Re: Slurry & lime, draining bogs

grange mac

Hi Lads have 2 questions for ye;

firstly is it ok to spread lime & slurry in same field within few weeks of eachother. Silage cut tonight & field needs lime but also have tank full of slurry...do they go well together?


SECONDLY - I reseeded a bog field last year, now I have a main drain (with lots of sub drains flowing into it) however I now have new springs (1/2 acre ground is like semi-solid jelly)
and the water will not flow into the drain underground instead it flows over ground 4 feet in some cases and then dissappears when it flows over the main drain (plenty stones & pipes in it)...my question is when i re dig where water is flowing do i fill to top and leave it open (bearing in mind its soft ground - bog turf) or cover 6 inches down and also do i need to put another pipe in there as would be murder trying to find last years pipe..

sorry about long winded but thats my situaton...very annoyed as field took 20 lorry loads stone!!

reilig

grange mac wrote: »

Hi Lads have 2 questions for ye;

firstly is it ok to spread lime & slurry in same field within few weeks of eachother. Silage cut tonight & field needs lime but also have tank full of slurry...do they go well together?


SECONDLY - I reseeded a bog field last year, now I have a main drain (with lots of sub drains flowing into it) however I now have new springs (1/2 acre ground is like semi-solid jelly)
and the water will not flow into the drain underground instead it flows over ground 4 feet in some cases and then dissappears when it flows over the main drain (plenty stones & pipes in it)...my question is when i re dig where water is flowing do i fill to top and leave it open (bearing in mind its soft ground - bog turf) or cover 6 inches down and also do i need to put another pipe in there as would be murder trying to find last years pipe..

sorry about long winded but thats my situaton...very annoyed as field took 20 lorry loads stone!!

Lime and slurry are fine together.

Personal experience is that standard drainage in bog doesn't work. it may work for a few years, but will eventually block up. Two reasons for this:

1. Bog moves with machines and animals traversing it. The drains become unlevel and water won't flow through them. Water sits in the hollows of the drains and leaves you with soft spots as described above. Also, bog mud is easily leeched and will quickly block the holes in the drainage pipe.

2. Stone in bog drains is a disaster. Gravity will take its course because stone around a pipe is heavier than the soil that it is laid in. The stone will go down when it is laid in soft bog and will bring the pipe with it.

I'm hearing good reports about Connacht Agri drainage pipe which doesn't need stone around it in bogland. I'l going to look at a bog field drained with it over the next 2 weeks as I intend trying some of it out on a bog field of my own before the end of September. I'll let you know how it works out.

pakalasa

Anyone have experience of draining low lying corcas land. The soil is a heavy marla type blue mud. It's basically the flood plain of the river shannon, so the soil is really the depsoits from the river over time.
We have a few wet patches that I wouldnt mind draining. A few neighbours have put in stone drains, with stone to top level and no pipes. I wonder would the mud move in around the stones like described in the above post. Open deep trenches have to be made every 10 years or so.

deise man

After spreading lime you should wait 3-6 months to spread slurry in order to get value from the nitrogen in the slurry. After spreading slurry wait about one week to spread lime.

grange mac

Thanks lads for replies,
Reilig I am very interested in those connacht agri pipes, have not really been used much in west cork yet so would like to hear from some who has actually used them. How much are they?

In relation to the lime & slurry, just wanted to empty the tank...too much grass at moment so not pushed on maximising benefit from nitrogen.


Any of ye interested in 8 charlaois 30mth...been fattening them for last 3 weeks & now almost ready for "cattle heaven", thats what I tell wifie!!:D

Brokenghost

Well lads,

I have a related question that I'd appreciate if you could answer for me as I'm new to working with bog.

There's 80 acres of bogland on the farm that has hardly been touched and I'm looking into cutting turf there next year. (I know there's tuft there because plenty of our neighbours have Turbary rights there and cut a load each year).

My question is: what kind of preparation do I need to give the bog before I bring in the machinery to cut the turf? Access for the machinery should not be a problem as it's right next to a road. I've heard some people saying that usually a bog is drained before you start cutting turf on it, but I read elsewhere that it doesn't make any difference and can actually lead to more problems as the water doesn't drain away but just sits in the drainage ditches. If it does need to be drained, what is the correct way to go about it?

Also, if anyone has any information on how much it costs to get lads in to cut the turf with machinery, I'd appreciate that too. Or even how much is costs to buy the machinery outright. As well as that, if anyone has any experience in selling turf and can give me an estimation of how much I can expect to make if everything goes to plan - I'd appreciate that too.

Cheers,

Bg

SomethingElse

Brokenghost wrote: »

Well lads,

I have a related question that I'd appreciate if you could answer for me as I'm new to working with bog.

There's 80 acres of bogland on the farm that has hardly been touched and I'm looking into cutting turf there next year. (I know there's tuft there because plenty of our neighbours have Turbary rights there and cut a load each year).

My question is: what kind of preparation do I need to give the bog before I bring in the machinery to cut the turf? Access for the machinery should not be a problem as it's right next to a road. I've heard some people saying that usually a bog is drained before you start cutting turf on it, but I read elsewhere that it doesn't make any difference and can actually lead to more problems as the water doesn't drain away but just sits in the drainage ditches. If it does need to be drained, what is the correct way to go about it?

Also, if anyone has any information on how much it costs to get lads in to cut the turf with machinery, I'd appreciate that too. Or even how much is costs to buy the machinery outright. As well as that, if anyone has any experience in selling turf and can give me an estimation of how much I can expect to make if everything goes to plan - I'd appreciate that too.

Cheers,

Bg

Would you be looking to use a hopper or sausage machine? Sausage is cheaper but does more damage to bog. Hopper requires a bucket to fill it, if you're looking at buying equipment that may need to be factored in.

Would leasing out plots of bog be an option? There's a fair bit of work in saving turf!

reilig

Brokenghost wrote: »

Well lads,

I have a related question that I'd appreciate if you could answer for me as I'm new to working with bog.

There's 80 acres of bogland on the farm that has hardly been touched and I'm looking into cutting turf there next year. (I know there's tuft there because plenty of our neighbours have Turbary rights there and cut a load each year).

My question is: what kind of preparation do I need to give the bog before I bring in the machinery to cut the turf? Access for the machinery should not be a problem as it's right next to a road. I've heard some people saying that usually a bog is drained before you start cutting turf on it, but I read elsewhere that it doesn't make any difference and can actually lead to more problems as the water doesn't drain away but just sits in the drainage ditches. If it does need to be drained, what is the correct way to go about it?

Also, if anyone has any information on how much it costs to get lads in to cut the turf with machinery, I'd appreciate that too. Or even how much is costs to buy the machinery outright. As well as that, if anyone has any experience in selling turf and can give me an estimation of how much I can expect to make if everything goes to plan - I'd appreciate that too.

Cheers,

Bg

80 meter rows of 10 sods wide cost €55 each.

I assume you will be getting the contractor that your neighbours get?

Brokenghost

Hi and thanks for the quick responses. I will probably be using a hopper as opposed to a sausage machine. What are the pros/cons of each? I think I would rather work it and store it myself, rather than leasing out plots. What kind of work is involved with the storage etc?

So: 80 meter rows x 10 sods = 800 sods for €55? That's if I'm paying someone to do it? Seems fairly reasonable. My neighbours do it by hand, the old fashioned way.

So, do you fellas know anything about preparing the bogland before it's worked? Is draining absolutely necessary? In some places I've heard that you only need to drain after you've already worked the top layer. I'd appreciate any input you have.

Thanks again,

Bg

SomethingElse

Brokenghost wrote: »

Hi and thanks for the quick responses. I will probably be using a hopper as opposed to a sausage machine. What are the pros/cons of each? I think I would rather work it and store it myself, rather than leasing out plots. What kind of work is involved with the storage etc?

So: 80 meter rows x 10 sods = 800 sods for €55? That's if I'm paying someone to do it? Seems fairly reasonable. My neighbours do it by hand, the old fashioned way.

So, do you fellas know anything about preparing the bogland before it's worked? Is draining absolutely necessary? In some places I've heard that you only need to drain after you've already worked the top layer. I'd appreciate any input you have.

Thanks again,

Bg

It really depends how wet the bog is. You need good spreading ground for drying the turf. One of the advantages of the hopper is that the turf can be spread away from the exact spot where it was cut. You need an area that will dry up in summer. What my be wet in winter can change a lot come the summer months.

After it's spread you need to turn the turf when it gets a skin on it, then foot when it dries on the reverse. It may then be made into larger clamps or brought home at that stage. Also, if you're going selling by the bag start collecting now. Old fertiliser bags, feed bags, whatever you can lay your hands on!

Conmaicne Mara

Remember, if the area you cut, AND the area you spread the turf on to dry are included in your SFP maps - take them out, as you can get fined if inspected otherwise.