old Corn Field to Grass

[MIMark]

Boomer ~ That looks great. Now I have a goal. I am going to print your picture and hang it up in the garage to give me hope. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I am definitely getting the tractor first. I originally was not going to but a good friend of mine (proud owner of Kubota 2710) pointed out the needs and uses and since then I have been convinced. Reviewing the postings on this borad has help tremendously also.

I have attached a pic of the what the majority of my property looks like.

 

[MIMark]

Question ~ Can you use a tiller over your septic tank? Typically, how far down is the top of the tank? How deep does the typical tiller go down?

 

[cowboydoc]

If your alfalfa isn't coming in you probably don't have the right pH in the ground. You have to have the pH up to about 6.7 to get alfalfa to take a stand. I'd do a soil test before I wasted more money on alfalfa. Also alfalfa will only stay about 4-8 years depending on the quality of seed that you buy.

Mark,
With regards to your pasture if you do it right you should only have to do it one time. It shouldn't take you years to get a good stand of grass. BUT you can't take shortcuts. First you have to have your soil tested. Then you have to get the soil right for whatever type grass you're going to plant. After you have that right you need to kill anything that is on there with roundup. The best time to do this is in the spring. Once you have your soil right for what you are going to grow have it plowed, disced, and then harrowed. With regard to planting your seed have it done with a drill seeder. This will be your best bet as you will get much better germination rates than broadcasting it. It will be a little more work in the beginning but then you won't have to keep fighting it every year to get grass to grow.

 

[beenthere]

Your septic will be (or is?) under the ground far enough that it shouldn't be an issue. You should have a good map of where it is and where the cleanout port is for maintenance, but other than that, only keeping heavy equipment (gravel trucks, well diggers, concrete trucks, and the like) from driving over it will need to be a concern. A tiller won't go too deep (maybe 4") and even a moldboard plow (up to 8-9 inches deep) pulled by a tractor should not bother the septic tank (being it is new and not an old steel tank that is likely rusted). They are under the ground far enough not to be bothered by freezing in the MI winters.
If you have a mound system for a drain field, then there are limitations to its cover, maintenance, and care which I hear can be limited to just foot traffic for mowing.