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Restoring 26 acres of upland hay meadow 2020

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  • 11-09-2020 11:27pm
    #1
    80sDiesel
    Registered Users Posts: 1,331 ✭✭✭


    Aim is to restore to species rich wildflower hay meadows.


    Will try and document my progress.


    Due to the decline of biodiversity I bought 25 acres of upland meadows to try to do my bit. Was sheep and summer sileage.
    Have some knowledge as currently restoring 12 acres with native trees and wildflowers.

    2020.

    1st year. 1 acre beside watercourse set aside for rewilding.
    25 acres sprayed with Forefront T to kill of small infestation of docks. Docks on hedges etc dug up.

    Sileage cut late summer. No demand so taken for free.

    Taking note to see if any return of docks in Autumn. If small plan to dig up. If plenty plan to spray. Hoping the former.

    Only noticeable change is the increase of hedge nettles ( not to be confused with stinging nettles).

    Small section sown with hay rattle collected from my other hay meadow.

    Fertility to be reduced by having no animals on land. Sileage taken at year end and repeat until year 3.( no manure etc added) Yellow rattle to be reintroduced followed by wildflower seed.

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



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    #2
    Benny mcc
    Registered Users Posts: 158 ✭✭Benny mcc


    80sDiesel wrote: »
    Aim is to restore to species rich wildflower hay meadows.


    Will try and document my progress.


    Due to the decline of biodiversity I bought 25 acres of upland meadows to try to do my bit. Was sheep and summer sileage.
    Have some knowledge as currently restoring 12 acres with native trees and wildflowers.

    2020.

    1st year. 1 acre beside watercourse set aside for rewilding.
    25 acres sprayed with Forefront T to kill of small infestation of docks. Docks on hedges etc dug up.

    Sileage cut late summer. No demand so taken for free.

    Taking note to see if any return of docks in Autumn. If small plan to dig up. If plenty plan to spray. Hoping the former.

    Only noticeable change is the increase of hedge nettles ( not to be confused with stinging nettles).

    Small section sown with hay rattle collected from my other hay meadow.

    Fertility to be reduced by having no animals on land. Sileage taken at year end and repeat until year 3.( no manure etc added) Yellow rattle to be reintroduced followed by wildflower seed.
    trying same here but only 4 acres to start with. had sprayed off in spring and ploughing a done and the plan was to do repeat spray as seed bang germinate but land so wet now it'll have to wait till next year. wild flower meadow seed is expensive. could be near €1000 an acre. all native mix of 80% grass 20% flowers


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    #3
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 48,458 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    why do you need to spray off the dock? is it an unwanted ingredient in hay?


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    #4
    vistafinder
    Registered Users Posts: 619 ✭✭✭vistafinder


    There is some hedge nettle here too and it's full of bumble bees one of the best iv seen for attracting them.

    Am trying out letting it have it's own patches and keep it from spreading by weeding it by hand. Plenty of Birdsfoot trefoil with it too.

    Them sprays will have the opposite effect on biodiversity.


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    #5
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users Posts: 9,636 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    magicbastarder wrote: »
    why do you need to spray off the dock? is it an unwanted ingredient in hay?

    It can take over - especially if the Nitrogen levels in the soil are excessive. Tis why you can often see alot of it in those dreary lifeless intensive silage swards in areas of industrial dairy farming.


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    #6
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 48,458 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    how long does it take to reduce nitrogen simply by harvesting hay with no fertilisation?


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    #7
    Benny mcc
    Registered Users Posts: 158 ✭✭Benny mcc


    vistafinder wrote: »
    There is some hedge nettle here too and it's full of bumble bees one of the best iv seen for attracting them.

    Am trying out letting it have it's own patches and keep it from spreading by weeding it by hand. Plenty of Birdsfoot trefoil with it too.

    Them sprays will have the opposite effect on biodiversity.
    I hate spraying but if you don't get rid of what's there before you seed with wild native flower and grass youre pissing against the wind


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    #8
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users Posts: 9,636 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    magicbastarder wrote: »
    how long does it take to reduce nitrogen simply by harvesting hay with no fertilisation?

    Depends on the type of soil and its N index


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    #9
    80sDiesel
    Registered Users Posts: 1,331 ✭✭✭80sDiesel


    Checked and there is still docks present. Had hoped the spray would work. Will have to carry the cost of getting sprayed again. Autumn is a good time too apparently

    If unsuccessful will dig out by hand. ( did that already to a semi improved 12 acre meadow but was a nightmare job)

    Did watch a couple of buzzards flying overhead so gave me a nudge to tell what the end objective is.

    A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone.



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