First timer- field prep for field grass

[vtsnowedin]

I've got a few years on ya - but your experience's with workin' horses are way outside anything I've ever done with horses! But.. I have seen horses pretty lathered up packin' out moose hind quarters or caribou, though. And ground nesting yellow jackets up here will get you and your horses into a genuine panic... GENUINE - right now!

AKfish

I've had a whole moose pulled out with a horse, just a 500 pounder. Worst I got with the yellow jackets was raking up a good sized nest with a dump rake and getting it stuck impaled on the tine right under my seat. It took four dumps to shake it off and the team which was normally pretty calm as they were both old enough to vote took me across the whole field at a gallop and broke the pole on the first tree they came to. I bounced off one of the horses rump and managed to not get kicked by their very busy hind feet.

 

[sd455dan]

Looks nice. Both the seed mixes mentioned sound good and the one with alfalfa and clover would be high nutrition factor feed for the horses. How are you going to smooth and pack the soil when you seed? I've seen everything from a log chained cross-ways to roller packers etc.

Time to ask for some more information , hopefully you and AK FISH have some more Knowledge to throw my way. that soil sample was finally dry enough on Saturday morning but I missed sending it off (working on tiller) so when it goes out tomorrow it will probably be at least a week before the results come back...
Sooo while I am waiting is there anything I should do to the field, Oh also in the last 3 days I got the old 3 point weight out (85 " chinese tiller) and did get it working , but going forward it shakes like a shopping cart full of soup cans going down a flight of stairs, running the tractor in reverse it is very smooth, I jacked it up and supported it pressure washed it and it appears there are a few broken and bent (tines or Knives) anyway going to straighten and replace the central damaged ones with the ones from one outside, mount- then sharpen all of them and see if this fixxes the shake...
Now the question- what should be done to the existing field next, am I stuck until the report comes back, does the field need to be either disced, or tilled to more of a powder, if the field needs some kind of fertilizer is it better to have the field more worked over or less...
There is another horse field my wife wants to work on, it needs all the pine needles raked up (I have a 3 point rake) then I can run the disc -find most of the tree roots, and maybe do a lite tilling of it and just overseed with the northwest horse pasture mix. Her plan... while waiting for results.. All suggestions are welcomed

 

[vtsnowedin]

You need to replace the broken blades for it to be in balance and work right. Also you might have a bearing worn out causing the shaking. You should change that out before you do more damage to the shafts.
You could jump the gun on your soil test and assume that you need at least one ton per acre of lime and round that up and get it spread. If no spreader is handy you can just spread out the 80 lb bags so they are 40 feet apart each way and break them open and spread with a shovel broad cast. Another pass with the disk will mix it in and even things out while further smoothing and preparing your seed bed.

 

[dave1949]

Not sure if the timing works out for your grass planting, but if you can let the field set long enough for any weeds to germinate and sprout, then re-disc it to kill those before seeding.

 

[AKfish]

Most soils that were originally forested tend to be acidic. They need lime. How much is a local/regional determination - your local extension folk's (or your neighbor) will have a good idea (ballpark) until you get your soil test results back.

vtsnowedin and dave1949 have some good ideas regarding the lime as well as another pass with the disc after the weeds begin to green up a bit.

Pastures or hay ground doesn't need the same kind of soil prep as a vegetable garden or even a lawn. IMO - another pass or two with the disc and as long as you don't have sod clumps or large clods (fist sized or larger) I'd bet you'd be just fine seed-bed wise and if the tiller is a no-go: you won't really need it.

The first time or two that I worked; re-worked my pastures I worked everything to a fine puree... overkill and a waste of time, fuel and $$, too. The last time, I had small lumps, bumps and clumps - everything sprouted up and the horses never even noticed!

AKfish

 

[vtsnowedin]

Most soils that were originally forested tend to be acidic. They need lime. How much is a local/regional determination - your local extension folk's (or your neighbor) will have a good idea (ballpark) until you get your soil test results back.

vtsnowedin and dave1949 have some good ideas regarding the lime as well as another pass with the disc after the weeds begin to green up a bit.

Pastures or hay ground doesn't need the same kind of soil prep as a vegetable garden or even a lawn. IMO - another pass or two with the disc and as long as you don't have sod clumps or large clods (fist sized or larger) I'd bet you'd be just fine seed-bed wise and if the tiller is a no-go: you won't really need it.The first time or two that I worked; re-worked my pastures I worked everything to a fine puree... overkill and a waste of time, fuel and $$, too. The last time, I had small lumps, bumps and clumps - everything sprouted up and the horses never even noticed!

AKfish

Very true. Anything you don't get perfectly flat will get treaded in by the horses in short order.

 

[sd455dan]

Ok so fist sized clods are fine , Finally got the soil sample off to the University analysis lab, the post office clerk thought the lab would receive it today. Helped the wife clean up the pine needles in her horses field, I raked them up last fall and just can't believe how many were on the ground this spring! and about 1/5 of the pile is on the left in the field, already hauled several grapples and buckets full there are a couple piles not in the picture to get still! once I got rid of most of the pine needles decided to try a test run down the middle with the working for now Tiller- Straitened blades made sure they were evenly spaced and sharpened , seems to be fairly smooth now (no play in the auger) Think Tomorrow will try to (work on this field) run tiller in the open spaces , lightly disc and then the wife may just over seed with pasture mix. Should be interesting to compare the two areas before winter. Although this one is probably acidic and I don't know if she is going to allow the horse on it

 

[AKfish]

Your tiller is workin' real well! Lookin' very good.. It doesn't need a whole lot more - seed, fertilize and pack. Wait for rain and watch it grow.

AKfish

 

[sd455dan]

Well I still haven't got anything back from the university on the soil sample, so today I went a head and worked on the horses field, my wife wanted (finished) this is the field that was recovered in pine needles. So I took the disc to it. Then got the tight hard to get to places with the rhino and tiller, back to the disc and here's where I ended on this field.. still working on a plan for a roller or compactor..

We had this little pen, that last year had the most weeds of anywhere on the property, and since it was so small I just hit it with the tiller after removing the branches from a blown down tree R E A L L Y like having a working tiller (worked this same spot last year with a box blade (all day)) and didn't accomplish much anyway- will let everyone know what the soil sample says and go from there :thumbsup:

 

[Wagtail]

I've really enjoyed this thread & look forward to the results & advice. I too am about to start improving my paddocks for horses... they've been fallow for over 20 years (I've been an 'evil' landlord whilst serving in the Navy) and the soil is poor because of it.

I've 'clubbed together' with the neighbours to get the limers out to us before winter (seasons are opposite down here) and I'm going for 2 tonnes per acre. I've already chain-harrowed the horse manure onto the paddocks to be worked. Fertiliser/seed mixture will be tilled in, but I didn't know about packing it down. Great advice, Ta.