Equipment Needed to Renovate Pastures

[hosejockey2002]

It would be a long job to till up 4 acres, but not unreasonable. Using a mowing productivity chart and extrapolating down to a snail's pace (0.5 mph), with a 36" tiller you can do 4 acres in around 22 hours. You would just want to weigh that much seat time and wear on your equipment against what it would cost you to have it done with a bigger machine.

 

[Egon]

I did not keep track of the time but If I can recall the first two passes took about 20 hours.

Yes those are rocks. The tiller survives but it took a few tines and several chains over the years. I usually picked rocks as I was tilling.

Rock pile picture. [posted before]

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Soil compaction isn't a "surface ailment" that can be dealt with using implements that work the top few inches of soil. To break up compacted soil, you need something along the lines of a chisel plow or subsoiler. Discing actually COMPACTS soil more just below depth you're cutting. Same end results with moldboard plowing. A tiller will loosen the top few inches but does nothing to break the "plow pan", or compacted layer just below working depth.

 

[kwolfe]

When you say prettu bad shape, whhat exactly do you mean. I am assuming that they are now really bumpy and rutted due to horses running in them when they are wet? If this is the case, I think that a box blade would serve you current and future needs. The rippers are more than capable of ripping up the first 4-6 inches. Once loose, you can use the box to smooth things out. Then, use the drag harrow to finish the top for the seed bed. A box scraper for your BX would run you about $400 (unless you go with one of the premium brands).

 

[Billy_S]

I apologize, I thought I had put my location in my profile. I have done so now. I am in central IL. We do not irrigate here as they do in Colorado, where I lived for 25 years.

There is a lot of grass in the pastures but there are patches, especially in areas where the horses congregate, that are nothing but bare or weed infested. Furthermore, what grass there is, I think, could be better.

I am not the type who expects something for nothing. What I would really like is for someone knowledgeable to look at my pastures and tell me what to do. I called the local extension office and, although they were helpful, they didn't seem willing to be THAT helpful. If my neighbor would want more money than he pays in rent for the land, I would hope he would tell me that.

Although there is a bit of a difference of opinion here, the concensus seems to be that I might not live long enough to do this job with the equipment I have. Of course, your comments were assuming that I do indeed need to rip up the pastures and start over. If the appropriate course of action were to be somewhat less than that...

Anyway, thanks for your comments. I appreciate your time.

 

[Mike120]

If you limit your efforts to the bald spots, you should have no problem doing it with the tiller. However, you are always going to have bald spots with horses. They find a place they like and trample it down. They also like the area around the gate and you'll probably never get grass to grow there.

A lot depends on how many horses you have and if you can rotate them between paddocks. You can go a long way with just overseeding on a regular basis. I usually renovate two or three paddocks a year and just overseed the others when I am resting them. Some need it more than others depending on the horses and I'll use maybe 50# of common bermuda a year for overseeding. What I do watch is my ph and fertilizer requirements. That contributes a lot more to the health of the grass than a bunch of iron in the ground.

 

[LoneCowboy]

I don't think you need to rip up and start over.
esp if you get rain.
ripping up and starting over should be a last resort.

I would start simple and see where that takes you, it might take in some areas, but not others, but it could significantly reduce the amount of time or area you have to fully tear up.

Overseed it, run a chain harrow, overseed, run a chain harrow again. The local seed company will tell you the best mix (and you want a mix, not one straight kind) to use for your area.
Fertilize. Get a soil sample, take it down to the ag extension agent and they'll do the test and tell you what you need, go get that at the co-op and spread it.
all of this you can do with an ATV or your tractor.

Keep it mowed, when it gets to 12", mow it to 6" or so, (don't mow any lower, you want to keep the ground shaded) keep the weeds from going to seed and keep the grass from getting too tall.

In about a month to 2 months, after the seed is coming up, spray for weeds, to give the grass a chance to really get established. Ag extension will tell you what kind of weeds you have and what controls them.

by next spring, you should know what areas are coming back and what aren't and then you can go further. but I bet this would solve a lot of it.
KEEP YOUR HORSES OFF of it for at least this year so it can recover.

that's my suggestion.

 

[Egon]

Another method may be to spray roundup and then overseed.

 

[Z-Michigan]

If you have a digital camera, photos would help - both the whole pasture and the bare spots.

I suspect you have some compaction. I don't have Brian's expertise, so I won't contradict his advice on not ripping it up. I will say that an alternative to remove compaction is to plant certain deep-rooted grasses that are supposed to be able to break a plowpan layer. Annual ryegrass is advertised for this and should grow just great in central IL, as long as you get it in now or in the fall (it will require a lot of water if planted in summer). I have spent tons of time researching the best grasses for my area in lower Michigan, which is only a bit cooler than your area. I would look for a mix that includes some annual and perennial ryegrass. "Jump Start" from Forage First is one option. I would consider adding a sod forming grass like bluegrass or bromegrass to hopefully protect the ground in the future.

 

[LoneCowboy]

Oh, I agree it could be compacted (they do make compaction meters, about $200), but there are ways to relieve compaction without ripping it up.
We use Aerway mechanical aeration units and I'm sure there are others.
however, I don't believe they go small enough for his 22hp tractor to pull.

I think he would do "ok" doing it the way I indicated above and then see what else comes up, then go to step 2. Simpler, easier first.