How do I smooth my pastures

[MBDiagMan]

Yep, little furry critters with no eyeballs. We kill 'em to death and have never heard anyone, even the tree huggers, complain about it.

 

[blueriver]

How is the gopher/fire ant/tick situation in Blue?

Well we just keep the war going ... as for gophers we use the gopher plow and bait. It helps but does not eliminate them. I quess the fire ants moved North ... seems we have more this year than past.

The gopher hills seem to stay and the grass grows on the hill and then these big old bumps are all over the pasture ... every once in awhile in the fall I disc both ways and use a winter grass for cover and then they are good for a few years again.

 

[blueriver]

I'm sure in Oklahoma when you say that, you mean little furry critters ...

Here in the sunshine state, when someone says that they have a problem with "gophers", they are talking about a tortoise (some say turtle) - worse part is, they are protected by the state and it is illegal to do anything with them.

I will be a criminal if and when these little furry critters are protected ... It seems that certain times of the year they are worse. I need to post some pictures. They can really get busy.

 

[robertwhite]

I read this thread through and while it seems like the way to get rutted, hole ridden, uneven , etc fields smooth is to use a disc and then a chain harrow, then reseed. OK, fine, BUT........... the problem I see is the "reseeding" part. One of my fields is very rutted and you need kidney pads or to mow in slow speed so as not to rattle your brain loose.

If I was to do all the suggested fixes, it would cost me a LOT of money for the seed as this field is around 5 acres. Thats many hundreds of dollars for a simple fescue type seed. That plus the need for watering or rain.

Suggestions?

 

[J35]

Pony up the bucks or graze it, you forgot the fertilizer.


Have fun--- J

 

[tungularafishcamp]

I got a bunch of old tires bolted them all together attached a pipe across the front and rigged a chain bridle for my uncle in oregon. it is wider than the tractor so it knocks down all the gopher hills, spreads the cowchips, and fills in the low spots while knockin down the high ones and only cost a few bolts and a little chain. Just drill a few extra holes in the side of the tires so the water and stuff will not fill them.
Rick

 

[Egon]

Pony up the bucks or graze it, you forgot the fertilizer.

That says it all.:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[blueriver]

I read this thread through and while it seems like the way to get rutted, hole ridden, uneven , etc fields smooth is to use a disc and then a chain harrow, then reseed. OK, fine, BUT........... the problem I see is the "reseeding" part. One of my fields is very rutted and you need kidney pads or to mow in slow speed so as not to rattle your brain loose.

If I was to do all the suggested fixes, it would cost me a LOT of money for the seed as this field is around 5 acres. Thats many hundreds of dollars for a simple fescue type seed. That plus the need for watering or rain.

Suggestions?

Well yes it does cost but its part of the deal. I don't feel its really that costly. For 5 acres, disc it both ways and that breaks the soil, run the drag harrow over it too assist in breaking it down a little more. 25lbs to the acre of a cover crop ... this helps for a quick growth to prevent washing when the rain comes. At 25 lbs to the acre you only need 125 lbs or 2.5 bags ... a winter rye is about $25 a bag ... 3 bags would be $75 ... 200 lbs to the acre of fertilize ... $300 ... In the spring the natural grasses will come back. Over winter the moisture will also disolve the ground to assit the leveling.

Of course thats here in SE Oklahoma ... may be different in your part of the woods ... and don't forget it really does the ground good to work it up.

 

[phiferpharm]

I just about lost one of my Basset Hounds going into a Tortoise hole on my place in Fort McCoy. That was after I stuck a zero turn mower in a hole, then launched myself into the roof of my Rhino hitting a hole I didn't see in the brush. I'm about ready to introduce a lot of Gopher turtles to their cousins in the sea...

 

[dangerdoc]

The problem with any of these attachments is the wheel spacing on the tractor. If the wheels are close, (small tractor) good chance all you'll do is mirror the dips / uneven areas. Ever notice the wheel spacing on a motor grader? Might be 20-feet! One way to help with this is to slot the hole where the top link attaches in your landscape rake, or back blade. Note picture.
This is one reason I really like the chain harrow, pretty much independent of the tractor.

I've found that turning a straight blade backward really limits creation of dips.