Weed Free Pastures?

[Homesteader333]

How do you get weed free pastures WITHOUT weed killer? Looking to be as organic as possible. Thanks!

[Bret]

Not all weeds are bad. Some plants that may be weeds have food value for grazing. How much pasture? Do you have animals to graze? Do you have a tractor and mower to cut off week tops before they go seed? Best wishes.

[JLMissouri]

I agree that not all weeds are bad. Some diversity is a good thing. Best bet is to learn about the weeds you want to control. I had a field with a lot of goldenrod, by brush hogging right when it started to flower I have almost completely eradicated it. Judicious use of grazing and brush hogging can do wonders.

I am currently working on some fields on my new place that were under constant grazing pressure. I rotate my cattle through the area followed by a brush hog. If I don't mow down the weeds the cows didn't eat they are left standing while more palatable plants were eaten down. Brush hogging levels the playing field giving the better grasses an edge.

[rambler]

Rotate. Have multiple pastures and graze one every 30 days. Having 30 pastures and rotating every day is great; having 2 pastures and rotating once a month is better than nothing.

Mow pastures to even out the grass, top off the weeds before they go to seed. Turns out grasses like to be mowed every 30 days or so, grow back fresh and thick. Other plants don't care for this much and will fade away. Use this to your advantage.

Get your fertility right. Get the ph right. You want a good field to grow a good crop of grass, if your ph and fertility are wrong it will favor some other plants, no matter how you try.

Mostly, don't overgraze your pasture. This lets the weeds get a start, weakens the grass. Bad idea.

Paul

[Maura]

Sheep prefer forbes, cattle prefer grass. You can use this to your advantage as the sheep will eat weeds that cattle ignore. You can graze them together or have one follow the other.

[Alice In TX/MO]

http://www.hrwc.net/rotationalgrazing.htm

Keep in mind that a mono-culture (only one variety of plant) is NOT normal, or even desirable.

[o&itw]

Goats.

[Homesteader333]

Thanks everyone! Yes I am aware that variety is good and I love my plantain and dandelions, but I have those annoying weeds that no one will eat. Like the stinging nettles and the spikey ones with the purple flowers. I try to pull them because my pasture is fairly small, but it is very tiring. What is your opinion on keeping hay fields weed free without weed killer? Something around the 30-40 acres? Thanks!

[sassafras manor]

Goats did an amazing job for me along with moving the cattle to a new pasture each month

[haypoint]

Weeds are plants that are not wanted. Since desirable plants are planted and soil amendments added to encourage them, any undesirable plant that arrives, unplanted and expands its presence, is invasive. By being undesired by most livestock, these undesirable plants are often allowed to produce thousands of seeds that can germinate over the next couple decades.
Livestock encourage weed growth. They eat the desirable plants down to the ground and allow the weeds to develop and re-seed.
When there is some dandelion and quack grass in my pasture, I don't get too excited. However, some weeds can quickly take over a hay field or pasture. One season like that and you'll be struggling with those weeds for many years.
I, too, was against using chemicals on my land, until I was faced with three different invasive weeds that this area had never had before. When my only real choices were glyphosate or thousands of hours on a how, I studied and found a chemical solution that suits me.
Easier when the land around you is farmed and weeds kept to a minimum. But un-farmed land can be a foothold for noxious weeds.

[topside1]

My cattle and goat combo have turned my pastures into a thing of beauty....Go goats, cattle too.

[Alice In TX/MO]

For thistle and nettles, the hoe is the best option. Call your daily walk and chop exercise.

[idigbeets]

There are very few pastures that are weed free..... besides many "weeds" are great forage. Thistles, jimson weed, prickly pig weed, mullein... are weeds I try to keep out of pastures. The rest, are more than welcome, this list isn't 100% of course, but you see my point. Diversity is key in a pasture. you don't want JUST fescue/clover, or orchard grass/alfalfa fields....


Thistles, I chisel plow every year and then continue to mow when they stretch to flower. jimson weed, mowed when flowering, pig weed I mow short and overseed with clover that chokes it out.

[MDKatie]

Long term, the key is to stop grazing at a height of at least 4" for most grasses. Short, over grazed pasture is an invitation for weeds to come fill the gaps. Longer grass shades out weeds, plus improves the health of the grass. Mow before weeds go to seed.

[haypoint]

Weeds are opportunistic. Recently, I have gotten a course grass that livestock do not like in their hay. It develops mature seed heads prior to hay season, so I spread its seeds when I cut hay. If you clip your field regularly leaving 4 inches, the field will be overtaken by low growing weeds that can set seed below the cut line.

Figure out what weeds you want to stop and go after them prior to setting seed. Stay on it for a decade and most of your weeds will be gone.