Pasture Mgmt.

[SandburRanch]

Good luck with the sand burs ... other than removing them with a hoe I don't know. Is this picture the blue weed?

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Bees can make some of the best honey from that blue weed that money can buy.

 

[Texpolo1106]

Ok guys. I couldn't find a picture online but I did find one weed that has made it through the winter. So here is the infamous blue weed that I can't ID. Hopefully someone can help me figure out what this thing is.

 

[blueriver]

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Bees can make some of the best honey from that blue weed that money can buy.

Yep ... I thought maybe he was mistaking it for a weed ... I don't know the kind that he has posted a picture of ... I assume you are a Sand Burr Expert !!

 

[sweettractors]

Here are 2 tools needed for good pasture management. A chain Harrow to spread manure and eliminate a breeding place for parasites and invigorate the existing grass stand and a Pasture renovator to aerate and incorperate new seeds into existing grass stands. Ken Sweet

 

[phiferpharm]

Ken, the teeth on the renovator look the same as the front of my box blade. So could you just drop the teeth on the front of the boxblade, raise the back to tilt it forward and get the same results?

 

[sweettractors]

Ken, the teeth on the renovator look the same as the front of my box blade. So could you just drop the teeth on the front of the boxblade, raise the back to tilt it forward and get the same results?

The renovator is designed to go up to 15 inches deep. You could do something shallow with a box blade tooth setup. Ken Sweet

 

[Texpolo1106]

Good luck with the sand burs ... other than removing them with a hoe I don't know. Is this picture the blue weed?

One trick I have heard of to cut down on the number of sand burs is to drag an old piece of carpet around the pasture. The sand burs will stick to the carpet, then just burn it! I haven't tried this yet but it seems like it should help a little.

 

[AKfish]

When I was younger - I used to have dreams... real nightmares about finding myself walking barefoot and becoming aware that I was "trapped" with sandburs all around me!!

I never did figure out what that meant... but, I sure do know how much I used to HATE those things!

Don't know for sure; but I wonder - would you need an applicator license to use NAPALM!?! :thumbsup:

Eddie's advice is spot on! An hour or so with your local NRCS folk's could save you a year or two of time to get the pasture back into good production as well as a fair bit of cash outlay.

AKfish

 

[deerefan]

As someone who does this on a regular basis, let me offer some helpful input. First, do as Eddie advised. Get the soil tested. Second, no herbicides, ever. A lot of grasses are not immune to herbicides and it will kill it also. Roatate livestock. A pasture should be dormant for 28 days after 7-10 days of grazing. Fertilize regularly, I use a mixture of manure and triple 13 for my bahia and the same mixture for my rye with ammonia (urea) for my rye. Also, using a harrow or root rake, break up the manure monthly and scratch the surface, allowing nutrients to get in. In the spring, I set my discs on the least aggressive setting, pass over the pasture and fertilize. I wait for the grass to get shin heighth before the first graze. Pretty soon you will find the grass will choke out most if not all your weeds.

 

[flusher]

Hey everyone! I have a 5 acre pasture that I needs some work. Weeds are starting to take over and there are bare spots all over. I have a sprayer and I am planning on getting a plug aerator. My initial thought is to spray PasturePro to kill the weeds and then start aerating. Just wondering if I am on the right track here or if I need to include another step to renovate the pasture. Thanks!

Every cubic inch of soil contains seeds--if you didn't plant those seeds, then they're weed seeds. Unless your herbicides kill the seeds, you're going to be growing weed crops.

I'd try to control the weeds with cultivation for a year or so and save $$$ you'd spend on herbicides. Mow the pasture (a flail mower is ideal), and then disc. Let the weeds grow for 2-3 months and disc again or use a spring tooth cultivator. You'll find that the birds will help you by pecking the weed seeds out of your cultivated pasture.