Organic weed control ideas

[Roy_H]

Might give that a go. Here's mine.

View attachment 574568

I can see your land must be in 'good heart'!
I think in that situation l would mow them down first,then wait for regrowth then zap the young foliage with the NaCl.

 

[Pasty]

It's got a lovely aspect to it IMO, can see what you mean about the rocks hiding..

Your flail should hook into anything else though, I think you'd be on the right idea with trying to scratch away the mat of old stuff as that will harbour the spores and protect them until the poke through.

Yeah, those are the big rocks too. Plenty of little ones to trash your gear.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Might give that a go. Here's mine.

View attachment 574568

Can you spray the salt on?

It smoked my gorse.

 

[Pasty]

I can see your land must be in 'good heart'!
I think in that situation l would mow them down first,then wait for regrowth then zap the young foliage with the NaCl.

That's up the top where the sheep have gone to bed for years so no surprise really . Going to paddock it up a bit so I assume nature will balance it out in the end.

 

[JD-Kid]

This will be terrible to plough. I'm thinking either the chisel plough or a big set of discs will be the medicine
He's adamant my little plough needs a shine put on it
What would you smother it with, oats?

shotgun mix tosss in every thing as it maybe crap ground oats rapes kales turnips grass etc
if salty oats may have a hard time barley will handle salt better

 

[Pasty]

Can you spray the salt on?View attachment 574570 View attachment 574572
It smoked my gorse.

For some reason I'm not that fussed with nettle. I suppose as they indicate good soil underneath, even if they block the grass out. Mowing will get them I think and changing the grazing pattern is key as they grow where the sheep sleep so it's pretty easy to suss that out and solve it with fence. I'm also very under-stocked at the mo so have no grazing pressure coming up. Maybe in later years I'll have to be more concerned about what is growing where.

 

[Pasty]

Yes, don't click on the picture on the top bar(that wants a URL), go to upload file at the bottom and then find the pictures you want on your machine and select. You can then either choose to upload them as pictures in the post or attach them as thumb nails.

Thanks @GrannyAching . Got me a new skill.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

For some reason I'm not that fussed with nettle. I suppose as they indicate good soil underneath, even if they block the grass out. Mowing will get them I think and changing the grazing pattern is key as they grow where the sheep sleep so it's pretty easy to suss that out and solve it with fence. I'm also very under-stocked at the mo so have no grazing pressure coming up. Maybe in later years I'll have to be more concerned about what is growing where.

A good plan, I think. Fencing will be a good measure, even if you can get electric feed up there and then can temp. fence off it, you can get that stocking pressure to achieve the rest. Often it will just be the balance is out of whack a little, which favours them more than grass, but anything that is done can be undone if you will it to. All part of the challenge of course you could see it off with spray but that's just a band-aid.

 

[Pasty]

A good plan, I think. Fencing will be a good measure, even if you can get electric feed up there and then can temp. fence off it, you can get that stocking pressure to achieve the rest. Often it will just be the balance is out of whack a little, which favours them more than grass, but anything that is done can be undone if you will it to. All part of the challenge of course you could see it off with spray but that's just a band-aid.

I have never once sprayed a thing and I never intend to as long as I live. I did do a salt thing on thistle which I think failed so I suppose I did spray something. Oh well. I never intend to ... ever. Oh never mind. It's clear to me why the nettle are where they are. Also the thistle and the dock. All for different reasons and I guess it's just getting some sort of balance between what you are trying to achieve and what nature wants.

Certainly, watching the sheer amount of butterfly life on my gone to seed thistle last year was incredible and heart warming. But maybe I need to let that happen where the seed will blow into the wood and not onto my, or next door's seed bed.

 

[Philip Watkins]

Thanks @GrannyAching . Got me a new skill.

See, it's easy when you know how

 

[cows250]

That ground is going to take a bit to claw back into production....

I finally got my cattle moved over to my newest rented ground. They are eating some of the golden rod, a fair bit of brush, and all of the thistles as I move them through. Places that had skid steer traffic this summer are really grassy, and I am hoping that the grazed stuff comes back the same way.

Really happy I don't have any rocks to deal with, just buckthorn...

 

[Dead Rabbits]

When it comes to weed "control " in pastures it really just comes down to how hard one wants to work.

The philosophy here is that proper grazing management will result in a healthy soil that grows very few weeds. So no spraying, digging, pulling etc. Might clip or "top" 10 acres or less a year. I guess it ain't for everyone, but whatever.

The new property or really rough areas will get the brush hog run through as time allows. Only in dense blackberry,multiflora rose and sapling/cedar areas. It's fairly unpleasant though, large chunks of rock go everywhere...

 

[Pasty]

When it comes to weed "control " in pastures it really just comes down to how hard one wants to work.

The philosophy here is that proper grazing management will result in a healthy soil that grows very few weeds. So no spraying, digging, pulling etc. Might clip or "top" 10 acres or less a year. I guess it ain't for everyone, but whatever.

The new property or really rough areas will get the brush hog run through as time allows. Only in dense blackberry,multiflora rose and sapling/cedar areas. It's fairly unpleasant though, large chunks of rock go everywhere...

Totally agree and I hope to achieve that in future but I'm not up to numbers yet. Have brought in some stock from other people but the other problem is the fencing hasn't been touched for decades so we are bringing that up to spec. Kind of rules out cattle or at least other people's cattle and I don't yet have winter housing should I need it so it's just sheep here at the moment. I'm wondering next year whether just to buy some weaned calves for the spring / summer, just to get some cattle on there, then let them go for winter.

 

[Rosco]

Grandfather would say mow them every Friday (meaning often )

 

[hendrebc]

This will be terrible to plough. I'm thinking either the chisel plough or a big set of discs will be the medicine
He's adamant my little plough needs a shine put on it
What would you smother it with, oats?

Seen a thread of someone using vetch on a veg patch with good results ill tag you in it if i can find it. That looked like it would work well from the little i inderstand of crops smothering weeds. Cant see why it wouldnt work on a field scale

 

[JD-Kid]

Seen a thread of someone using vetch on a veg patch with good results ill tag you in it if i can find it. That looked like it would work well from the little i inderstand of crops smothering weeds. Cant see why it wouldnt work on a field scale

not sure if it would grow well down south
shotgun mix maybe best mix

 

[hendrebc]

not sure if it would grow well down south
shotgun mix maybe best mix

Maybe not iwouldnt know. Was impressed with what i saw in that thread though

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Seen a thread of someone using vetch on a veg patch with good results ill tag you in it if i can find it. That looked like it would work well from the little i inderstand of crops smothering weeds. Cant see why it wouldnt work on a field scale

Thanks for the tag @hendrebc
I am trying peas this spring to try to smother out a browntop issue in a paddock, and then might need to put leafy turnip in for winter if it doesn't work as well as planned... will be interesting to put some vetch in with the leafy turnips and see how it does.

 

[hendrebc]

Thanks for the tag @hendrebc
I am trying peas this spring to try to smother out a browntop issue in a paddock, and then might need to put leafy turnip in for winter if it doesn't work as well as planned... will be interesting to put some vetch in with the leafy turnips and see how it does.

Your welcome @Kiwi Pete
Sounds imteresting please let us know how it goes

 

[Kiwi Pete]

At least it will grow plenty of feed, browntop is easy to bury with a plough but hopefully if we keep it smothered and get some extra N it will help.
Have got sowing wheels coming that will handle big seeds like peas so will be experimenting with all sorts, will definitely be posting up pictures of the successes!

Maybe just PM any failures...