Implements for Pasture Maintenance???

For maintaining the current pasture I figure I'll will need a tractor (MF135 on hand), bush hog for mowing (on hand), some kind of weed sprayer, and some form of fertilizer spreader.

My first 'to-do' is a soil test and see what fertilizer is indicated. I will be running a few cows also. Heard this helps pastures as well.

Since I will have to buy the implements for weed spray and fertilizer, that is where I need your recommendations.

I'm assuming that a boom sprayer can handle both weed spray and liquid fertilizer. Can this be done? Is it practical? Is there a better approach? What are your thoughts about other implements suitable to spread fertilizer and/or herbacide?

OBTW, I saw the link to the 'pasture renovator' tool at Monroetuffline (sp). Seems to me that would be a very useful piece of equipment. My gut reaction to the picture was "WOW, I want one of those!"

Again, I want to thank everyone on this forum for their great contributions.

Interested in pasture conditioner, but I'm in Australia. Shipping would be pretty much out of the question. However, I might be interested in some working drawings that I could use to build from. Do you have any pictures of the finished product that you could snail mail or e-mail? I'm a bit of a welder and might be able to put one together.

Where are you in Texas? I get there often, origianlly from Ft. Worth. Used to live in Wichita Falls. I have kids and grandkids in Wichita Falls and Denton area.

Feel free to contact me at [email protected]

Thanks

Ted

That was a Monroetufline (or something like that) I saw on the web. I would expect that it is very similar to a Aer-way. Looks like it would do a good job of opening up the soil a bit. Mind if I ask where you are located in Texas (I was raised in Ft. Worth, now live in Australia)? Thanks for the input.

Ted

Couple of advantages here, you're buying the fertilizer in bulk instead of bags so the cost of renting the spreader is reduced, and you're not handling tons of material with your back. Plus if you want weedkiller most dealers will custom mix it in with the fertilizer. You might even be able to get a custom mix of fertilizer based on your soil test.

Like that idea!! I'll be looking into that rental business, seems like the way to go.

I really don't know about fertilizers, would organic fertilizer be the way to go? Pros/Cons??

Ted

Have fun...

Doc

A soil test is an excellent idea. Spreading fertilizer can be done with a 3 point hitch broadcast spreader pretty efficiently. Lime doesn't work that well in a broadcaster, as it tends to pack down and plug. A tow-behind hopper type with an agitator in the bottom works better, but with the kind of acreage you're dealing with, loading it from bags would be a killer. A lot of places that deliver lime will apply it for you with their spreader trucks, which is much more efficient. Never had it done, so I don't know what the cost is like.

Thanks for the tip on the herbicide. I'm with you, I prefer not to use it at all. I'll certainly go with the mowing scheme first. Jeff replied with some good info regarding nitrogen , legumes, and lime.

I'm pretty clueless about fertilizer spreading, will a broadcast spreader handle any fertilizing (other than lime) requirements OK?

Thanks for the response.

Ted