Reclaiming neglected land

[spark plug]

I have purchased 5-1/2 acres of very neglected grading land, as far as I can remember it’s had absolutely nothing done to it in the past 30+ years apart from the odd horse being grazed now and then.

It’s a very wet bit of ground, even after next to no rain for a month there are still places I wouldn’t dare drive the tractor, there are patches of rushes all over etc. There is a stream running through the middle of the field which was chocked up with all sorts of rubbish, obstructing the flow and not helping anything, so I’ve started by removing this and all the other fly tipping.

There is a lot of fenceing to do before I could think about putting any stock in, so what if anything could I be doing to tidy things up, improve the ground in the mean time to try and get on top of things?

 

[Exfarmer]

Check the nutrient status, bet it would like some lime, @Cab-over Pete

 

[deleted user 837354]

Clear out the stream sounds a good idea.

Top the rushes down here. Spray them when they reach 12 inches tall again.

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

Can you run some land drains into the stream?

 

[spark plug]

Digging the peddle cars, Tonka toys and car tyres out the stream has dropped the level by about 2 inches.

Soil sampling is defiantly a to do once I get rid of some water.

I don’t think the land has been drained before so not sure if I could or couldn’t run drains into the stream.

Topping sounds like a good plan.

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

I don’t think the land has been drained before so not sure if I could or couldn’t run drains into the stream.

Check the stream for outflow pipes?

Fix the drainage and the soil pH and the rushes/sieves will be history.

 

[spark plug]

Defiantly some good things to be getting on with, I will go for a plodge in the stream and look for any evidence of drainage.

 

[Wellytrack]

Congratulations. It will be extremely rewarding seeing the end result.

 

[jack6480]

Sounds perfect for growing veg for the nhs on

 

[spark plug]

Sounds perfect for growing veg for the nhs on

From what I’ve been told by some old chaps it was planted with potatoes 40-50 year ago, but it didn’t go well by all accounts.

 

[thesilentone]

' sad land ' is very difficult to revive long-term.

However, the first thing I would do now is spray it off with round up. Then absolutely cover with FYM, then plough and re-seed with a long-term lay. When it's growing, do an analysis and feed accordingly. let it get a decent cover, then graze cattle for the summer and sheep until Oct, then leave it until next spring..

 

[Cab-over Pete]

All good advice so far.

If you go for topping, a flail will do the best job. I took on 14 acres of scrub and saplings, with generous amounts of car tyres, fencing stakes and assorted dross. The flail shredded it all (except the tyres, but at least I could find them!!) and it looked great.

I then dug drainage channels and ditches, chucked a bit of lime on, sprayed the rushes and buttercups and fenced it. Looks a treat now. But now I’m in overdraft!!!

 

[Will 1594]

Can we have a picture of the tonkas , are they rotton , could do with the big loading shovel ,if one ?

 

[som farmer]

most land, at some point, has been drained, tidy the stream up, and you might find some outlets. We went on a farm walk, around a new spring grazing farm, been rather neglected, and an awful lot of rushes. The farm had a comprehensive drainage plan, from the 60's, and had been under a 'good' farming system, till a marriage went wrong, and went downhill, very quickly. It was suggested to the young owner, that he started by opening the central ditches, to see if he could find the out flows. No, it wasn't properly done, that's why it doesn't work now,, (ditches full of crap). And he was intending to borrow a lot of money, to redrain the whole farm again, we have drains from donkeys tears ago, 100's ?, still working.

 

[spark plug]

All good advice so far.

If you go for topping, a flail will do the best job. I took on 14 acres of scrub and saplings, with generous amounts of car tyres, fencing stakes and assorted dross. The flail shredded it all (except the tyres, but at least I could find them!!) and it looked great.

I then dug drainage channels and ditches, chucked a bit of lime on, sprayed the rushes and buttercups and fenced it. Looks a treat now. But now I’m in overdraft!!!

Excellent advice, although don’t like the don't of the overdraft, but probably the direction I’m heading

Can we have a picture of the tonkas , are they rotton , could do with the big loading shovel ,if one ?

it’s in the mountain of rubbish I’m fast accumulating i all get a pic if I see it again, although it was a dump truck and very rotten

most land, at some point, has been drained, tidy the stream up, and you might find some outlets. We went on a farm walk, around a new spring grazing farm, been rather neglected, and an awful lot of rushes. The farm had a comprehensive drainage plan, from the 60's, and had been under a 'good' farming system, till a marriage went wrong, and went downhill, very quickly. It was suggested to the young owner, that he started by opening the central ditches, to see if he could find the out flows. No, it wasn't properly done, that's why it doesn't work now,, (ditches full of crap). And he was intending to borrow a lot of money, to redrain the whole farm again, we have drains from donkeys tears ago, 100's ?, still working.

I will investigate but I’m not hopeful, need to talk to some more old chaps, see what I can find out.

 

[spark plug]

Ok more stream cleaning today, about another 10 tyres, 5 traffic cones and barriers, 2 prams and various other junk, but that’s the stream sorted for the time being. This is the sort of issues I’ve had to deal with:

I couldn’t see any evidence of drains while in there.

Next I want to get all the old rotten dividing fences out, to make like easier with the topper.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

I would say, take a lot of photos for yourself how it looks now, then you can keep adding to the album as you gradually improve things, it will be lovely to look back then in 10 years time and see how things have changed and improved.

I would think these things, in this order

pick up, dispose of all the rubbish
fence/clean out any ditches
lime
top
rotational mob/graze to improve things
then if you want to improve things further, look at Phosphate, Potash and reseeding

I don't think whole field drainage pays for the cost with improved yields, but if there is a very wet spot local drainage to stop getting the tractor stuck is a good idea.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

And I think it is lovely to plant a few trees or hedges and watch them develop, there may be grants towards this (Woodland trust, but you have to buy tree guards so I am not sure if it is worth it)

 

[spark plug]

And I think it is lovely to plant a few trees or hedges and watch them develop, there may be grants towards this (Woodland trust, but you have to buy tree guards so I am not sure if it is worth it)

I have considered this as I do like trees and strategically placed hedges can be useful especially very spike’y ones.

 

[Bones]

It you could get your hands on a couple loads of hen dung and put it on thick, you won't have to plough after that