Pasture Maintenance

[MikePA]

What 3ph attachment(s) would be best for maintaining a pasture?

I'm thinking that every few years the pasture should be replanted. Sould this mean plowing then disc then planting or is there some other series of steps that should be followed.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Get yourself a nice brush hog type rotary cutter...

God and Mother Nature will take care of the rest.../w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[MikePA]

Maybe I should rephrase

What attachments would I need if I wanted to assist God and Mother Nature?

 

[rbargeron]

Unless there's a specific crop you want to grow and harvest, just get a rotary cutter and use it once or twice each year.

If you want to speed up the mulching process and develop a cover of more grass/fewer weeds, get a finish mower and cut it 4-5 times each summer.

If you want a real mess, invite the neighbors to graze their horses on it. (Ask me how I know this) No offense to folks with horses, but they need to be switched from area to area often or they'll strip it beyond recovery, leaving just weeds.

My 10-acre field has recovered nicely in 4 years of staying off it except for finish mowing (high-speed shredding) It could handle some well-managed pasture duty now.

 

[cowboydoc]

Mike,

First of all if you take care of your pasture you should never have to replant it. Now to take care of it two things are an absolute necessity. One is a good rotary mower and two is a sprayer. You need to mow about every two weeks to keep the weeds down and stimulate grass growth. The Univ. of Col. did a study on this and they found that opposed to letting the grass grow and reseed itself or to cut the grass and stimulate growth. They found that grass growth and spreading of the roots, filling in, etc. was 7x that of letting the grass grow out. Next you need to keep the pasture free of weeds. The weeds will rob the pasture of essential nutrients, sunlight, and water. Mowing is first defense and then you need to spray in the spring and fall. During the summer any thistles, docweed, etc. need to be chopped out as they come up after spraying.

The next thing you need to do is have a soil sample done. This will tell you what your soil needs and you can have a local farm fertilizer place mix up what you need and come in and put it on or you can do it yourself. Then every spring or fall you need to reapply fertilizer and whatever else your soil needs.

Now you get into extras. An aerator is nice. It will help your ground stay healthy and let the grass grow much better as well. If you're going to have livestock on it you need to divide it up and rotate pastures. When you take the animals off of one part you need to have a harrow and go in there and spread the manure piles around. Try not to let the grass get too eaten off before you move them. If you do the grass can't withstand the weeds and you will start getting weeds in there. Another helpful hint is don't feed hay on your grass. Hay contains alot of weed seed and you will just be fighting it for years to come.

If you do all the above you will have as much grass as you want for many, many years to come.

 

[jdkid]

Hi ya
could ya be a bit clearer on ya pasture ,ie do you want to feed animals or just have it as a over sized lawn
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[MikePA]

Thanks for the great and helpful replies y'all.

We currently have four horses...too many for the land we have. This pasture was just a field that we did nothing with, i.e., no fertilizer, no weed killer, etc. We just cut it once or twice per year, then we got the horses. They manage to eat all the grass, leaving the little yellow flowers here and there. Where they have eaten, it's pretty bare. We tried over seeding one year, kept the horses off of it for a few weeks, but no new grass came up that we could see.

I talked to the farmer we buy hay from and he mentioned that he 'starts over' every few years in the fields he grows hay in. So I thought 'starting over' as if we were planting a yard would be the best thing to do. It sounds like it isn't.

We don't feed the horses in the pasture, but we haven't done the soil sample and some of the other things mentioned.

Since I am planning on getting a real tractor (bx2200, FEL, mmm) soon, I thought I might as well find out what other implements would be helpful in rejuvenating and then maintaining this pasture.


I was concerned about using fertilizer/herbicides given that our horses are on it.

 

[jdkid]

Hi ya Mike
well if it was mine i'd be renewing it it's sounds like the weeds have got a good hold you could do a bit a year so you have not got all your block out in one hit
if you do get someone in frist to tell you what weeds you have and how best to kill them ,may have to spray if to hard to kill by tilling , also get a fert test done .you may have to have a crop(short term grass 1 year kind of stuff) or 2 off it before you regrass to clean it up .put in good grasses keep the fert up to it and you field will keep you and your horses happy .as i'm in New Zealand it would pay to ask around in your area to see what works best
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[cowboydoc]

Mike,
That's a different story. I would definitely start over with what you have. I just redid one of my pastures last year because of what you have said. The previous owners did nothing with it except overgraze it. Once the weeds have a hold it's useless to try.

To replant you need to first spray the whole thing with roundup. Kill everything there. Let that sit for a few weeks while all the growth is killed. Then you need to plow, disc, and harrow it. After you plow it and disc it add the nutrients that you need from your soil sample and then harrow it. The best way to plant grass seed is with a drill. This will assure you that your grass will get planted. If you don't have one or can't get access to one you can broadcast spread it and then go over it with a harrow. Then you've got to have water! This is usually a task to do either in the early spring or fall is best. Then DON'T put any livestock on it for at least two - three months after the grass is growing. The reason is because the roots haven't est. themselves and the horses will just rip the grass out roots and all and you'll be back to square one. Plus you need the grass to be good and healthy to avoid reinfestation with weeds. With 10 acres you should be able to keep four horses if you manage your pasture and rotate pastures. I would definitely cross fence your ground.

What the farmer you talked to was talking about replanting is for hay. Usually hay, alfalfa, is only good for about 4-7 years and then peters out. Then you need to replant with another crop like corn or oats for a year or two to rotate the crop. This will build back up the ground for hay. Then before you put hay back in you need to build back up your nitrogen levels, etc. But making hay is a whole other thread...

 

[jdkid]

Hi ya cowboydoc
yep ya hit the nail on the head with that write up the only thing i would add is mix ya grass seed with some dry fert if you spred it, more even and eazer to set spreder ..other thing is maybe roll after seeding better seed to soil contact and holds in mosture +makes it flater for mowing ,another thing is if weeds are hard to kill 2 sprays (a month or so apart)get's rid of hard to kill weeds .a note with round up is plants must be clean ie no dust (round up don't work in dirt!!)so graze hard let it freshen up then spray ,also lime can upset round up so if you need lime put it on after you spray .
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[FarmerBob]

Hi Mike...

Sounds like you got some good advice... and maybe even a little overly-optimistic advice. God and Mother Nature do a wonderful job of taking care of Their living things, but They treat everything equally... including weeds. It's up to us to segragate out what we want to keep /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif.

I'm in the process now of taking what was once good fertile bermuda grass pasture and restoring it to 10-acres of nothing but tiff bermuda. There is still some bermuda scattered throughtout the pasture and I'm first going to attempt to make it spread into the weed infested and open areas. If I'm unsuccessful, then I'll disk and re-seed next spring.

Since I bought the property in late March, I won't be able to Roundup the entire area because the bermuda was already out of dormancy. So, I'm currently spraying the whole 10-acre tract with MSMA. This is a herbicide that will kill most broadleaf weeds, wild onions, nut grass, Dallis grass, crab grass and most other broadleaf grasses. It will not kill bermuda unless you overdose. Using the correct mix rate will stunt the growth of the bermuda for a few days and turn it somewhat yellow, but this is temporary and soon the bermuda will resume it's normal growth... minus the surrounding weeds.

Soil becomes compacted due to constant animal and machinery traffic. When the soil gets compacted, the roots of the grass can't penetrate beyond a couple of inches and this does not make for sustainable grass. I have ordered a core areator, which I'll use to remove plugs of dirt, down to about 6". This will allow the soil room to move and relieve compaction. It also makes the land drain well and puts more air, moisture, bacteria, and nutrients deeper into the soil. This will help build a deeper root structure for the grass and allow it to withstand colder winter months and hotter summer days. Aeration is best done in the spring when frequent rains can condition the aerated soil, but some farmers I know aerate again in mid-summer to allow the roots of the grass to breathe in fresh air.

I've already checked the PH of my soil and it currently has a PH of 7 (neutral), which is ideal for bermuda. After aeration, I will broadcast 19-19-19 granulated fertilizer to put needed nutrients back into the soil. Then I'll sit back and do nothing but mow weekly and help force the bermuda to "run", spot spray any weeds that appear, and hope that our 3-year drought has ended. Bermuda is a grass that grows best when the temps are consistently 70 degrees and above at night and humidity is above 60%. I'm not sure what you plan to have in the form of ground cover, but around here bermuda is KING.

Hopefully, by fall, I'll have all the bare areas covered and the weeds pretty much under control. If you live in the country, you'll always have to contend with weed control because no matter what you do, seeds will blow in from adjacent fields. Next year I'll completely Roundup the whole place in late February or early March before the bermuda comes out of dormancy but after the broadleafs and wild onions have already begun to grow. This will become an annual ritual. Some people also put down a pre-emergent herbicide to kill the seeds in the ground, but it will also kill any bermuda seeds that are waiting to sprout, so I don't plan to use it. Just remember... the thicker and healthier the grass... the less room weeds have to grow.

I hope this helps. I'm not a farmer, but I took time to visit several local farmer's who make their living raising cattle and baling hay. I'd have never attempted what I'm doing without some "expert" advice to guide me in my effort. If all goes well... I'll have 10-acres of thick luxurious bermuda next year and <font color=blue>THEN</font color=blue> depend heavily on God and Mother Nature to help me take care of it /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. As for implements... I'd suggest a good rotary mower, a good finish mower if you're wanting it to look like lawn /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif, an aerator, and a boom sprayer with a capacity of at least 50-gallons.

Good luck...

FarmerBob

 

[FarmerBob]

Mike...

I need to clarify something from my previous post. I am restoring my 10-acre tract as lawn and not for the purpose of grazing animals. MSMA is an organic arsenate based herbicide and may be detrimental to horses and cattle. Make sure you consult your vet before using any herbicide to insure the continued good health of your animals.

Thanks...

FarmerBob

 

[RPM]

I agree with Cowboydoc. I have a pasture that even after only mowing for a few months is already responding well. The grass is far thicker and there's a lot of clover. I'm very pleased with the clover - it's an excellent means to naturally fertilize the soil. I'm not planning on using the pasture for livestock though.

 

[cowboydoc]

Clover is great for horses and cows RPM.

 

[MikePA]

Thank you all for your responses. It's been a great help. I was debating whether or not to buy a boom sprayer for our riding ring. Something to kill the weeds that the harrow can't get and to keep the dust down. Sounds like the boom sprayer will come in handy for the pasture as well. Plus, I may be able to cancel the lawn service I have for the yard since I will be able to do that as well.

 

[MikePA]

BTW, can anyone recommend a good sprayer? I've seen 50 gallon sprayers w/hand sprayer priced from $300 - $900.

 

[hess]

Mike,

If you plant red clover, which is what we have over most of our 11 acres, the horses will love it - but they can get something known as the "slobbers."

1) Red clover is a legume, which means that it is capable of nitrogen-fixation (it fertilizes the soil).

2) Because it is a legume, you must allow it to come to seed every 2 years or so, or it will start to die out.

3) Occasionally the clover will become infested with a fungus that causes Black Patch Disease. Basically, the fungus produces an alkaloid that will cause your horses to slobber profusely. Our vet said it's harmless.

Good luck.
hess

 

[Billc]

Mike,

Guess I'm late on this one, have had no time to read this board as of late.

I, as normal, agree fully with Cowboydoc. We bought our place about 2 years ago. The guy sold it as a "horse ranch". A wild mustang ranch maybe...this place is 34 acres and had nothing, no barn, no fencing, no rings, no pasture, no water. It is on a hill top (I'd say mountain top but we're in north Georgia and I've seen the Rockies...we're definitely on a hill) and all we had was rock hard Georgia clay and rocks, lots and lots of rocks. No real grass, just some scrub grass, and that was in patches. If you saw it now it would knock your socks off. Lots of lushes green grass. Thank heaven for lots of rain this year.

I cut my pastures (about 12 acres in pasture) last Tuesday. I had to cut them again yesterday; that's how fast their growing!

The key is chicken manure. I've tried tripple 10, tripple 15, and tripple 19, nothing works like chicken manure. When you put it down it stinks for about 2 or 3 weeks (depends on how much rain you get), and you will find all manor of dead chicks and chicken parts mixed in, which your dog, cat, and every vulcher around will love. But I'm telling you, as long as you get some rain so your grass doesn't burn, it will take off like nothing you've ever seen.

In addition, like Cowboydoc said, I spray 2-4-D about 3 times a year (I take the horses off the pasture for 2 weeks when I spray), I plug aerate about 6 times a year...if not more..and plug aerate (don't spike aerate), and cut the grass when it's about 12" to 15". I still need to get a drag harrow to break up the manure piles.

Hope this helps.

Bill Cook

 

[Billc]

Farmerbob,

Why do you use MSMA and not 2-4-D? How well does it work compared to 2-4-D. And is it more expensive?

Thanks,

Bill Cook

 

[TresCrows]

Mike, I noticed you mentioned a BX. I have a similar problem with my "back 4" acres and I bought a Furest brand tine harrow. It is available in a 3-point version but mine is the drag behind. It is a wonder on old fields and pastures and combined with a PTO driven spreader like the Herd M96 or similar can be used to loosen the ground and then drag in the seed. Get one. The BX can handle a 8 footer (width) or more but I found the 6 footer more useful because it is more manuverable and I can slalom in and out of my trees and plantings at full speed--pedal to the metal, work my gravel drive and rake my lawn area with it too so I recommend the 6 footer for your proposed BX. I think the company recommends 2 horsepower per foot so with 16.7 PTO horses available maybe a 8 or 10 would be maximim size. I sometimes add weight to it by tieing a couple of 4X4 treated post onto it for more bite. I also agree with the others, mow the Hades ( do not scalp) out of it and it will do better and the grass will be happier. J