Best, economical plan for mowing/weeds/etc

[Bruce]

Are the animals already trained to electric?

 

[Thefarmofdreams]

Are the animals already trained to electric?

Oh yes. All of them grew up with it. I've owned the horse for 24 years now, and the donkeys come from an old acquaintance, and have lived on single strand electric all their lives. They should settle in fine.

 

[Baymule]

What kind of horse do you have?

 

[Thefarmofdreams]

What kind of horse do you have?

He's a qh/appy cross. Abt 15hh. He's a sweetheart from the ground and for leadliners, but a hotheaded barrel racer if you weigh more than about 90 pounds he's 24 now but you'd never know it! I put a pic of him from this summer in my journal.

 

[Baymule]

Does he have App spots? I love Appaloosas, always wanted a leopard App.

 

[Thefarmofdreams]

Does he have App spots? I love Appaloosas, always wanted a leopard App.

He sometimes gets mottled while he sheds, but no spots unfortunately. Smart like an app, although not quite as stubborn as some apps I've known, lol.

 

[belenom]

If you are just starting out, you are better off using a lawnmower. A lawnmower is a more convenient option in most situations but will also cost more money. Alternatively, you can look for a used lawnmower and then use grass mowers and plows to it in the long run. It will be helpful for you to learn about the different tools https://trimthatweed.com/best-manual-lawn-edger/. They're good for tweaking the grass in borders with paths. But you may well use it against huge weeds. You can also cut off excess roots from shrubs, pretty handy

 

[Legamin]

Hi all! Hoping to pick some brains about the best way to get our farm going! We close in 2 weeks on a place with 55 acres, mostly wooded, with lots of trails. Long term, we plan to get an older tractor with a 5 point, and do all the things. But short term, we have a TON of expenses and need the cheapest (but still workable) band aid we can. We need to be able to mow some lawn (no having animals graze it isn't an option, my citified hubby wants some actual people-only yard space, lol). We also need to keep the trails maintained (they're currently manicured to perfection. it's really gorgeous). And finally, there are plenty of weeds to be dealt with. In particular, there is a section full of milk weeds and the like that I need to clear to set up our dry lot.

So I'm thinking a lawn tractor/mower for most of the work. A decent one ought to handle the grass and maybe even pull a wagon with buckets or hay if needed. and... something... for weeds? Traditional weed eater? Push weed eater? IDK!

What would you do?

I know my answer is going to be the ‘Thumbs Down’ unpopular one…but here I go. I bought a fallow farm. There is nap weed and a curious invasive species that our county brought in 30 years ago to stop erosion on the sides of the road ‘hoary elyseum ‘….and it is a NIGHTMARE! For four years we got out and pulled it by hand…LITERAL TONS of it! The goats ate it all and their digestives killed the seeds. That was a win. But our soil is rich and you can never get an entire species off of 10 acres before some of it goes to seed. Exhausted we rested to gather our thoughts.
The county…(and the responsible culprits of the problems‘ making) send a demand letter threatening that if we do not eradicate it they will send by force a spray crew and charge $7,000…$700 per acre…to eradicate it if we do not. We fended them off with hard work and a phone call for four years. TOO MUCH! I went out and bought a highly specifice superconcentrate weed killer for this species that the local Ag. Uni recommended. We sprayed 60 gallons the first year avoiding active pasture. It helped…but just as in the instructions it said “May Take Several Applications” and this has now been proven. I doubled the concentration last year and mixed 720 gallons. Now it is costing real money. I loaded up the trailer with the tank and dragged it throughout the field and sprayed every inch of the property that I could safely drive on…so one acre remains my nemeses..(if that’s still a thing).
I avoided the minimal active pastures because we raise organic sheep and now the land I am clearing of weeds is off limits to them for two years. This was my last ditch effort. We have pulled (and for the heck of it weighed) over 26 tons of this weed by hand in four years. We saw fewer than 300 in the pastures this year finally. I think we are winning. But we also have to get our NEIGHBOR to care! This year he put his property up for sale! We are scrambling to buy it! Of course then there will be yet another neighbor to convince..TWO in fact as the folks to the rear of the property have a napweed problem that has now become ours…and that takes a different poison…
I don’t know if there is a total win outside of a powerful broad spectrum herbicide. But one thing We did this year is but 600lbs of specialized drought resistant and very specialized clovers that are really good at competing with these weeds. We’ve mixed in alfalfa and tall fescue and hope to choke the light off from these weeds that seem to only prosper if they get hot sun on dry open soil. Mowing, for us actually increased the weed population by exposing dormant seeds in the darkness to warm sunlight! This has been our journey. I hate poison but I am a practical man and I cannot out live or outsmart these weeds through sheer force of will.

 

[Bruce]

Why is the county not threatening the neighbors like they did you?

 

[Finnie]

Why is the county not threatening the neighbors like they did you?

Good point