Docks and other nasties

Tull Rocker

I have four acres of old pasture around the house. Not grazed for several years.
Loads of docks and other bad weeds are well established. I would like to use it for spuds and veg commercially. I keep a small garden for our own needs. and realise that 4 acres can produce a lot of crops. Sprayed the worst areas twice over last two years with round up biactive but it is back as bad as ever. Other than that I have just mowed it with a flail mower to control the area. Problem with that is the grass cutting are just left and now have formed a blanket at the base of the new growth making it difficult to mow as it is heavy going and providing a great environment for the weeds to prosper! Sick to the teeth with it!
Have compact tractor, sprayer, plough, rotavator and flail mower.

Need good advice here.:(

greenfingers89

you might be best to post this in the horticulture or gardening forum for a few good ideas

Rovi

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Farmer Pudsey

It sounds you just sprayed before and left it this provides an ideal envoirment for weeds. Decide what you are going to do with it If you grow spuds/Veg a lot of work harvesting /marketing. If you are going doing that you need to respray with gysophhate no need to get biactive wait until weeds are up spray at 3 litres/acre if a lot of heavy weeds/grass try get something to graze it after 5 days if very heavy, then plough and start tilling and planting

However if you are not going planting reseed with grass use a post spray after reseeding to clean it up you could then graze it if you cannot graze straight away plant 3-4 stone of oats/barley before grassseed n ad cut for silage and bale somebody will buy it off you. it sounds like you are not ready to plant at present. If you want to keep it in check by mowing it is like a lawn you will have to top every week.

If I had it I split it into four/five paddocks and keep 12-16 ewes on it however you would need a small old shed or barn for a bit of the winter and a small dipping tank

Muckit

If you had a friendly neighbour with a few horses, would be the right job. Get them to eat it to the clay, then let the regrowth come back and in with your sprayer of roundup. Let it die off, then in with your plough

Tull Rocker

Thanks very much guys. Either approach sounds sensible.
Farmer Pudsey hits it on the head saying I need to decide what I'm going doing with it! An option of part sheep and part crop might be better for a start.
I think it is a waste of a good resource to just top it weekly.
The only issue I would have with temporary grazing in the pre or post spraying stage is the fencing costs. Just the way the house / field is set up. Perhaps an electric fence that can be moved around creating paddocks would allow me to do it sequentially. Never used that type of fencing before so need to check what works with horses or sheep. This washed up ex construction subcontractor really appreciates the advice and will take all he can get.

bbam

If you got a few pigs onto part of it they would do a great job of it.
They'd Eat it down, turn the sod, manure it and then yummy sausages at the end.

If there is a better deal out there I think god has kept it to himself.

Farmer Pudsey

Tull Rocker wrote: »

Thanks very much guys. Either approach sounds sensible.
Farmer Pudsey hits it on the head saying I need to decide what I'm going doing with it! An option of part sheep and part crop might be better for a start.
I think it is a waste of a good resource to just top it weekly.
The only issue I would have with temporary grazing in the pre or post spraying stage is the fencing costs. Just the way the house / field is set up. Perhaps an electric fence that can be moved around creating paddocks would allow me to do it sequentially. Never used that type of fencing before so need to check what works with horses or sheep. This washed up ex construction subcontractor really appreciates the advice and will take all he can get.

If you reseed do not let a horse near it they ruin land might not be as expensive as you think to fence as the dearest part of fenceing is labour I also controled sheep with an electric by useing three strnds and an earth strand in between I think you start with one at about 9" the next about 12" above it and the final one at about 15" above the second with two strands in between connected to a couple earth bars along the bounds if you have agood hedge block the gaps or if it is as tone wall a couple strands of electric

If you go for sheep with paddocks you can use one paddock for you spuds and veg and after about 4 years reseed and go to another paddock and as a PP said a couple of pigs which can also be controled by electric fence

Muckit

You'd have an excellent electric fence there Pudsey.

Earth and 'hot' wire is a great system. Me like to see a good spark out of them!

Use an all plastic stake also