about 5 acres to do. I think the disc might be the best but if I have to I'll till it. It might take me forever but I don't plan on moving anytime soon. Disc then till maybe?

 

[Bowhunter]

I always use beenthere's method. Work up the soil with either a tiller or a disk, then drag with a boxblade or homemade drag to smooth it out.

 

[KiotiJohn]

Most likely, either way, you'll need to make sure you don't have stumps and roots in the way of the discs or the tiller.
The mistake a lot of people make is going in to till before they have assured that the roots have all been broken up and removed as much as possible. You can really tangle up a tiller, or bounce a disk out of the ground if there are still good sized roots in the ground.
If the ground is fairly clean, either of these will do the job, slowly, but the discs are probably less expensive to use.
It WILL take you a while to get through it all, but it'll be worth it in the end (no pun intended). John

 

[BobReeves]

Just went through this in the spring on 1/2 acre. This fall or next spring I will do the rest. I didn't do anything with the existing grass/weeds which was about 6 inches tall when I started.

Put the scafers(sp) down on your box blade and run over the whole area to be sure there are no hidden surprises to mess up the tiller, rent a tiller or hire someone to till it and run over it a couple of times. Level any big depressions with your box blade then finish leveling and smoothing with a landscape rake. Plant, water and in a couple of weeks you will have a very nice level lawn.

It has a few weeds that popped up but I am hoping the recent application of weed-n-feed will take care of most of them.

 

[TORQUIN]

I'm no landscaping authority, but it seems to me this is a prime opportunity for a Harley Rake. While there may not be a huge number of rocks there, the Harley should smooth things out quite nicely.

Chris

 

[Junkman]

I have been dealing with the same thing myself. In the past, I used a York rake (landscape rake) and kept going over it till I had the majority of the rocks and weeds out of it. Then I would use 10-10-10 fertilizer and seed. Water and a few weeks later it was a lawn. I just completed another section of the property and this time, I found that the landscape rake just wasn't cutting it. Don't know if it is my getting older and not wanting as much seat time, or the difference in the soil. I had a company come in to Harley Rake the area and after 2 days, they had it nice and smooth. They hydro-seeded the entire area and in the end, it didn't cost me much more than if I had done it myself just paying for materials. Just remember that if you don't get that rock out of the way before the lawn is planted, it will be drawn toward the lawn mower blade every time you cut until it jumps up and whacks the blade. Last summer I spent hours digging up rocks that I didn't realize were so large until I started. Now, I am very selective of the ones that I go after. I still have a 6' diameter crater in the back yard from two rocks that were side by side. By the time I got them out of the ground, I was so disgusted with digging, I just left the hole till this year. This year it was easier to just mow around it than it was to deal with it. It is on the list of "must do" for the fall..

 

[ikline]

I just did the exact same thing this year. I bought about 5 acres of a farmers field and built a house. Tried mowing and it was killing me. I borrowed my brother in laws 8' disc and went over it several times. I let it sit for about a week and did it again. (not sure I had too, but it was fun.) I then rented a rock rake and did the front yard. I was not really happy with the results so I borrowed a friends preseeder. The results are incredible. Very smooth. Now I just have to start killing the darn weeds. But more seat time is OK with me. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[gav64]

junkman,
I live in Bolton, I feel your pain!!!!!!

 

[Egon]

Think I'd do as Beenthere has advised with a tiller.

Spray it first to kill grass as this will make it easier to till. Lotsa tilling in different directions to help smooth it out.Pick rocks as you go and fill in obvious depressions or cut off bumps after the first tiller pass. Level as has been stated. Wait for several weeks till it all turns green. Till again, seed and harrow.

Add lime and fertilizer as required by soil conditions.

More work up front will make life easier in the future.

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[jeffw]

I'd bush hog it down, then plow it up. You might need to disc it first if plow will not penetrate/turn soil over. Then I'd drag it with springtooh or harrow to smooth it down. Use a speed mover or boxblade if you need to move any amount of dirt. Let set for a couple of weeks then run over it again with springtooth/harrow to kill of new weeds emerging & then plant

 

[ByronBob]

Appreciate the comments. I can buy almost all the things listed here. I have a drag harrow and a tiller. But is the disc or the box blade the thing to start with first? Thats what I don't know. I can get a bottom plow I suppose

Whats a harley rake? Going to look into that

 

[CTyler]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I still have a 6' diameter crater in the back yard from two rocks that were side by side. )</font>

Sounds like you got a start on your pond /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Appreciate the comments. I can buy almost all the things listed here. I have a drag harrow and a tiller. But is the disc or the box blade the thing to start with first? Thats what I don't know. I can get a bottom plow I suppose)</font>
As I posted earlier, if the ground is virgin, and may have a lot of roots, you'll need to break those roots out or your tiller or a disk will bounce up out of the ground on the roots. Therefore, buying the boxblade with rippers, cleaning out as many of the roots as you can first, would make the most sense to me. Some tillers WILL go through the roots, but my experience, limited, has been that the get tangled up in or bounce off of the roots. With a boxblade and tiller, you could do the work and not need to get disks. You would:
Rip the roots out, till, and then level with the boxblade. John