Mowing???s Hogging vs. finish.

[fhfarms]

Greetings all! Newbie questions here! I have a large ( 80+ acre field) that has laid fallow for about 8 years. Its bahaia grass but had has a substatial invasion of weeds ( blackberry, dog-fennel, and some woody shrubs). I've cut it twice so far with a rotary cutter and when I do the bahaia pasture springs bach to life nicely. However in this warm Florida climate, the grass get claf high and seed heads from within 2 weeks of a cutting, and it frankly needs another cutting again.

Here are the questions:
1.) What is the best non-chemical to control /eradicate the invasive weeds in the field? It there any particular cutting schedule I should adhere to?

2) Awhat point can I use a finish mower on the property? Right now there are lots of little sticks and chewed up chunks of wood from the first bush-hogging. There are alos a good amount of small ruts and bumps on the property. Will they need to be filled in before I finish mow.

3. Os there anyway to get a rotary cutter ( i'll be using a 6' Kodiak) to give a semi clean finish-like cut?

Thanks in advance for your help. Picking up the tractor tomorrow!!!!!!!

 

[Nasty135]

fhfarms, Hi and welcome to TBN.. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

WOW 80+ acres, and you what to mow it as a lawn ?what is this a golf course.

Forget a finish mower , you need a batwing 10-12'.It would be a good start ,as far as non-chemical weed treatment , I have no clue....

I guess your best bet is to stick with the rotary cutter, It is possible to cut with a rotary cutter and have it look nice , but it will have to be at a taller height, especially if bumpy to prevent scalping.



You could get some horses ,cattle or sheep!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Panache]

Chemical is your best bet. Just use as little chemicals as you can get by with. I use a Flail mower on sites I have under similar condition. Many don't like a flail because of the cost. But it is much more forgiving of sticks and rocks than a finish mower and a better cut than a Bush-hog. I get decient finish from my Rhino brush cutter by setting the front just a little lower than the back and cutting at rated RPMs (540).+

 

[Jagmandave]

And, sharpening the blades helps too.........

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Its bahaia grass but had has a substatial invasion of weeds ( blackberry, dog-fennel, and some woody shrubs)</font>

Sounds like my pasture.. only I got much less land than you.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( However in this warm Florida climate, the grass get claf high and seed heads from within 2 weeks of a cutting, and it frankly needs another cutting again.

Here are the questions:
1.) What is the best non-chemical to control /eradicate the invasive weeds in the field? It there any particular cutting schedule I should adhere to?
)</font>

Best non chemical control is liberal application of 'brush hog time'.

Seriously. All other options aside. Nothing rejuves an otherwise viable pastureland than constant mowing...and mowing... and mowing.

If this isn't a golf course.. i like to let the seed heads get up, and ready to drop.. that way you get some free seeding and thicker grass when you cut them.

Bad weeds like dog fennel and ragweed and briars can be effectively controlled by cutting. Grass grows faster than the broadleafs and you can eradicate it by never letting it 'catch up' Black berries can also be overcut. Cut them before they go to seed... cutting right at flowering takes quite a bit of their energy stores. If you do it right.. they will keep trying to flower and they will exhaust energy. that winter.. many of them won't make it.. keep doing it.

I'd suggest you get a 10' 12' or 15' mower.

I mow my 10ac pasture with a 10' mower and it is great. Howse made my mower.. was less than 3k$ hard to beat that money.

A 6' mower? 80 ac... um.. You can't mow it enough with a 6' mower to keep it healthy.. if you work and sleep that is. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I used to cut 10ac with a 5' mower. took me almost 5 hours.. sometimes less.. sometimes more... multiply that out by 80 ac.. and it's a 9-5 job for mowing.....



Soundguy

 

[fhfarms]

Actually, It is going to be a 9-5 job for some lucky person here! I've found a laborer (college kid) who I'll pay 7 bucks an hour to ride the tractor this summer.

The property was a cattle farm in a previous life (actually a farm since about 1910.) It was given to the kids in an estate, and in-fighting and negligence just let it go downhill. Wasn't cared for much since about 1990.

I'm developing it into 10+ acre farmstead tracts. It is perfect for equestrain uses and gentlman's farming. The property has huge live oaks, gorgeous pasture, and a gentle slope to it. Going to put in a gated entrance, private road and briddle trails.

Have been working hard to get all the junk cleaned up around it, now its time for pasture rehabilitation. Pre-sales are strong, so I don't think I'll have the cutting responsibility for more than 4 more months, except for the 10-20 acres I keep. However, I would like to get a larger type mower, but can't afford it right now with all the eupiment I just bought.
I just had it cut 2 weeks ago (it was pretty thick then) and the contractor had 2 tractors running with 6 & 8' cutters and it took 32 hours of meter time.

I'll look into the flail cutter and larger finish movers. I'm just worried about all the dead fall and stick out there. Slowly but surely they are getting cut up, but I don't see them not being a threat for at least another 3 cuttings.

Thanks for your help!
Ray

 

[fhfarms]

Here's another shot after the second cutting. Currently, all the fences and gates have come down. You know, its actually kind of a dilemna. I could get everything done easier, faster, and cheaper with more excavtor/dozier time, but I would alos be screwing up the pasture and land and wouldn't be offering as nice of a product to the buyers.

 

[Soundguy]

At that price range.. and the time he will need to cut it.. and keep cutting it.. you could buy a 10' mower in less than a year.

What hp tractor do you have?

and watch about how that cheap labor drives your tractor... nothing more expensive than cheap labor on an expensive machine if you catch my drift.

time/experience is an issue as well... after having been around tractors for years.. I'm sure I could out time a newby while grass cutting. that time loss/waste equalls $$ for you.. the payor..

so far all those reasons are why i have not hired any local kids in the neighborhood to muck my horse stalls/pick their feet out. It would only take one damaged hoof to completely destory any time gain I had from cheap labor...

good luck!

Soundguy

 

[Slamfire]

That ground looks to rough for finish mowing to me. As for the 32 hrs mowing time, well, you have to spend it in order to make it. If you want to play in the developer business you'd better learn to get professional workmen. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[RalphVa]

I agree with the person who said that mowing is the best way to get weed control. I mow trails across about 50 acres of property outside my own 8.5. The trails end up with nice, beautiful fescue grass. Some weeds pop in here and there, but the mowing knocks them down. The rest of the areas outside the trails have weeds galore growing. My neighbor who has 80 acres and has been here since the early 1970s says she used to never see many of the weeds we have now back when people used to mow or graze all their lands.

Leave it in weeds though, and soon you'd get trees growing among the weeds. The trees will enventually shade out the weeds if vines and such don't come in and choke out the trees in the meantime. I'm having to mow underneath any trees I want to save to keep vines from growing up and choking them.

Ralph