It ’s a common occurrent when folks buy rural holding . They find out Akka and acres of sure-enough hayfields that have been permit go for years . Now the fields are full of weeds and small trees with the residuum of the wood encroaching on the edges .
consider the effort that former homesteaders must have put into clearing the ground and originally build up the dirt quality and sod , it ’s a shame to see all that work going to waste .
Whether the original crop was timothy , alfalfa , clover or some other type of hay , restoring these fields to productivity is for sure possible . But it demand some effort and a little bit of planning .
Let ’s take a look at the process needed to reinstate a meadow .
A Field Forgotten
There are many reasons why an quondam meadow might have been abandoned . Perhaps a farm property was sell and used for a nonfarming purpose such as hunting . Or perhaps the original family was no longer able or willing to farm the land , and the fields were left abeyant for a decade or more .
Whatever the reason , a period of five to 15 year is plenty of clock time for trees , weeds and rocks to take hold of the land . That makes it undesirable for farming .
The severity of the unwanted growth dependson how long the field has been drop and how strong-growing the overrun flora is . For this clause , we ’ll assume that the field is overgrown and unsuitable for hay equipment but still placeable as a field of view — not a forest .
Here are some of the common obstacles you might find when you set out to doctor an old hayfield .
Small Trees
tight development , “ pioneering ” trees such as quiver aspen , birch , dark-green ash tree and many coniferous trees — true pine and spruce , for example — are often among the first tree to entrench onto vacant hayfields .
Naturally , when the field is in use and cut each summer , it keeps these Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree at bay . But if grant a luck these species move in quickly . Aspens , in particular , can be aggressive because multiple trees are sometimes interconnected underground through their root system .
Fallen Trees
If there are any big tree surround the edge of your field , make a careful review for any old logs or large branches that might have return into the room and are buried under tall dope .
Weeds & Brambles
Besides tree , smaller brushlike plant also begin to invade . Look for plants such as blackberry , hoot and clotbur , as well as troublesome sess such as thistles , kingcup and milkweed .
Even non-poisonous dope such as dandelions and daisy can be a problem if they take up space that quality grass could use .
learn more : Here are 6 method to make moving rock easier .
Rocks
Frost natural process tends to continually raise small rock to the surface . You ’ll need to clear your hayfield of these troublesome objects .
careen can cause a great deal of damage to machinery . However , if the sward is heavyset and you do n’t be after to till the field , small rock might not get to the aerofoil .
Also , be aware of boulders that were too heavy to move and intentionally leave behind by the original property owner . After a few year , the magniloquent brushwood and widow’s weeds might have conceal them . cautiously try out the domain on foot and scar any boulders .
Also , watch out for rock piles , which , although normally condense on the edges of subject , could be somewhere in the center .
Fencing
Barbed conducting wire might have help tame the West , but it wo n’t be kind to your equipment in the event of a direct striking .
run over an old strand of it with your tractor — or worse , your light touch Sus scrofa — is tough news show . cautiously watch suspected areas on foot before moving in with car .
Ruts
If you have neighbor kids that have run their ATVs in the one-time field , follow for old oestrus from these as well as truck and machines .
Junk/Trash/Machinery
You never recognise what other people might have leave behind in the hayfield , long forget by weeds and magniloquent sess .
You might discover sometime harrows , disk , trash piles or stave in pipes . Take some helpers with you to reconnoitre the field before work begins .
Start With the Obstacles
Before you convey in farm machinery to retread the field , move out the expectant obstacles first . Get rid of downed logs , any tree with a diameter larger than what your brush hog can treat and expectant rocks . Such an initial evaluation is necessary to help determine what equipment you ’ll require to summon .
For very small trees less than 3 in in diam , you ’d be surprised how quickly an area can be cleared with nothing more than a few people , a chain saw and a trailer to haul out the coppice . endeavor to edit out off the trees at or below ground story , if possible .
( The mowing process , later on on , prevents them from growing back . )
But obviously , if your aim is to reconstruct a enceinte hayfield that ’s fill with many small trees , with child machinery such as a bulldozer might be necessary to shorten the metre required , although this can damage the sod .
For large rock-and-roll here and there , you might can manage the job with the front - end loader on your tractor . Or you might require a larger machine such as a bulldozer .
Another option , of course , is to do what the original farmers did . Leave the rock where it is , put up a flag to mark it and solve around it .
Then Mow, Mow, Mow …
Once you ’ve dealt with the major obstruction , you could immediately begin improving the hayfield by mowing it repeatedly — peradventure several times a year .
Presumably , your initial laissez passer will be a rough slice , done with a light touch hog to help take down the tall weeds and brambles . But after that , you may do a finer job , with the lawn mower blades close to the ground .
The nice thing about this part of the redevelopment unconscious process ? It ’s a comparatively well-heeled task . Compared with move rocks and hauling brush , riding on the tractor and mowing is pleasant indeed .
Repeated mowing does a few good things . It stunts the growth process of larger woody weeds and unwanted wildflowers . But at the same time , it promotes the maturation of the grass species that youdowant .
If a mourning band is mowed down each time it tries to re - grow , the theory goes , it finally runs out of energy in its root system and die . This does n’t occur with Gunter Grass , of course . So mowing eliminates unwanted metal money while saving the dear one .
In fact , it ’s quite possible to make for back a meadow without till up the established sod base — especially if the field was used within the preceding few age .
Read more : constitutional no - till husbandry is expert for your dry land — and good for you , too .
Fine-tuning the Field
clear up the field of debris and mowing it are the first steps . While the field might look much better than it has in yr , a few steps stay to full regenerate the meadow .
Lime Application
Odds are , the soil of your meadow has become overly acidulent . This encourages further skunk growth , so a stain test is a smart idea at this stage .
If your field of operations is too acidic — which it probably is — design on applying Citrus aurantifolia to it .
Fertilizing
While it ’s unfeigned that the decaying plant materials have been decompose on your field for years , the study could still probably benefit from right fecundation .
Reseeding
Once the grunge pH and nutrient tone are under ascendancy , you’re able to reseed the field of battle with a hay forage that you prefer . This further helps stem the emergence of weeds .
Robert Frost seeding can be done in the late wintertime or other leap , when natural appendage help exploit the seeds into the ground , even without tilling . Choose a Mary Jane species that germinates in cool temperatures .
Starting From Scratch
If a field ’s precondition is poor and these steps are n’t enough to bring it back , you might need to consider tilling the entire field and reseeding from scribble .
This can get expensive chop-chop if the field is large , and you might need to use a rock rake for all of the small stones you unveil . But the results might be deserving it if you’re able to restore the hayfield to productivity .
While you might need to till — and even employ weed killer — to control very unmanageable green goddess , you might want to exit the existing sod and control the weeds through mowing and icing seeding , if possible .
All in all , it ’s a lot of study to impart an old meadow back into production , but it ’s a rewarding cognitive operation . you’re able to profit from the hay crop and increase the valuable working size of your prop . And you ’ll be slaked knowing the old farm fields will remain generative for eld to come .
Sidebar:Neighborly Deals
If you want extra acres to hay but are n’t necessarily interested in purchase more land , consider working out a deal with a neighboring farm . You might find someone nearby who does n’t want their old fields abandoned but can no longer worry for them .
In exchange for your work to bushel the meadow and the haymaking itself — cutting , raking , baling — you get the hay craw ( or at least part of it ) .
In the good situation , this can do good both sides . The property owner can keep the plowland more valuable and await nice , while you get to farm extra acres .
Sidebar:Google Earthto the Rescue
Some reading ofGoogle Earthallow users to view historic aeriform mental imagery of a particular area , sometimes going back a few decades . If the historical images of your property are of gamy enough quality , this could help you learn where sure large obstruction might lurk .
lose fence lines or detritus piles might not be obvious now . But they might be clearly defined in pic from 20 years ago . The historic images can also facilitate you describe the areas of the belongings that were in use most recently . This might facilitate you decide which hayfield to rejuvenate first .
This clause primitively come along in the July / August 2019 issue ofHobby Farmsmagazine .
