How much to put this right for grazing - piccie?

Achinghips

Achinghips

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Weeds are now roughly waist high, what we think? 2.75 acres. Contractor would be needed as hubby is a computer programmer.:D


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Get quotes for fencing,what sort do you want .Divide it into 3 paddocks. Prviding there is no junk or noxious weeds ,you can then use it while you improve it. DO NOT PLOUGH IT, the soil will not settle properly for years. Regular topping and harrowing will do a lot. Then see how it looks before more drastic methods.
 
Theres fencing there already, split into 2 paddocks, weeds are very dense now though and waist high to over waist high, you couldn't even walk through it:(

It's a house I'm thinking of buying, depending on cost of putting it right for grazing.:)

It has been used before for graqing as there are 5 lovely stables.
 
Get a farmer to take a look, although if it were me I'd be popping some sheep on it to clear it down a bit....and seeing where I go from there.
 
Bear in mind we now have to apply for permission from the Government to reseed our grazing. :rolleyes:

I guess, if it were me, I'd be spraying the weeds and see what's left. You don't really need perfect grazing for the horses. You could work on one side at a time to see what works.

Having said that, if you were able to plough half of it now you'd have good grazing for next year providing you got it rolled a few times. We've never had any issue with the soil needing years to settle afterwards. We've ploughed and reseeded in September and used it for first cut silage the following May and grazing thereafter.
 
If you couldnt wait to use it then you could either let the horses pick through what they will eat of it to thin it out if it is safe underfoot obviously and without noxious weeds.

I would then spray off small areas as you rotate the horses round the 3 paddocks you have and where there was grass on it allow the grass to come through where the weeds have been killed off or even overseed it in patches.

Other alternative is to top it to neaten it up a bit but you may will find the weeds will come through faster depending on what sort of weeds there are on there.

The problem is you could plough it up and then re-seed but it will be the best part of a year before it is properly useable with the new grass.

When we moved to our place it was similar, it now looks like lawns, it just takes time and a bit of effort but it certainly wouldnt put me off buying a place with land like it.

Good luck.
 
With you all the way ,right up to ploughing patches. I would merely broadcast a grass seed /sand mixture with a vicon and then disc harrow and roll. And as for permission for re seeding ,well.........the b...............and..........the ...................... .............. and the horse they rode into town on!
 
To be fair, with our huge tractors nowadays and ploughs it would be nigh on impossible to plough such a small area by a large farming outfit such as ourselves. Tight spaces and big tractors don't mix.

My own horse summer paddocks aren't the best quality grazing. I prefer this. The grass still grows like mad when I've sprayed the weeds to stop them choking it.

The poster may be surprised at the quality that comes back if this grazing is sprayed for weeds and topped low to the ground when it's safe to do so after animal withdrawal periods post spraying.

All grazing looks horrid when it's been left to go to seed like that. It turns into stalking standing hay.
 
Get a Contractor in to top it, then harrow it.
Then get some animals on it, be it sheep or your ponies.

You will be surprised how land picks up when managed correctly
 
Cost is expensive for small fields unless you can find a tame farmer. You don,t have to get permission for grass to grass . on the ploughing I agree with Mike and patches either could be right depending on your ground.
 
Wonder why it's different for us then because we cannot plough and reseed our fields, which are all set to permanent pasture, without permission.

I think we can oversow the grazing though...although I might be wrong.
 
I put sheep on mine - I thought they'd murdered it as it was mostly soil by the time they went - I let it recover, sprayed for buttercups (did not use extra fertiliser as it's pony grass and the sheep fertilised it anyway) and you have never seen grass like it. I now have to borrow more sheep to get it under control - again!

Check for noxious weeds and get it fenced into manageable paddocks, which you should rotate, and poo pick daily. My fencing allows sheep to run between paddocks under the bottom rail.

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We have our own equipment, but when we do use a contractor to cut hay we pay $10 an acre, equivalent to about 6.50 pounds sterling. For just under 3 acres, as you have, our contractor wouldn't even start his tractor up:( So, to make it worth any farmers time I would expect to pay around 40-50 pounds to cut what you have.

For your amount of land in the long run it actually pays to get yourself a quad (or similar) and a pull along bush hog that will do all the topping you want, without having the inconvenience of finding a farmer to do it for you when he has a spare minute. Then you have something to pull the harrow, roller and trailer that you'll find very useful as well:);)

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^ This our winter sand arena - unused since May (can't get in because of the mosquitos) It is about 2 acres and the pigweed is over 5' high, taller than I am, I was standing on top of the quad to take this.

We simply cut it, rake it and burn the weeds, then till and keep tilling on the acre we use for riding.

The top half is just as badly overgrown, but not sand based, we just cut, rake and collect the weeds and the horses eat it down over Fall. Sure the weeds come back but it is true rough grazing, I choose not to plow it, or overseed for richer quality grazing, because I feed hay all year round by choice. If I was using it all year round (as I do the paddocks) I would top it frequently to keep the weeds down and from re-seeding.
 
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I'd put the horses on it and see! Top it and harrow yes and cross grazing with sheep will help. I wouldn't plough and re sow tbh there may well be lots of wild plants and sowing a new pasture will just make a rich, fat horse prone area! lol Test the soil for ph at least and possibly put lime on and appropriate fertilizer after analysis. Don't just put nitrates on willy nilly.
Hope you get it good luck.
 
Cut it all down very tight and get a couple of tons of grass seed from your farmer. Remember, Grass thrives on being cut (very often!).
Leave it for a few months and continue mowing it.

Good Luck :)
 
I would ensure there is nothig like horsetail in there. I'd walk away from pasture with that.

If the weeds are harmless, and there's nothing nasty like wire in the undergrowth then I'd put the horses on it. I think it's a great shame horses are so often on sterile grazing. Mine love thistles and nettles, and are currently working their way round the fields eating blackberries.
 
enfys said:
Curious, why not? :)

I top, then harrow, my regular paddocks with the horses still in them. Hasn't harmed them yet.
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^^^ this, I've always had mine cut with the ponies still in it. And shock horror, didn't rake it!!

OP: if you've natives it's just fabulous. Just have it topped and let them onto it! That's the kind of land they'd graze in the wild.

If you've horses that need more grass then top, spray, leave and get some sheep on it (bear in mind sheep come with paperwork that needs checking before they're put on your land). They'll soon clear it and leave you with lovely grass.
 
Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I couldn't put a horse directly onto it, as I now can't even wade through it myself more than 3 foot into it, the pic was taken 6 months ago, I think and the weeds are VERY dense. In fact, you can't even see the post and rail now.
So, the consensus would be, have I got this right?:

1. Cut it down to ground and harrow it
2. Spray it with something?
3. Put some sheep on
4. Depending on what it looks like after 3 months, re-seed?
Numpty q: (new to this) what would harrowing do?
 
Must be because of my parents then, I was just always told never to mow it with horses and to mow it and leave it a good month for all the clippings to disappear and for the new nutritious grass to come though.

Talking about mowing - Like with a ride on mower (what my parents have always used). Grass clippings are dangerous for horses.
 
Rotchana said:
Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I couldn't put a horse directly onto it, as I now can't even wade through it myself more than 3 foot into it, the pic was taken 6 months ago, I think and the weeds are VERY dense. In fact, you can't even see the post and rail now.
So, the consensus would be, have I got this right?:

1. Cut it down to ground and harrow it
2. Spray it with something?
3. Put some sheep on
4. Depending on what it looks like after 3 months, re-seed?
Numpty q: (new to this) what would harrowing do?
Click to expand...


Scratch the previous advice -

1. Set light to it
2. Stand back and watch til it's all burnt
3. Come back on here and see what we come up with!
 
Seriously, sheep won't touch long grass and you need to establish what weeds and other plants you have growing in there now, before you put any livestock on it. There could well be some nasties amongst the nuisance weeds. Your neighbours will appreciate you setting about the weeds since they'll spread to their land and be an awful nuisance. You may have to mow and bale the 'herbage' and dispose of it however you can. It will certainly be worthless. Grass improves in strength and quality with mowing and a certain amount of feeding/seeding. Weeds lose their strength with repeated mowing and judicious spraying and compete less favourably with the grass as a result.

You need to mechanically reduce this to 'very short', clear away the mown stuff and take it from there. Good luck!
 
Thanks, getting despondent now.
Have we got a price in mind for how much this would cost? I may not be able to buy this property if getting the land right is prohibitively expensive?
 
£200 tops.

I had one the same size, had it topped (£40) and left it. (the weeds were about 6ft high!)

If you can find a farmer that will do the lot (top, harrow and seed, or whatever you choose) then agree a set price for the lot and promise to include tea and cake ;) and offer his sheep a couple month's free grazing.


It won't cost you alot, honestly, just don't go through a 'contractor' as they WILL charge you. Wait until the farming's slowed down and they'll have time and be happy to do a cash in hand job. We got a tractor round mine easily.
 
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