Excuse my ignorance- bush hogging question

[Flatheadyoungin]

After reading all the horror stories of being attacked by bees (breathing ivy) while bush hogging. Unless you want to keep everything down every few months, wouldn't it be better to bush hog at the end of winter or VERY early spring and then again during the cool fall? I guess there's a difference between clearing land (like I'm getting ready to do) and maintaining it (several times a sumer).

For example, couldn't I wait until the ground is frozen and bush hog this in the winter? It wouldn't even have to be winter.....just wait until everything turns brown and it gets cool......mid November or so......

and now, it's grown up a LOT more than the pics because we've had a great deal of sun and rain......

set me straight here, fellas

 

[Farmwithjunk]

There's a litany of reasons why that won't always work. One, what'll you do about the growth (over-growth) from spring until fall or winter? Many times people mow to keep fields/pastures/acreage LOOKING good. You'll get a LOT of growth through spring and early summer. Then you have UGLY for a few months. In some cases, people have to keep property mowed to comply with zoning restrictions. I just walked in from cutting an in-town lot where the city requires it to be kept UNDER 10". I've cut this lot 4 times already this year just to stay in compliance. Then there's weed control. Keep a grass field cut short, don't let weeds go to seed, and you keep a GRASS field. Let it go an entire summer and (at least around here) you'll be over-run with thistle, horseweed, jimson weed, ect, in no time flat. Let THAT go to seed and you have a MESS next year.

In some instances, mowing in winter can be a great advantage. No weeds and heavy foliage. You can see through a thicket of brush. Big help when clearing ground.

Plus, ain't it fun dealing with poison ivy, bumble bees, snakes, chaff and dust?

 

[Flatheadyoungin]

Yeah, I should have been clearer....

So, other than keeping something looking nice (after you've cleared) there's really nothing stopping you from clearing ground (like in the pics) during times when the foliage is dead.....and the bees are dormant.....or ivy isn't abundant.......

That's what I was wondering........plus I guess people would rather be hot than cold.....

There's a litany of reasons why that won't always work. One, what'll you do about the growth (over-growth) from spring until fall or winter? Many times people mow to keep fields/pastures/acreage LOOKING good. You'll get a LOT of growth through spring and early summer. Then you have UGLY for a few months. In some cases, people have to keep property mowed to comply with zoning restrictions. I just walked in from cutting an in-town lot where the city requires it to be kept UNDER 10". I've cut this lot 4 times already this year just to stay in compliance. Then there's weed control. Keep a grass field cut short, don't let weeds go to seed, and you keep a GRASS field. Let it go an entire summer and (at least around here) you'll be over-run with thistle, horseweed, jimson weed, ect, in no time flat. Let THAT go to seed and you have a MESS next year.

In some instances, mowing in winter can be a great advantage. No weeds and heavy foliage. You can see through a thicket of brush. Big help when clearing ground.

Plus, ain't it fun dealing with poison ivy, bumble bees, snakes, chaff and dust?

 

[backdoor]

It's been my experience that MOST of the time the yellow jackets, hornets, and bumble bees don't get you on the round where you mow over them (hornets might be an exception, but they are usually up in taller stuff that you may not try to cut) but the next few rounds they are really mad. You can usually see them out in front of your tractor if you watch close. Looks like for some reason around here wasps like to hang around bigger patches of goldenrod when it is in bloom later in the summer. Otherwise, do as the rest of us do-slap, cuss, scream, and get out of the area as fast as possible. If I had any bee-sting allergies, I don't think I would be bushhogging any in the pest season.

 

[RalphVa]

You generally want to mow stuff in the late summer to early fall BEFORE its seeds are viable but late enough to where it won't seed again, IF you want to knock something down and try to keep it from coming back. Otherwise, you can mow once about every couple of years to get rid of saplings and stuff you don't want to get very big. Those, you could mow in cold weather.

I'm generally mowing mostly paths and approaches around my little orchard and veggie garden. These have to be mowed about as often as one would a lawn.

I've been lucky regarding yellow jacket nests on my own property. A bear usually comes by and removes the combs just before I want to brush hog.

Ran my Gravely into a YJ nest in an old stump on my neighbor's property. I just skedaddled out and left the Gravely sitting there running. Came back and suited up, complete with hat and netting, heavy boots to tuck socks into, etc. and went back and rescued the Gravely.

When using my JD brush hog this time of year, I fully suit up. Keeps stuff from dropping onto my back and all, too.

Ralph

 

[sunnyside360]

You might consider a cab tractor which helps alleviate problems with bees, dust and allergies..... not to mention A/C in summer and heat in winter.

 

[sandman2234]

A CAB???
And miss all that fun?
David from jax

 

[toolsorbust]

Ive never had and problems with bee's. Ive found a lot of nests but never stung while bushogging. nests that I have found I will usually see them swarming on the next round, I mark the nest then come back after dark and kill the nest. the most unnerving thing that has ever happened to me is a snake falling out of a tree and landing on the hood of the tractor.

 

[N80]

I have to mow a lot more than twice a year. I'm guessing I mow 4-6 times between spring and mid fall. This is for several reasons; I do like things to look good, but I also have to clear roads and trails for walking, riding horses and even driving, also, its easier on me and the tractor to cut stuff when it is a foot tall vs 4 feet tall.

But yes, I much prefer that first cool mow in the spring and the last cool mow in mid fall to those dry dusty days in August!

As far as a cab, yep, that would be nice, but I couldn't keep a sunshade intact much less a cab.

 

[canoetrpr]

I keep my pastures cut to keep them looking good, weeds down and the grass healthy. I've found that that grass tends to come back with vigour when you keep it a reasonble size either by grazing or by mowing.

I also hate thistle with a passion. Keeping the pastures cut seems to be the best way to keep this stuff under control.