How to plant grass if you can't till?
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Any local farmers around that might be able to disc it for you?
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What equipment is available? Some sort of drag rake might be kludged together if you can't hire a farmer.
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Whoa! 5acres! Was gonna say mob graze chickens with some bird seed. They are like little roto-tillers. I use mine to turn over the compost pile.
Pigs do a fantastic job too.
Have to agree with others, hire someone and disc it, follow by seeding.
Pigs do a fantastic job too.
Have to agree with others, hire someone and disc it, follow by seeding.
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18,363 Posts
If you have soil that has the fertility to support grass and enough steady rain to get grass established, broadcast 12 to 20 pounds to the acre.
You will need to clip the weeds prior to them setting seed and do it over and over until the weed seed reserves already in the soil are exhausted. You will be cutting the grass seed heads, too, so will need to continue to replant annual grasses. You could spray Glyphosate (Roundup) to kill everything, broadcast your grass, then after the grass is established and the weeds are growing good, spray the field with 2,4D. That kills all the broadleaf weeds and doesn't harm the grass.
In my north country, the time to plant grasses has past. August 1st is the cut off date. The grass won't have enough time to establish itself between now and show. Grass seed is costly, so be sure of the dates you can plant and expect survival.
You will need to clip the weeds prior to them setting seed and do it over and over until the weed seed reserves already in the soil are exhausted. You will be cutting the grass seed heads, too, so will need to continue to replant annual grasses. You could spray Glyphosate (Roundup) to kill everything, broadcast your grass, then after the grass is established and the weeds are growing good, spray the field with 2,4D. That kills all the broadleaf weeds and doesn't harm the grass.
In my north country, the time to plant grasses has past. August 1st is the cut off date. The grass won't have enough time to establish itself between now and show. Grass seed is costly, so be sure of the dates you can plant and expect survival.
I tried that before and none of them were willing.
I practice permaculture so roundup is a big no no.
Well we have a box scraper. It did not work.
We have some fencing with railroad ties on it. I guess I could drag that and see what happens.Pasture. Hoping to do a fall seeding. We don't get a whole lot of rain in the spring usually.
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We humans can rationalize about anything.
In order to produce commercial quantities of grass seed, someone must sharply deviate from the tenants of permaculture. Vast fields of single species grasses require regular applications of chemical fertilizer, selective herbicides, sometimes insecticides and often fungicides.
Does your box blade have the holes in the frame for the chisel points? Some do and if so buy some points for it or see if you can buy an old harrow cheap. Bja105 recommendation would be my next choice if I had no other equipment than a box blade.
What are you planting?
What are you planting?
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First, why so many weeds? Grass can usually out compete most weeds unless over grazed, too much wet or dry. If that's the problem , you need to deal with that issue first.
It's 5 acres and it's a 5 variety mix. The other 35 are swaled and permied so I hardly think I'm spitting in the face of permies everywhere. My intent is to plant, rotationally graze and reseed whenever necessary. No fertilizers or anything else will be applied, mainly because I'm cheap and lazy.
We do have the chisel's in it and while they do small furrows I can't lower them far enough to really rip anything up. It's depressing!!
Our property was farm land about 15 years ago. For 9 years it was over grazed by horses. Then we bought it and have done 0 with it since. So where there used to be barren ground we now have weeds. Lots and lots and lots of weeds. My DH laughs that at least the property looks green now.
I would be afraid to burn. It's not an impossibility and I like the idea but its' kind of terrifying. I am in Wyoming so we aren't exactly moist over here. More drought, fire warning type. If we could do it though, I'd love to!
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