What to do with my pastures

[MH8675309]

Walkin Horse I've got something similar to that piece that i could probably beef up with some steel I've got laying around. Might have to give it a try. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Egon]

You want a nice pasture? You gotta go the whole way. Otherwise it'll be mostly wasted time!

Start over, cultivate the land, slope and trench to drain, deep rip but only if that is advisable, add the recommended fertilizer and lime, sow the preferred grass with a cover crop and keep animals off till after you take the first hay crop off. You may have to do this a piece at a time. Don't know how your fencing is arranged but this may be the time to do it to your satisfaction.

Contacting your local agricultural department for advice would be a good idea as well as soil tests. Do this before starting anything else.

 

[houstonscott]

You want a nice pasture? You gotta go the whole way. Otherwise it'll be mostly wasted time! Start over, cultivate the land, slope and trench to drain, deep rip but only if that is advisable, add the recommended fertilizer and lime, sow the preferred grass with a cover crop and keep animals off till after you take the first hay crop off. You may have to do this a piece at a time. Don't know how your fencing is arranged but this may be the time to do it to your satisfaction. Contacting your local agricultural department for advice would be a good idea as well as soil tests. Do this before starting anything else.

Great piece. I was getting to that through some questions first. What he said. HS

 

[Walkin Horse]

That's the way I have been doing my place. One spot at a time. I don't cut hay off of it but I have waited til it seeds then mow it. Then turn selective horses on it one or two at a time for short periods until it's well established.

 

[jenkinsph]

You want a nice pasture? You gotta go the whole way. Otherwise it'll be mostly wasted time!

Start over, cultivate the land, slope and trench to drain, deep rip but only if that is advisable, add the recommended fertilizer and lime, sow the preferred grass with a cover crop and keep animals off till after you take the first hay crop off. You may have to do this a piece at a time. Don't know how your fencing is arranged but this may be the time to do it to your satisfaction.

Contacting your local agricultural department for advice would be a good idea as well as soil tests. Do this before starting anything else.

I agree with the above.^^^^^
Fix it right and you will be better off in the long run. Keep the animals off is important to get the pastures established.

 

[Walkin Horse]

This section i broke it deep then plowed and raked it out. I put 50 buckets of composted manure on it then raked it again. I seeded Labor Day weekend and waited for it to rain. So what rite. Then when it rained I turned 5 horses on it for a week. They stomped it in peed and fertilized it more. So far this has been my most successful planting. I will see what spring holds.

Sent from my iPhone using TractorByNet

 

[DJ54]

A couple of years ago, I had pondered the idea of drilling some tillage radish's, about every 4' or so, with something similar to a Pasture Dream, or Zip Seeder. then the following year, drill between those rows. After doing some reading, found the radishes may cause some irritation, but not necessarily toxic to the horses if ingested. Contacted the extension agent, and OSU Equine Dept to see if they had any info on it. Extension agent said they more than likely would not eat it, being it was a broadleaf, and to date, nothing from OSU, so apparently nothing out there that they have heard.

I did get a sample of the seed from a salesman last year, so may plant a few, and see what their reaction to the plant is. Still toying with the idea, just need to find one of those seeders, in my price range. Missed a nearly new condition Zip Seeder last year about this time, for $500.00

My problem is 99% compaction, and really just one small area, maybe 50' across that just lay low, and not really worth the expense of drainage. It will soak down pretty fast, if the compacted surface is opened up. Just thought it would be a lot more cost efficient to let Mother Nature do it naturally.

It would be a two fold crop. One to naturally aerate down possibly 24", or more, and the other to retrieve nutrients that have leached down beyond the root zone, and bring them back to the surface, when the radishes break down in the Spring.

 

[bigtiller]

Here is a subsoiler I rebuilt. I bought it at an auction and pulled it 50'. When I rebuilt it I made it so it would about 24" deep. It does not have a trip on it. So I pull it slow. I don't have rocks but plenty of roots. As someone on TBN said life's easier if you plow around the stumps.

If you were thinking of me, thanks. But I have to give credit to Mark Twain for the thoughtful insight.

 

[Walkin Horse]

I was but didn't know where it came from originally. If you've ever hung a big root it makes sense. (Tree root )