Aerating Pastures After Rain

[mark.r]

I know everyone is fairly aware of the drought we have had in the Mid Atlantic over the summer months. I think here in Virginia we are 13 inches down on where we should be as far as rain. At any rate my fields have taken a beating and as a result I plan on having them tested in early spring and then based on the results liming/aerating/dragging/overseeding them. However until the and to help re-engergize them from now until next spring I just ran the harrow over them to break up and spread the manure and dethatch all the dead grass. At this point and with the lack of rain all I can afford to do this late in the year is to maybe run the aerator through them to help get some air and winter moisture down into the soil in preparation for the spring.

So my big question is, we have been blessed to get rain today, and it's forcasted for tomorrow and either some Friday and/or Saturday. Now, I found a nice Gill brand 6ft. 1000lb aerator I can rent for $125.00/day. The guys says that I can get it Sat. morning and bring it back Monday and he will only consider that one day. I have been waiting for some rain to do this since the ground has been so hard that penetration has been an issue. Is there any negatives to running and aerator in the fields the same day as it rained or the day after. I understand normally it would be muddy but with it being such drought like conditions I am assuming it won't take long for the ground to soak what ever rain we get over the next three days. If I wait till Sunday, even better. I just don't want to miss my opportunity.

 

[MrJimi]

You have a good plan there , I don't know how much your building ability's are but I know I could build one for about that $125 plus or minus and I would have it for next time. If you do a search on aerators, I'm sure you will get lots of great ideas
Jim

 

[LoneCowboy]

lawn aerator or pasture aerator?

 

[mark.r]

I've been known to be pretty handy with reqired maint. on most things but my "building" abilities are lacking.

lawn aerator or pasture aerator?

It's Gill Core aerator.

 

[deereguy]

Assuming its a core plug aerator- I would run it over your pastures this weekend. It won't hurt what grass you have and open up the soil for better water/nutrient penetration (3"-4"?). May not hurt to weight it down more if your tractor can handle the extra weight. Your neighbors may wonder where all the dog "turds" came from! LOL.

If you return it all muddy,etc, they may tack on an extra clean-up fee.

 

[mark.r]

Assuming its a core plug aerator- I would run it over your pastures this weekend. It won't hurt what grass you have and open up the soil for better water/nutrient penetration (3"-4"?). May not hurt to weight it down more if your tractor can handle the extra weight. Your neighbors may wonder where all the dog "turds" came from! LOL.

If you return it all muddy,etc, they may tack on an extra clean-up fee.

Thanks. They guy I talk to said that other people that rented it were putting another couple of hundred pounds on top of it to help with penetration so I will probably do the same. I plan on power washing it before I return it. I will be running it on a DK45 with loader on the front so it should handle a bit more weight.

 

[Houndsman]

Markr., I'm doing the same this PM, as soon as the last of my 8"(Level, not drift) snow melts. I'm only doing 3 acres though, w/ a Brinley towed 48". Most of the TBN advice has been consistent w/ manufacturers--- core aerate when the ground is moist.

Lonecowboy- what is the difference between a pasture and a lawn core aerator?
v/r mark

 

[jimg]

>>I know everyone is fairly aware of the drought we have had in the >>MidAtlantic over the summer months.
Am in the same position exc we're short even more...but not as much as 3 days ago.

>>At any rate my fields have taken a beating...
which are used how? Are these pastures, hay fields or ?? In my area most of the pastures are so badly over grazed theyre mostly bare. Well, let me say that those farms that badly managed their pastures are bare.

>>and as a result I plan on having them tested in early spring and then
>> based on the results liming/aerating/dragging/overseeding them.
Heres what I did and why: I tested last month. I did this b/c I wasnt sure if I needed to adjust pH and I know that our soils req a few months for lime dropped now to do that adjustment. So, I figured getting ahead of the game would be good if I wanted a certain outcome in the spring. As it turns out I only need to add K...nothing else. At this point Im going to apply K as soon as my fields (hay) dry out. Im doing this now b/c K, among other things, helps the plants to winter well. B/c my fields were beaten up this summer anything I can do now to help them winter over well (and be prepared for strong growth in the spring) is a goal. Im going w/ the full recommended amt suggested by the soil test results (60#/ac) which translates into about $400+. I was hoping for rain before I put down K so it works its way into the soil...or at least put it down on soil that has some moisture content. That hope is now a reality.

>>However until the and to help re-engergize them from now until next
>>spring I just ran the harrow over them to break up and spread the
>>manure and dethatch all the dead grass. At this point and with the lack
>>of rain all I can afford to do this late in the year is to maybe run the
>>aerator through them to help get some air and winter moisture down
>>into the soil in preparation for the spring.
Yes, that would be very good if you have had animals on the pasture. Im not sure youll get the hoped for return on a hay field unless you know its been severely compacted. It would be best if you could also combine aeration w/ amendments. That way you get air, moisture and food where its needed most.

That said Id be careful not to compact wet fields. Theyre wet right now (how much rain did you get??) and Id wait until they had dryed a bit. From the latest 120 day precip outlook youre in the below avg rainfall area. Im not sure if aerating also increases the possibility of easier evaporation from the field surface.


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[RobJ]

If you are going to all the trouble to poke holes in the ground why not go ahead and treat the ground. Lime, fertilizer, etc. The coreer only goes down a few inches anyway right? Lime takes several months to do it's thing anyway I thought. And a good rain will probably close the holes an a few days anyway.

Do you plan to disk it up again in the spring? If so I probably wouldn't bother with it. All the grass will die off this winter anyway, some fertilizer might help the root system.

It'll be some seat time I guess.

 

[mark.r]

If you are going to all the trouble to poke holes in the ground why not go ahead and treat the ground. Lime, fertilizer, etc. The coreer only goes down a few inches anyway right? Lime takes several months to do it's thing anyway I thought. And a good rain will probably close the holes an a few days anyway.

Do you plan to disk it up again in the spring? If so I probably wouldn't bother with it. All the grass will die off this winter anyway, some fertilizer might help the root system.

It'll be some seat time I guess.

Short answer, I can't afford to . . .

Long answer . . .

We moved into our current placed last December primarily to get out of the neighborhoods. We were fortunate enough to be approached by a nice young lady who wanted to board her two horses on our 5.5 acres. Prior to I was simply going to keep the grass cut nice at about 3 inches using my hand me down Ford 1220 tractor with rear finishing mower. Soon after I realized that I was spending way to much time on the tractor. This was just mowing and did not include any home renovations, tree pruning, etc of a 30 year farm house and up keep of fences and barns which I was now responsible for because I had a tenant. The land previously had cows so it also needed work to remove lots of old manure/straw piles. Furthermore, I took on my elderly neighbors 7 acres as well. Sooooo, my wife and I quickly realized that a new tractor was in order, which would require all new attachments/implements. I now have four which does not yet include a spreader or aerator yet. Yes, I can rent or borrow both but I would still have to pay for the needed fertilizer or seed or lime. So, to answer your question in round about way, we weren't prepared for the overly dry summer, the unhealthy pastures to start with, and the horses right away. I am trying to make the best of it until spring at which point I can use my friends spreader and get my soil tested and acquire the appropriate lime/seed/ fertilizer.