What to Plant on 3 Acres?

[Dcollins0904]

Hello everyone,

New to the forum. My wife and I just purchased 3 acres of land in Granbury, Tx. We will be building on the property in about 3-5years; but, we were wondering what to do in the meantime for grass. The previous owner had sudangrass on the property and it is currently bare. I dont necessarily want to plant lawn grass as Im sure it will get torn up as our house is built. Should we let Mother Nature do her thing and mow accordingly for now?

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To the TBN forum D. We are glad that you joined.

The easiest and cheapest would be to let it go wild and just mow it. Or, you could decide what kind of grass you will want later and plant it now to get a good root.

 

[Thomas]

Surrounding neighbors growing well on there lawns.

 

[bcjmmac]

I'd consider putting in a windbreak/row of trees to give them a head start. Just have to make sure they won't interfere, or get damaged, by construction.

 

[blackrams]

I'd consider putting in a windbreak/row of trees to give them a head start. Just have to make sure they won't interfere, or get damaged, by construction.

Personally, I'd let mother nature worry about the ground cover until after the build and simply mow to keep major weeds and other crap you know you won't want under control. But, I whole heartedly agree with getting trees planted. Consider the property layout and where on the property you want different things to include the house, out buildings/barns/shops and driveways. Consider the options at your local nursery for the trees you think you're going to want in your yard later on.

I'd also be thinking about fence lines and the type of fence you eventually want. Good fences make for good neighbors. Especially if you or the neighbors have any kind of animals. Best wishes in what ever you decide to do. Keep us informed. :drink:

Rams

 

[TheMan419]

I would figure out where the house is going. Once the house is in what do you want to have a big 3 acre lawn? If so plant the parts of it that will no way be damaged by construction. I would err on the side of planting more. Replanting grass is not that expensive if you are doing it yourself. Better than having a bunch of crappy looking weeds.

I second the plant trees now advice.

 

[Creamer]

I third the plant trees advice but even more so plant something. Sudan grass is more of a crop and weeds will come in and make a mess, i.e. weed seeds. A good deep rooting lawn grass would be ideal and if it get messed u0 in construction who cares. Otherwise a mixture of grasses and legumes to help build the soil. A little alfalfa in a grass mix will fix a lot of nitrogen and send roots deep to crack up the soil which will only help. It will also keep the soil "live" and get the soil biology active for a nicer lawn/garden in the future. In three years it is not hard to kill with a little broadleaf herbicide. A little clover in the mix would be good as well for similar reasons.

 

[RSKY]

Sorry to get off subject a little but this thread reminds me of a funny story. A friend was building a house on a lot out in the country. He had the two acre yard disked and tilled and planted some type of grass seed. His older brother thought it would be funny to sneak in one night and sow turnip seed all over the yard. A lot of turnip seed! Biggest mess you have ever seen. We nicknamed his mower the 'Vegamatic' because of all the turnips it chopped up and threw out.

Brother did come back the next year and redo the yard.

RSKY

 

[Creamer]

Sorry to get off subject a little but this thread reminds me of a funny story. A friend was building a house on a lot out in the country. He had the two acre yard disked and tilled and planted some type of grass seed. His older brother thought it would be funny to sneak in one night and sow turnip seed all over the yard. A lot of turnip seed! Biggest mess you have ever seen. We nicknamed his mower the 'Vegamatic' because of all the turnips it chopped up and threw out.

Brother did come back the next year and redo the yard.

RSKY

Now that's funny!

 

[Dcollins0904]

Sorry to get off subject a little but this thread reminds me of a funny story. A friend was building a house on a lot out in the country. He had the two acre yard disked and tilled and planted some type of grass seed. His older brother thought it would be funny to sneak in one night and sow turnip seed all over the yard. A lot of turnip seed! Biggest mess you have ever seen. We nicknamed his mower the 'Vegamatic' because of all the turnips it chopped up and threw out.

Brother did come back the next year and redo the yard.

RSKY

Haha! I couldn't imagine.

I appreciate the advice everyone. We are definitely mapping out where we want the house and planting trees is #1 on our list. As for the grass, I'm thinking of doing something like Creamer said. Owning acreage is new to us as is maintaining it; but, it has been a dream of ours and we are excited! We're also looking at smaller, older tractors like a Ford 8n, 9n series or maybe the gens shortly after. I'm not concerned about maintenance or tear downs and rebuilds; it's actually a hobby. I have a 24hp Craftsman Lawn Tractor for now... I'm assuming I'll need something a little more heavy duty as mentioned above. Steer me elsewhere if I'm wrong!