Turn field back into farmland

Micky 000

Hi All,
I need some help..I have been left a 2 acre field in a will, it has not been farmed for 20 years and is completely over run with rushes. My aim is to fence the land and turn it back into farmland so a relative can graze his sheep. So i need advice in the whole process. Some people have said cut the rushes pile the up and burn them, when they grow again to 6 inch high cut again a that will kill them? Others say spray. I not a farmer but both my parents were brought upon small farms, hence me been left the land. I need quite detailed advice as i don't have a clue. Would you re-fence the land first? What time of year should i start this process? if i spray. which spray and how much spray would i need? Cost of spray? how many time does it need to be sprayed? Will the spray kill the grass? After spaying would you then manure the field? How long before you could graze sheep on the field? The questions could be endless but any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Micky

keepalive213

Its hard to say for sure without knowing the exact nature of the land. Spraying rushes is only a short term solution, they will come back relatively quickly if the field is very wet. Drainage is needed to sort that.
If you do spray them cut them first and spray regrowth after a few weeks. If they are very heavy its probably not good to leave them lying on the ground so either get a mulcher in (reduces them to dust) or cut and gather.
Spreading some form of lime will help too.
Fencing for sheep can be expensive, maybe start off with two lines of electric wire and a battery fencer.
It sounds like a nice idea but sorting this two acres could cost more than you'll get back for years.

_Brian

If there is any contractor in your area offering mulching of rushes it’s a savage job.

Regular cutting is fine but they blanket the ground and are slow to rot. The mulching destroys them to dust.

Then spray when 6-8 tall.

Micky 000

Thank you for your replies so far.
In sequence, the replies suggest to do...
Get a tractor with a mulcher machine in, and cut the field.
Let the field grow until 6 inch high then spray.
Re-fence the field.
Drain the field.
Put lime or manure on the field.
Does this sound ok?
I know this is going to cost me thousands, but this is family land, i hate to see it in its present state. Its not fair on the people farming nearby. It needs to be in use.
Thanks again,
Micky

Say my name

Micky 000 wrote: »

Thank you for your replies so far.
In sequence, the replies suggest to do...
Get a tractor with a mulcher machine in, and cut the field.
Let the field grow until 6 inch high then spray.
Re-fence the field.
Drain the field.
Put lime or manure on the field.
Does this sound ok?
I know this is going to cost me thousands, but this is family land, i hate to see it in its present state. Its not fair on the people farming nearby. It needs to be in use.
Thanks again,
Micky

You have sound advice there just leave the fencing till last when you all the other work done.

keepalive213

Is there actually any grass there or is it all rushes weeds and moss? Might need to be reseeded.

dar31

Without knowing the full story.
Could you let the relative farm it rent free for the next 5 -7 years on the condition he cleans it up to a desirable level. Less head aches for you.

Micky 000

Hi, thanks for the reply.
My idea is to move there within two years, and put some livestock on the land myself.
I bought a house nearby a couple of years ago, It all has been a headache, but i will get there.
Do you have any advice on how to make the land good, time of year to start, which sequence to the work, names of sprays, cost of sprays and fencing for 2 acres ect...
Many thanks Micky

49801

Would it be a job for a 360 digger to clear it and reseed it.

longgonesilver

Congratulations, you are now a farmer. Comiserations on your loss.

Two questions, what county, roughly. Can you walk around this land in your shoes today?
Do you have access to a tractor and machinery? Can you drive it?

Micky 000

Its Co Mayo, I do have access to a tractor, and can drive it, but not a mulcher machine. Yes you can walk on the land today in shoes.

timmiekp

Cut and bale them for bedding.spray regrowth if it wet drain it and spread off then reseed

HardQs

Assuming you want to have a lush green field after and not just a lifetime of rush problems.

I would STRONGLY recommend not spraying. These sprays will all be illegal soon because of how harmful they are to the whole environment.

Understand the problem first.

Rushes are prevailent in wet, infertile land. If you put in drainage and rebalance the soil then the grasses will out grow the rushes and problem solved.

This is how i have solved my fields destroyed by the cattle farmers who sprayed my family land to sunder over the last 40 years.

1.Put in drainage dykes. On 2 acres there is nothing to complicated about it. Just make sure you are not creating a pond at the bottom of ur land. And the water has somewhere to go.

2.Cut and mulch the reeds as close to the first frost as you can guess it.
Cut again in the first week of june to prevent seeding.

3. Plow it over. Now the rushes are weakend you can rotavate the whole area.

4. Plant high quality grasses. At least 5 different types, preferably 10+. Include rye and alfalfa. Dont leave bare soil or you will just have a field of docks and ragwort.

5. Cut and drop until the animals are on. Dont take the grass off the land in the first years.

There is no quick fix, any chemical answers will only deplete the soil further and make new problems or exaggerate the issue in the future.

Do it right and you will have the best field in mayo.

Just my 2 cents. It works.

Say my name

HardQs wrote: »

Do it right and you will have the best field in mayo.

Just my 2 cents. It works.

I'm not saying you're right or wrong.
Probably mostly right I feel.

But on the growing all those varieties and then mulching for the first few years. Kind of reminds me of a couple in Australia on the plasma school YouTube channel.
They were saying plant as many different varieties of plant as possible in ground for agriculture, spray activated water and then mulch for up to maybe 5 years.
Their theory was that it would make as many different elements as possible available when you want to sow your desired crop.

Micky 000

Thanks for all your replies.You have certainly given me a more clearer picture. Now it's finding the wright people to do it, this place is very isolated, nearest town is 30miles away, and everyone has their own way of doing things. But that's why i love the place. Always thought it was a shame my parents had to move away in the 50's.
Thanks again,
Micky

Angrydwarf

You need to spray with mcpa to kill them. Draining and cutting help to get rid of them only.

gozunda

HardQs wrote: »

Assuming you want to have a lush green field after and not just a lifetime of rush problems.
I would STRONGLY recommend not spraying. These sprays will all be illegal soon because of how harmful they are to the whole environment.
Understand the problem first.
Rushes are prevailent in wet, infertile land. If you put in drainage and rebalance the soil then the grasses will out grow the rushes and problem solved.
This is how i have solved my fields destroyed by the cattle farmers who sprayed my family land to sunder over the last 40 years.
1.Put in drainage dykes. On 2 acres there is nothing to complicated about it. Just make sure you are not creating a pond at the bottom of ur land. And the water has somewhere to go.
2.Cut and mulch the reeds as close to the first frost as you can guess it.
Cut again in the first week of june to prevent seeding.
3. Plow it over. Now the rushes are weakend you can rotavate the whole area.
4. Plant high quality grasses. At least 5 different types, preferably 10+. Include rye and alfalfa. Dont leave bare soil or you will just have a field of docks and ragwort.
5. Cut and drop until the animals are on. Dont take the grass off the land in the first years.
There is no quick fix, any chemical answers will only deplete the soil further and make new problems or exaggerate the issue in the future.
Do it right and you will have the best field in mayo.
Just my 2 cents. It works.

Just your '2 cents' ? - that's quite a rant for a first timer on here tbh. I'm getting mixed messages from your post. On one hand cattle farmers (plural) are bad and spraying is bad for the 'whole environment' but you are then strangely advocating the use of non native and monoculture species???

Field rushes (Juncus effusus) are native and are also endemic in Ireland due to our (normal) high rainfall levels. Most farmers I know employ a range of methods to control their spread and growth. If you are pro the environment and ecological diversity then I presume you know that it is claimed they have wildlife value.

As for "fields destroyed by the cattle farmers" I'm going to take that diatribe a little less than seriously considering that in just three posts as a new poster you have wended your way to the farming forum via the vegan and vegetarianism forum where you posited ideas of immoral animal agriculture and how you are helping 'your friend' to spread the vegan message - call me a touch sceptical my friend.

You suggest to "Plant high quality grasses. At least 5 different types, preferably 10+. Include rye and alfalfa."

Really???? So after going on about farmers destroying your fields etc - you suggest the OP plants alfalfa - which btw is not a grass it is a member of the Lucerne family - is not grown here as it is suited to warmer climates (interestingly grazing on alfalfa has been known to cause reduced fertility in sheep and in dairy cattle and other issues!)

As for (perennial) ryegrass - as one of the most commonly planted monoculture grasses - it is known to have little biodiversity value but requires intensive management including relatively high Nitrogen requirements etc

I doubt very much there's not a wet field in Ireland that does not already have some type of 'drainage dykes'. The field may well have drainage issues that require attention - however there is more efficient methods of addressing drainage issues available such as mole drains etc.

Btw welcome to the farming and forestry forum ...

80sDiesel

+1.

greysides

Mod: This thread is about giving advice to a novice on how best to tackle rushes so let's do that, which includes discussing the pro's and con's of differing methods but let's keep the discussion to post content, please.

Angrydwarf

Weeelicker with mcpa is the most efficient method of keeping them away. That and soil sampling to see if lime is needed.

MFdaveIreland

does roundup get rid of vegan keyboard warriors peddling myths randomly here and there? :D,
Drain the wet bits,
burn of the grass/rushes
lime, and reseed

Apiarist

"The ultimate guide to tackling rushes on your farm"

https://www.independent.ie/business/farming/beef/the-ultimate-guide-to-tackling-rushes-on-your-farm-35984756.html

Hard Knocks

Angrydwarf wrote: »

Weeelicker with mcpa is the most efficient method of keeping them away. That and soil sampling to see if lime is needed.

If you’re weed licking your better with gallop / roundup & if spraying MCPA

Micky 000

Hi all,
After all your advice i think this is what i shall do.
1. Start the process in May/June
2. Get a tractor with a mulcher machine and cut, or cut and stack the rushes and burn them. ( 3 weeks after this, spray the field with MPCA )
3. Clean out all the drains 
4. Spray the field. ( Now it's 3 weeks after cut )
5. 3 weeks after spraying put Manure and Lime on the land
6. Re-fence the land.
7. See what happens, may have to spray again and re-seed the land. But not sure which type of seeds?
Does all seem ok?
Thanks again,
Micky

Angrydwarf

Just make sure hardQs isn't around

Mod Note..... Off topic baiting type posts are not welcome here. Please don't post in this thread again. Thanks GC

SuperTortoise

Top rushes leaving 6 inches, this will allow you to see the lay of the land and plan where you drains would be best placed, this can be difficult if rushes are several feet high, sort the drainage, if needs be seek advice from an agri rep, next spray the rushes with MCPA, i use Mortone with good results(2 weeks after topping, Early June), leave it be for 6 weeks, top rushes tight now, fence land.

farisfat

I've cleared alot of rough ground over the last 5 years and it all growing green grass now.

The best results I've got is spray the ground with mortone (Mcpa) and top around 3 weeks later.
Spray again in 3 weeks.
Don't waste your money paying extra for mulching it's no benefit.
Then soil sample to see what's needed.
It will probably need lots of p and K and lime which can work out expensive.
Then work on drainage where needed.
Leave reseeding until you improve soil indexes.
Rushes are high in p and K so leave them to rot into the ground.

lab man

I'd go at it ASAP if I were u next year u might not get near it till late in the year if I were u I'd cut now not spray let the sheep in till end of year bring on in again in early 2019 then see what u have as many rushes make sure u do a soil test

HardQs

I appear to be taking heat for my opinions. If this forum is for the people to ask the opinions of the clique then my apolgies for butting in.

Yes im new to boards and posted about veganism. So? Then posted in the farming forum about biodiversity and ecological problem solving.... i dont think there is much to be suspicious about.

Im not vegan but interested in the global debate.

I thought i was on topic by giving my version of how i would ( and have in the past) deal with the issue of the op.

Im a big fan of taking a natural approach to solving problems. Spraying (imo) has contributed heavily to the erosion of our top soil.
If you need to spray anything on your land you are not treating it right and will be caught in a need to spray cycle.

Ill take on board that alfalfa and rye are non native and do a little more reading on them. Im not sure about the fertility issue but ill investigate. Monoculture are inherently weak and depletive. Im advocating planting a highly diverse field.

If you want examples of high level regenerative agriculture take a look at ridgedale farm on youtube. Richard Perkins.

He doesnt need to spray anything and is creating topsoil instead of depleting it.

They have had the lonest drought in 100+ years and his land is holding up. Cant agrue with results.

HardQs

I had a 1 hour google on alfalfa, rye grass and the most popular recommendation in this thread which is MCPA.


Alfalfa being a legume is not recommended as the ONLY thing you feed to sheep, but its high protein content and easily digestible fiber makes it a valuable part of the diet.
Its originates from the middle east but has bee cultivated word wide for 100's of years.

It also helps with soil fertility by fixing nitrogen form the air into nitrates in the soil. Its deep roots also help break up the compaction layers caused by tractors and herds.


Rye grass does have a high nitrogen requirement, but planted with legumes like alfalfa they work together great. Its highly nutritious for livestock and is used in soil erosion control. it IS native to Europe in general.

Its bad news for hay fever sufferers however.


MCPA is toxic. The environmental protection agency have been trying to get it banned for a long time, and Teagasc prohibit its use on GLAS scheme pastures, prohibited from use in weed lickers and knapsack sprayers.
Its the most common toxin found in polluted waterways and ground water supplies. which is increasing every year.

the droplets on the foil cap on the bottle contains enough to poison a water supply.
It is recommended that if you spray a field with it that you do not go back into the field for at least 4 weeks at the risk of liver damage, kidney damage, skin and eye irritation.

Mothers who are exposed will give birth to babies who exhibit signs of exposure including retarded development.



I don't think any comment is needed about which is better for the whole environment.


Sources: Wikipedia, Teagasc, EPA.ie, Agriland.ie