Field recovery

UncleD · Apr 1, 2015

I have a 20 acre field that I am trying to reclaim for hay/pasture.

It was full of small cedar trees and multi-flora rose bushes.

I set my brush-hog about 8" high and hogged it all down.

I am wanting to reclaim this as fast as possible, but understand this will be a process.

My question is, what should be my next or next few steps to recover this so I can cut hay off of it? I am concerned about the small tree stumps, if I cut them too short and start puncturing tires.

Once I have thing in good shape, I will start fertilizing and no-tilling in some decent grass.

Thanks in advance for your opinions and advice!

LAA · Apr 1, 2015

The fastest way will be heavy tillage with an offset disk, then rake the large trash out with whatever you have, a box blade with the teeth all the
way down does pretty good. You can incorporate your lime and sulfur or what ever your soil requires at the same time and get off to a good
start. I would bush hog it again as low as I could and then cut it up with the disk, it will probably take several passes but if you don't chop that
trash and get it buried where it will rot you will have a mess for several years.

IaGary · Apr 1, 2015

I have plowed many a field that was hogged down with a mower.

Mowed, plowed, pickup sticks. Work it down with a disc and harrow then plant. All in a couple of weeks time.

Plow buried most of the trash and it will rot underground in a couple of years.

Gary

old · Apr 1, 2015

One like that I would spray with a good weed killer that would take care of both of those then plow and disk it and then fertilize and seed it. Ceder say the land is in poor shape and the rose says the same thing

Ecnerwal · Apr 1, 2015

Depending on equipment available and your preferences, a backhoe or excavator also can be used for complete stump removal, though it will obviously be slower than plowing them in if you have the plow to do it with. Depending how you want to approach the process, possibly seed buckwheat (or something) as a smother crop and then plow that under. Both weed-tree species suggest liming is probably needed. MFR is an expletive to get rid of and fond of blood (mine) in my limited experience.

Trevor4440 · Apr 2, 2015

I found that the slightly high stumps like you are saying 8" would bend when the tractor tire went over them, and also you can go slow and watch to avoid a large number of them with the tires. I put 18 acres with up to 2" saplings back into bean/corn rotation for a guy and I just bush-hogged it in late Summer and the next Spring I disked it 3 times and planted. Then by the next Spring I was able to chisel it and at that point there was no evidence left that it had ever grown up. One thing is that after the first disking the little stumps that remain will flex with the looser soil and lay over even better than before. My bush hog left the tops of the stumps shattered not necessarily sharp. I couldn't believe how well the whole deal worked out. I guess that you are risking a tire the first pass or two but life is about taking chances.

Bigbudsoda · Apr 2, 2015

On new fields like that the first thing I did was to disc around them and set them on fire. Then went over them with a offset disc, then a chisel plow to pull out the roots.

davemk · Apr 4, 2015

Does it have good fence? If it does, cows will clean it up. You will have to bush hog the multifloral rose. I have never seen cattle eat them.

edit

I can not read very well. Did not realize you wanted to cut hay.

Field recovery

UncleD

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LAA

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IaGary

Well-known Member

old

Well-known Member

Ecnerwal

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Trevor4440

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Bigbudsoda

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davemk

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