clearing rough ground

tellmeabit

Hi all, so i have started to tackle a rough enough field, plenty scrub, rushes, furzes etc. have done the perimeter drains now, and adding a couple of open drains to break up the field. it has these tufts of grass that i was wondering how to tackle. going to spray the rushes etc and then try some gran lime and fert- hasnt had fert for some time. any advice on how to tackle these? afraid that they will bust a drum mower?
https://imgur.com/a/AJQ9za4


thanks,

Mr..

hey, by what your saying a major cyclone would be the right tool

Melodeon

Mr.. wrote: »

hey, by what your saying a major cyclone would be the right tool

That'd be one of these:


...rather than one of these:



Although, that said, the second one would do a spectacular job of clearing the place...

tellmeabit

Some of them pretty big nearly and big as the track machine in 1 photo. What shoukd I do with all the bushes/sally trees. Currently have them in piles. Thinking of bring them into larger piles and give it a while. Alot of waste

PoorFarmer

Have cut through those before with a drum mower. Doesn't seem to be anything solid in the butt of it just whatever dead grass had broken down over time. Try one with the disc attachment on a strimmer first and see if there's anything there. I used to try hit them with the piece between the drums.
Just seeded 7 acres of something similar lately but waiting on the seeds to show still.

tellmeabit

PoorFarmer wrote:

Have cut through those before with a drum mower. Doesn't seem to be anything solid in the butt of it just whatever dead grass had broken down over time. Try one with the disc attachment on a strimmer first and see if there's anything there. I used to try hit them with the piece between the drums. Just seeded 7 acres of something similar lately but waiting on the seeds to show still.

How did u prep it?
I regret not taking a few pics before only got him in to do a small bit but improving the place so we still at it.

PoorFarmer

I cleared all the bushes and opened the ditches last year. Sprayed off with Gallup and i turned it all with track machine because I thought the plough wasn't going deep enough. Had between 1 and 3 feet of black boggy soil in the trial holes I dug so I needed to mix a bit of the clay with it. Is a slow process though and expensive if you get a contractor in. Had a digger from the FIL so only had diesel costs for that. Left a few months, 2 runs of leveller 4 tonnes of lime/acre 2 runs of power harrow (also FIL). Be prepared for stones if dig though. My place was covered with them.
Gave it bag and half of Kerry heavy soil seed mix an acre and 4 bags of 10-10-20. Fingers crossed it'll come good now. Is probably a bit softer than ploughed ground due to the fact that it was dug to 4 feet in places so no heavy cattle or silage on it for a couple of years.
Like you I took no photos before I started. Will pull a few from Google street view if I can and attach them at some stage.
At the moment it's standing me at around €320/acre for inputs plus whatever diesel for the machinery and a lot of man hours.

tellmeabit

I'm a bit wary of ploughing or turning as about 4 acres of it is quite dry most of the year. And afraid of cost and that it would soften it. Other sections where ground is disturbed is very soft after. Probably spray weeds and lime and fert this year. Monitor drains and see how it reacts to treatment. Give it good grazings too.

PoorFarmer

If the ground is dry I'd get a mulcher in. Let him break up all the furze briars and rushes so will have no collecting of them.

gctest50

One of these adorable things :

Markcheese

gctest50 wrote: »

One of these adorable things :

Be worth checking the back of the shed, you might have forgotten that you left one there, and you're bound to have an auld quad téac lie ing about the yard somewhere... ;-)

tellmeabit

Looks the job alright.not sure hownit would handle the sandstone outcrop. My digger man said he has a 12 foot blade but doesn't think it would make it past a small bridge.