Woods to pasture

[QwikDraw]

If I am using a mulching head on a skid steer that leaves all the wood shredded on the ground. what's the best way to get from that to field?

I have a root rake grapple to remove smaller stumps amd rake some of the wood out but how clean does it need to be to seed and get a good finished product.

How long does it take for leftover root to break down so I can run a disc through it?

 

[Z-Michigan]

Wood chips decomposing will use up all the available nitrogen in the soil. You may want/need to wait a couple months to let them decompose before seeding, so whatever grass you're seeding will have a chance to get started.

 

[john_bud]

Ted,

I would love to use one of those mulchers for a week or so. I'll trade you my 2 min of advice for a weeks use, ok? (didn't think so either, but it was worth a shot!)

I would pull a single shank middle buster thru the area to pull up roots and small stumps. Then a chisel plow to loosen it up further. Then a turning plow to put the mulchings down 6-10". Then use the disc or tiller to get a nice seed bed. Amend the soil before using disc or tiller. After seeding use a cultipacker to firm the soil. Pray for nice rain 1-2" per 24 hours.

Absolutely need to do a soil test. You will probably have to put down 4-8 ton of lime per acre and add a powerful lot of nitrogen. You can use 0-0-60 and then plant inoculated clover to fix nitrogen for free. Will probably have to test and adjust the soil over the next several years as the organic breakdown occurs and uses up available nitrogen.

Not knowing the soils, expected uses, etc it's hard to be more specific that that.

jb

 

[MacLawn]

Ted,
I would pull a single shank middle buster thru the area to pull up roots and small stumps. Then a chisel plow to loosen it up further. Then a turning plow to put the mulchings down 6-10". Then use the disc or tiller to get a nice seed bed. Amend the soil before using disc or tiller. After seeding use a cultipacker to firm the soil. Pray for nice rain 1-2" per 24 hours.

plant inoculated clover to fix nitrogen for free.
jb

jb, could you please interpret for me, a true novice, but I would also like to turn about 3-4 acres of cut-over timber land into pasture, if possible. I know a middle buster, but what is a chisel plow? What does "amend the soil" mean? A cultipacker? I know the "pray for rain" part .

My land is really rough, full of pine stumps, vines, etc., and a couple of very deep ditches, about 4'-5' deep caused by erosion about 80 years ago when this land was farmed. All I have is chain saw, my JD 2210 tractor with a finishing mower, axe, etc. and a bad back! BUT, a strong work ethic and know hard work. Getting a little older for what I used to could do, but my brain thinks I can still do it all . Thanks for any help... I also cannot afford to hire someone to come in with equipment to do this .

 

[MacLawn]

WOW!!! Ted! I just clicked on your link, TR Landworks! Man, was I impressed. Some of that looks a little like my place, except I am in Georgia with southern yellow pine stumps most about 12" - 20" in diameter. Bet it would cost a pretty penny (more like several of 'em) to do that on my place. I might check to see, at least for about an acre or two... Your work looks nice!

 

[Z-Michigan]

jb, could you please interpret for me, a true novice, but I would also like to turn about 3-4 acres of cut-over timber land into pasture, if possible. I know a middle buster, but what is a chisel plow? What does "amend the soil" mean? A cultipacker? I know the "pray for rain" part .

I'm not JB, but I'll take a shot.

A chisel plow is a type of plow that loosens the soil without turning it over like a moldboard plow (the type of plow most people think of). Chisels are often used in modern ag, especially in drier areas where it is good to leave the "trash" (remains of last year's crops) on the surface to conserve moisture. The chisel plow doesn't bury and kill weeds to nearly the same extent that a moldboard plow is, so it's used along with either herbicide or disking, or both.

Amend the soil means adding some material to it that changes its properties. Common amendments include chemical fertilizers, manure, and lime. There are many other possibilities.

A cultipacker is a big, heavy rolling cylinder that is basically like a lawn roller on steroids but with some nubs on it. The purpose is to both level and smooth out the surface after seed is planted, to maximize soil contact for best seed germination. They are very commonly in use by farmers, but if you don't watch for them you'd never really notice them. In farms they are often pulled behind the seed drill (seeder) that is planting the crop. On a smaller scale you would probably pull them by themselves after you seeded, especially if you just broadcast seed.

 

[MacLawn]

Thanks a lot Z-Mich! I like learning... that was interesting reading for me.

 

[john_bud]

It looks like "Z" got there first! Good job, Z!

Another thing you could use would be a box blade. Drop the scarifiers down all the way, shorten the top link to tilt it forward pretty radically and use that to snag roots and rocks.

You can also buy or build just a scarifier bar - which is pretty much what a chisel plow is.

If you have a lot of stumps, you have a lot of work! There are chemicals to help rot down stumps. If you have more time than $$, it may be a way to go. I'm told that drilling holes in the stump helps to get the chemical deep to rot down faster. Never done it, but it makes sense.

If you do have a LOT of stumps, you may be able to buy a used TLB, use it then sell it off for about the same price you paid. A full size machine in fair shape can be bought for less than a new small 3pt hoe. (4-10k)

 

[Z-Michigan]

You can also buy or build just a scarifier bar - which is pretty much what a chisel plow is.

I have a scarifier bar which we've been using for pasture renovation and in place of a chisel. It works well for loosening compacted soil, which is its main purpose. A major "feature" in contrast to the chisel is lack of any trip mechanism. This means it will bring small and medium rocks up and out of the ground, which may be good or bad depending on your purpose. It also means that if you hit a big rock, you will either stop the tractor or damage the scarifier. I have had the latter experience twice now and I'm tired of it. If I did it over again I would probably get a chisel plow with spring-trip shanks, or maybe a subsoiler with a shear bolt protection.

I don't have a lot of tree roots in my soil, but it has brought buried tree roots up and out once or twice in my use. This might be useful for turning a forest into pasture. Note that a scarifier is not heavy-duty enough to cut big tree roots, but a well made quality subsoiler (not KK or anything you will find at TSC) can cut tree roots up to maybe 3-5" depending on various factors.

The scarifier I have is a Landpride SF77. Based on my experience, and despite the good brand name, I wouldn't buy one again. The Unverferth model looks to me like a better design, due to the parking stand and the clevis style draft link hitch.

 

[QwikDraw]

That all sound good...thank you.

This is what I have to rip up roots.

I will not be doing more than the grubbing but I have had some customers ask me questions I could not answer. I want to be able to give them all the options available. If you have more options, keep them coming.

MacLawn, go down to the construction heading here ( http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/construction-equipment/ ), you will find some guys in the GA area that would love to give you a price...