Field Smoothing

[rd_macgregor]

I have a couple of old fields that are growing up in spruce trees (up to about 6 or 8 in dia). Last fall I pushed over and uprooted most of the trees in one of the fields, using my Kioti DK45S bucket. With the trees mostly gone, this is just pasture grasses...with remnant roots (not stumps) here and there.

Now I'm getting complaints from my daughter and wife about the unsafe footing for their horses because of all the divots in the field where the tree roots used to be. If I could find a good source of soil, I could fill/smooth each divot individually, or I could just tear up the whole field and smooth it.

If I went for the latter approach, what sort of equipment would I need? I have a heavy 12 ft. chain harrow, but this wouldn't do much more than dethatch on the undisturbed turf.
Any advice?
BOB

 

[beersngars]

I removed 81 trees ranging from 5" to about 9" just last fall from a 3 acre field. We used a dozer to knock them over and my tractor to get them out of the field. That put me to about spot you are now.

After picking up as much as possible by hand, I plowed the entire field with a 2 bottom Ferguson. Not easy and it took a while. It kept hitting old roots and stopping the tractor. I kinda learned to go slow and raise the plow when it snagged a strong root thus ripping it up and out of the ground. That was late October and I just let it sit all winter turned over. In the spring, again we picked up as much as possible, plowed it in the opposite direction and then ran the disc over it. Next I ran a 6' landscape rake for what seemed endlessly and scooped all the debris to the sides and edges then scooped them up with the loader. The rake filled and leveled the area very nicely. All this was done very early this spring so I had plenty of time to keep picking up rocks and roots before I disced it again before planting.

Sounds like a lot of work and it really was. The hand picking was the worst as the rest was seat time . The hand picking part of the job was split between the wife and I switching driving the tractor while the other threw debris in the bucket. Now that it's done, the field looks great. Of course we will never get done with the rocks that seem to grow, but I am very happy with the outcome.

 

[sweettractors]

You may need to go over the field with a disc plow like shown below then disc and reseed. These are designed to work in Roots. Ken Sweet

 

[Egon]

Cultivation and then reseed.

Lots of different choices for equipment so go with what is obtainable.:thumbsup:

 

[Reg]

I have a couple of old fields that are growing up in spruce trees (up to about 6 or 8 in dia). Last fall I pushed over and uprooted most of the trees in one of the fields, using my Kioti DK45S bucket. With the trees mostly gone, this is just pasture grasses...with remnant roots (not stumps) here and there.

Now I'm getting complaints from my daughter and wife about the unsafe footing for their horses because of all the divots in the field where the tree roots used to be. If I could find a good source of soil, I could fill/smooth each divot individually, or I could just tear up the whole field and smooth it.

If I went for the latter approach, what sort of equipment would I need? I have a heavy 12 ft. chain harrow, but this wouldn't do much more than dethatch on the undisturbed turf.
Any advice?
BOB

If a horse steps in a hole - it could either be very expensive or relatively cheap, e.g. if you then have to dig the BIG hole, either way not something you want to happen.
If they are only grazing there the chances of injury may be slim, but if your wife and daughter are riding there Murphy's Law will put them on a direct line to a hole.

As a quick and easy solution I would scratch up loose dirt form somewhere and fill them, then roller with the tractor tires to pack it down, probably the front ones would give the highest pressure, especially with a load of dirt in the bucket.
According to where you are you should in any case be checking for things like gopher holes and filling them in any area used for riding.

The WHOLE plow, till, level, seed, rake, fertilize, roller, water ---- sequence would be best left till Fall.
(or forever)

 

[Ken45101]

Depending on the soil, a box blade may do a good job for you although plowing or discing would be the best place to start if you have larger holes. Don't forget to compact the fill good and solid.

Ken

 

[MMagis]

To be honest, I can’t think of one good reason to go to all the trouble of plowing up the field and starting over. Keep in mind, once you run a plow through it you’re going to find more roots than you imagined, and you’re going to have to pull them all. You’ll have a field of mud most of the summer, and the horses will make a mess of it unless you can keep them out. It’s simply not worth all that. Have a truck load of top soil dumped nearby and use your FEL to fill the holes. Done in one day and you don’t have an entire field of mud for the next two months.

 

[gwdixon]

I'd agree with the box scraper approach. Use the rippers to tear up some nearby ground and just drag the dirt over the holes. If the holes are deep then push the dirt in them backwards.

That way not much ground will be disturbed, the holes will be filled, and the footing much safer. The grass will grow back and the only muddy spots will be where the holes were. The box blade rippers don't disturb the ground nearly as much as a plow or disc.

 

[rd_macgregor]

Redoing the whole field sounds like the ideal approach, but a LOT of work. I seems like I might be able to get a box blade and use the rippers to kind of feather the ground around/into each divot, then use the tractor tires to re-compact the ground. I guess the real answer of what would be the least effort (relative to the result) is just how many tree divots I have to repair per acre...I'll have to think about this some more.
Thanks for the (diverse!) suggestions.
BOB

 

[SuperCobra]

To be honest, I can稚 think of one good reason to go to all the trouble of plowing up the field and starting over. Keep in mind, once you run a plow through it youæ±*e going to find more roots than you imagined, and youæ±*e going to have to pull them all. You値l have a field of mud most of the summer, and the horses will make a mess of it unless you can keep them out. Itç—´ simply not worth all that. Have a truck load of top soil dumped nearby and use your FEL to fill the holes. Done in one day and you don稚 have an entire field of mud for the next two months.

I was thinking the same thing. If you already have an established pasture it seems a shame to rip it up. I'd try to fill in the spots.

I've heard you should keep horses off a newly established pasture for up to two years to allow the roots to get strong enough. Is that over kill? How long really?

 

[SPYDERLK]

Got rocks? My wife fills the holes with rocks if theyre not too big.
larry

 

[Ken45101]

Got rocks? My wife fills the holes with rocks if theyre not too big.
larry

In areas with freeze/thaw cyles, the rocks will come back! That's why certain areas "grow" rocks as a reliable (persistent) crop You can pick them all up one year and they will grow back by the next year.

Ken

 

[rd_macgregor]

I went out this weekend and looked at my field again. Since most of the trees were spruces, the divots I need to repair aren't very deep (no tap root). I think my best solution would be a 5' or 6' rotary tiller and just till each divot, then drag flat and pack and re-seed. This way I wouln't have to tear up the whole field.
Of course, now I have to track down an affordable tiller...
BOB

 

[MMagis]

So, why not just fill them? I'm positive a load of dirt is cheaper than a tiller.

 

[sweettractors]

I went out this weekend and looked at my field again. Since most of the trees were spruces, the divots I need to repair aren't very deep (no tap root). I think my best solution would be a 5' or 6' rotary tiller and just till each divot, then drag flat and pack and re-seed. This way I wouln't have to tear up the whole field.
Of course, now I have to track down an affordable tiller...
BOB

WE have the "Tarter" 60 inch geardrive for $1595 picked up in Ky or shipping can be figured with your zip. Ken Sweet

 

[Reg]

I went out this weekend and looked at my field again. Since most of the trees were spruces, the divots I need to repair aren't very deep (no tap root). I think my best solution would be a 5' or 6' rotary tiller and just till each divot, then drag flat and pack and re-seed. This way I wouln't have to tear up the whole field.
Of course, now I have to track down an affordable tiller...
BOB

If you have a tooth bar on your loader bucket you can almost certainly scratch across the holes in back dragging mode a few times and turn the holes into shallow depressions.
If you don't have a tooth bar a) One would be a good investment b) you could probably do this with the bucket edge anyway.
Just drag, pack, roll the tractor wheels across a few times, move onto the next one.

BTW, with a tiller you will probably do most of this anyway, just to get rid of the dip and mound that a tiller makes with every pass.
They do move soil, to the rear with a forward rotation tiller, you have to drag that back and pack it down if you don't want the horses to find furrows.
OTOH, if you WANT a tiller anyway... you have a "justification" to show your SWMBO
(-:

 

[bjr]

Without actually seeing the problem, here's my suggestion. Get a landscapping rake and just keep crisscrossing the hole till it's filled in. Those rakes can be had for $4-500. I've down some considerable leveling with mine. Just be patient and you'll be surprised at how level things get. bjr

 

[clemsonfor]

Forget the tiller. If you have a disk harrow use it then back drag it with the bucket. If you have a boxblad you can use the rippers like a plow and then drag to smooth. I would only do this in the areas with the holes not the entire 3 acres. Or like mentioned, i would get an 18ton or so load of SAND. Reason for sand is that it will not get muddy when wet and should still allow grass to grow as , according to you the holes are not deep so the roots will still be in the good soil that will be underneath the sand. This sand will be able to be moved with the FEL. I would tell the truck to dump the load in the center of the field and carry it to the spots with the fel and then smooth the rest of the pile out or leave it for fill later. Horses will not run over a dirt pile but will fall in a small hole.

 

[rd_macgregor]

Thanks for the additional suggestions. I do have a toothbar on my bucket, so (if it ever stops raining here) I'll try the simplest thing first. Unfortunately, this field is beyond a 17 year-old wooden bridge of questionable structural trustworthiness. I'm trying to track down a used "flat rack" shipping container to replace the bridge. So far my tractor weight seems OK, but a dump truck load of sand might be pushing it a bit (I don't need a steel and diesel reinforced sand dam at the crossing!).
Reg, you've uncovered my real motive in deciding on a tiller!
I live in far eastern Canada (PEI) and it is really frustrating to see how much it adds to the price of goods to get them here from wherever they are available...usually the US (but thanks for offering, Ken).

BOB

 

[sweettractors]

Bob, fill those holes real good. If Mamas horse gets injured, you may be in the doghouse for a long time. My horse customers are passionate about their horses and women sometimes even more so. Ken Sweet