How Do You Keep Weeds Out of the Pasture? - FHC Q & A
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- When developing a high-quality pasture out of previous forest land, if the proper management techniques are employed, a good stand of grass can soon become established. However, it doesn’t take long for previously dormant weed seeds to quickly take over after clearing land. These newly appearing broadleaf weeds then compete with native grasses by shading them out. If nature is allowed to take its course, broadleaf weeds-which are not typically palatable to most livestock-begin to be the dominant plant in a pasture, especially if allowed to go to seed and reproduce many more weeds the following year. Weeds must be eliminated BEFORE they go to seed, which provide native grasses an opportunity to get a foothold and grow. When developing good pasture, you want your grass crop growing-NOT weeds. And on many small farms these days, the desire is to do that WITHOUT the use of chemical herbicides. One of the best management practices to improve the quality of a developing pasture without the use of chemical herbicides is a frequent “pruning” of excess growth, either through a quick but thorough intensive grazing rotation or by frequent mowing. This frequent pruning causes a "pulsing". Each time the grass tops are clipped a burst of root growth is stimulated, which in turn produces more top growth. Mowing also sets broadleaf weed development behind grass growth, giving grasses the edge over time. If the light grazing of newly developing pasture is utilized, most livestock will tend to eat the grass forage and leave broadleaf weeds alone, giving the weeds the edge over time. If this is the situation, or if a frequent mowing is not practical, the largest and most vigorous broadleaf weeds may be eliminated with hand tools like a swingblade. On the other hand, there’s a great advantage to keeping certain livestock like goats or donkeys which eat broadleaf weeds that other animals leave alone. These animals are a perfect fit for eliminating weeds in pasture through browsing. Given patience, hard work, and the help of various livestock, newly cleared land progresses to a weedy explosion of growth, then to a limited start of native grasses, and finally, with modest management-a pasture yielding a high-quality grass crop.
For more about related topics, give a watch to these FHC videos:
FHC Q & A - How Long Does it Take to Go from Forest to Pasture
• How Long Does it Take ...
Episode 2 - Clearing Land for Farming or Homesteading ( • Clearing Land for Farm... )
Episode 22 - Making Pasture out of Forest ( • Making Pasture out of ... )
Bulletin #003 - Clearing Land for Pasture ( • Building an Old-fashio... )
Bulletin #004 - Developing Cleared Land into Pasture ( • Developing Cleared Lan... )
I was able to increase our grass with lots of free seed this year by waiting to cut until the grass went to seed but cutting the weeds before they went to seed. I also noticed when I was a little late and the grass seed sat a little long on the leaves that the yard would be flooded every morning with turtle doves, wrens and robins eating the seed. So worth it!
Video idea. You have an interesting tool wall behind you there. Many of the tools I readily recognize but there are also many I don't. I'd love for you to do a run through of the odd tools on the wall and tell us a little about them. I'd bet that many have an interesting history in addition to their purpose.
Thank you!!
Pa Mac, I'm 76 and been enjoying your channel for a long time and have seen them all probably. As a young boy, I spent a lot of time in the summer walking behind an adorable great big draft horse named Nell. Nell would blow me a kiss often. I got a good laugh when you showed the chicken catcher recently. I've got one just like it. I'm writing because I love the wood pitchfork shown in the start of your videos and would love to have one. Any info you could put on about how to get one or make one would be of great interest to me and I hope a lot of your viewers that are in tune with old timey farming ways. I now have the old hay rake and cycle mower sitting as decoration on my property.
Me too. I saw pitchforks like that, made out of hazelnut bushes, in a photo in National Geographic. They were in the Baltic area.
This year we decided to allow our goats to graze on our 2 acre front yard. In doing so, I'm confident that I won't need to weed any undesirables come spring. The catch 22 is, instead of de weeding next year, we'll be resowing new grass 😂 The honey do list never ends!
You probably will have weeds next year because not all seeds will sprout in the first year. Just repeat what you did and maybe again the year after that. Goats prefer broadleaf over grass so you could probably plant your grass and let them get established before letting the goats in and get them out when the weeds are gone.
@@robertschmidt9296 outstanding advice, will definitely give it a go!
Not exactly by hand, but we used to drag a worn-out railroad rail behind the tractor. It knocked down taller weeds, thistles, ant mounds, cow patties, and horse apples. The horses didn't appreciate it, but the birds sure enjoyed it.
I do rotational grazing and as soon I move the critters. I immediately mow the whole paddock with my scythe. After several years of this our pasture areas look golf course'ish, well sorta ......
Call in the herbalists!
There are lots of herbalist channels on here. They may want the weeds.
If you segment your pastures into smaller areas which your animals can eat in approximately 3 days then your animals will eat the weeds. You must move them so the segmented pasture can recover easily. And of course have water available in each pasture.
If animals have a large choice of food they won’t eat the weeds. But in small areas they will eat them.
Slashing, topping, bush hogging… Agree best thing you can do for your land as often as you feel like or can afford!
Good advice. We mow and if something is a real problem we spray vinegar on the fresh cut crown
I am a gym go-er. I enjoy it! Love gardening, too.
We have some sort of thistle that pops up here in Georgia. It's awful but does lend itself well to tackling frustration. As for the gym question...I think it's alot more about being on the prowl than it is about getting in shape
I have my Dad's "WHIP". That's what my grandpap called it. It's L shaped rather than D shaped, like yours
Good to see another video!
Thanks for covering another interesting topic.
After watching this video I have realized how I can eliminate my horse nettle
problem. Thanks, Pa Mac!
Yep. Stay on top of 'em, literally, and don't let 'em grow beyond flowering
I had a patch of land that I let go to seed to reseed because I wanted to put goats out there because goats prefer broadleaf rather than grass. It didn't take long for only grass was growing.
Good stuff, thanks for making these.
I cant wait to foward this to my children who complained about weeding the garden lmao. Thank you 😂
Got my workout with a swing blade in the Marine Corps!
Thanks for sharing with us Pa Mac, always enjoy your channel and the subject you're discussing. So enjoyable!! Fred.
We try to pull the pigweed and stay ahead of it. This has been our best approach to pigweed. We have yet to find a way of beating the horsenettle. I hate that stuff. I suspect that the last two summers dry spell have slowed the grass enough to give this horsenettle an edge here in south middle Tennessee.
Up here in MN I have CUT AND PULLED pig weed, Burdock, and everything else! Including Stinging Nettle! Its been 4 years using a hand cyth and machete, around the high tensile fencing. Horrible overgrowth including small, volunteer trees. This year it's really beautiful! It's a hate/love relationship 😊
It took a few years of topping (with a brush hog) to get a former field turned forest back to a field/orchard mostly weed free...then the #%@! carolina horse nettle showed up.
How do I get rid of broomsedge in a pasture? Also how did one keep goats before fences?
Do you follow farm chores by the farmers almanac and moon phases?
So what about Canada thistle? It's taken over my place...help!
What do you do for goat weed?
I have used the sling blades. But this year I can't do Any hand work due to tiny gray hornets nests about 12 ft apart in my pasture. They may be some new type of yellowjacket too. They became visible after I paid a friend to mow using a riding mower. We are both amazed that he didnt get attacked. In 30 years of mowing, bushhogging, I have never seen a plague like this. I talked to other people, and a few have also noticed this. I need a beekeepers veil and suit just to walk around!! Help! It is not normal.
Aldo, I read American Guinea Hogs eat weeds up to 2 feet. Have you ever used your black pigs just for this?
Do you sometimes use grazing animals, like sheep or goats for this too or do they not eat your range of weeds?
Hey James, yes, goats will eat (or really, "browse") a whole bunch of broadleaf things that cows (or sheep) won't eat. I wrote a little about this in the description below the video.
If you "top" the "weeds" and manage the desired growth properly eventually the perennial pasture will dominate but it may take a few years.
pomace id shares your vids but everyone i know. I say farming thy runaway fast.
Put sheep on your pasture they'll eat what the cattel don't
Sheep are great at mowing lawns, they love grass and clip it at a predictable height. Plus their manure breaks down easily and doesn't burn the grass. Sheep however are not good at weed eating. Goats are preferable for any type of broadleaf eradication and even enjoy prickly plants too.