Rough Field. Need Help!

[HUCKthe1]

I just brush cut my back 2 acres and what a rough job. It was so rough that it took me almost 4 hours to cut (it is flat to boot). It has been about 7 years since I have cut it back and it has terrible ruts. I mean they were a foot deep in places and a washboard road is smoother.

My question is what can I do to smooth this out? I figure I will have to mow it again as low as I can and then disk to break it up. Any other suggestions?

I plan on just having it as a grass field by trying to keep it cut but I cant spend hours beating my kidneys the way it is.

Peter

 

[Highbeam]

Has it ever been smoother? I ask because once you smooth it out it would sure be nice to keep it that way. I would then ask if the ruts weer made by you mowing when it was still too soft/wet. I think I have done this to my fields in places. Only solution I can see with one foot deep ruts is to disc it up and replant. Renovation. May as well amend the soils as needed while you're at it.

 

[hudr]

Sounds like a good job for a disc. Take some soil samples and lime/fertilize to get the pH right for whatever grass you want while you are at it. We had several old cow pastures/meadows that got roughed up one way or another. I am in the process of tearing up one right now to try to level it out.
Disc it till the terrain is the way you want it, then pull a drag or chain harrow across it to break up the chunks. Then you can pull a roller across it to pack it or let the rain do it. Oh, you will want to give ample time (1 season?? at least?) to allow the buried vegetation to rot or you will have sinkholes where the grass balls rot. The you can harrow it again. I usually try to break up ground after I have shredded it short or better yet cut hay off of it. baling up what is out there lets you move it completely off the field, but it will shrink a lot after shredding and drying.
Just remember, while you are doing all of this a small rain will turn it into a mudbog for equipment. Also, don't expect it to get over a weekend. I have been working on one 10acre field for a couple of years now.

 

[ToadHill]

I had some very deep ruts after a very wet fall. I used a disk and cultipacker on most, but on the worst I used a 1 bottom plow and then the disk & cultipacker.

 

[flusher]

I just brush cut my back 2 acres and what a rough job. It was so rough that it took me almost 4 hours to cut (it is flat to boot). It has been about 7 years since I have cut it back and it has terrible ruts. I mean they were a foot deep in places and a washboard road is smoother.

My question is what can I do to smooth this out? I figure I will have to mow it again as low as I can and then disk to break it up. Any other suggestions?

I plan on just having it as a grass field by trying to keep it cut but I cant spend hours beating my kidneys the way it is.

Peter

It's only going to get rougher with all those weed cuttings lying on the ground. I've been cutting my 10 acres of flat pasture land for the last 3 years with my 4'ft KK brush hog and it's getting progressively rougher. I have a 6-ft offset disk that I plan to drag over the fields after our rainy season starts in Nov. I'll chain 5 or 6 old tires to the back of the disc to help smooth out the soil.

 

[Z-Michigan]

I would use a disk or a box blade - whichever you have. Once it's good and smooth, I would do final smoothing with a chain harrow, lawn roller or cultipacker, seed your chosen grass, and go back over with the same tool once gently to maximize seed-soil contact.

 

[Western]

We bought a farm yrs ago, one field (11 acres) had the prettiest coastal stand. Went to bale it, one pass was enough. Seems previous owner had deep plowed and never disced. I plowed outside 20' with a chisel then burned off the field, easier discing and good pot ash. Disc'ed it 3 x's 2 directions andshe was like glass. ended up one of my best fields

 

[Soundguy]

I forsee lotsa discing..

Soundguy

 

[HUCKthe1]

I talked to a old farmer here and he told me that most probably the ruts are from the area being a low wet area and water pools there causing it to crack when dries and repeats over time. The grass clumps, ant hills, and ground hog holes dont help either. I never drive over it when wet and this is the roughest I have ever seen it in 15 years.

I figure I am going to mow it again and then disc it. I am going to take the advise and let it set for a time and then disc again before planting seed most probably in the spring. Also plan on testing the soil.

I like the idea of pulling old tires to help level and burning is a great idea except my wife is afraid I will burn the county down. One good way to get rid of the weeds and their seeds.

I don't have a harrow or cultipacker. Any suggestions for how to prepare the soil without one? I just got a welding machine so I might have to try to build one of them.

Peter

 

[Soundguy]

Don't fool yourself for a minute that burning will do anything to latent weed seeds a few inches inthe soil. All it will do is clearthe area for you.

Also.. if you have deep ruts.. you can drag those tires till you are an old man and it won't do as much as a good disc in a few hours.

How do you prep the soil without the implements mentioned?

Got a good spade shovel, yard rake and a hoe.. and a good pair of gloves.. and lots of ben-gay and blister cream???

soundguy