The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: sadlerlou on August 01, 2017, 03:36:51 pm
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Hi all!
I'm looking for advice on a 10 acre hay field which i have taken on! It suffered terrible damage from the badgers last winter resulting in several large areas which had been turned over by them. In these areas i have had hemlock (not the giant type) take hold and to be honest the whole field is looking tired.
Hay has been cut from it now and it has now greened over, would you recommend getting horses and sheep in there to graze it down then over seed and fertilize in spring? Its rented ground which had cattle on it for years so I don't want to go mad money wise however it does need some love!
Any ideas welcome!
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Hi the basics of overseeding and feeding the sward would be a good start along with aeration. You could run a power harrow or rotovator over the damaged bits, but its getting towards the end of the window to get much growth this rear but it will bounce back next spring.
hope that helps
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What's wrong with your field? What do you want to improve exactly?
It's more likely you have hogweed than Hemlock.
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You need to put back not take more off harrow and add muck maybe top later if grows.... may well need aeration.
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What's wrong with your field? What do you want to improve exactly?
It's more likely you have hogweed than Hemlock.
I would have thought Cow Parsley. It used to be called Mother Die in the old days to stop children eating it, because it is very difficult to distinguish it from Hemlock.
Wouldn't expect Hemlock to be growing profusely in a former hay field. :thinking: [size=78%] [/size]