Establishing Grass on While Clearing

[SteppedInIt]

I am currently slowly clearing approx 45 acres of land and have about 10 acres done that I am burning now. I am seeing trash sprouting and growing. Originally I was just going to clear and burn everything then disk and establish the full pasture. Now I am thinking maybe I should go head and plant what I have cleared and try to stay ahead of the weeds coming. I would like to get some experienced opinions on what might be best to do.

Also, with it being later in the year should I go cool season, warm season or both?

 

[skyhightree1]

I don't know about your climate but as soon as I get land cleared if I see stuff sprouting I go back spray it really well or all season and only plant grass in spring or fall. Let the spray burn it up. Then I disc it up really well till the dirt is like powder then go back and plant. I raise fescue and orchard grass pastures here with clovers and now is the time to plant here.

 

[Brute 23]

Can you tell what is coming up?

I would start disking it and get it nice and loose. Be get ready to start planting oats, rye, wheat, ect in a month or so.

Now is not the time to plant any thing really. It's awfully hot. So hot that disking it right now may help kill some of the unwanted grasses out. Could also be some great dove hunting.

 

[pdfangus]

put some seasonally appropriate cover crops on what is cleared....it will stabilize the soil.
it will add organic matter when you kill it or till it....
then you can plant the whole field as you like when you are ready....
wildlife benefits and pollinator benefits as well....

 

[Limomike]

I don't know about your climate but as soon as I get land cleared if I see stuff sprouting I go back spray it really well or all season and only plant grass in spring or fall. Let the spray burn it up. Then I disc it up really well till the dirt is like powder then go back and plant. I raise fescue and orchard grass pastures here with clovers and now is the time to plant here.

Good advice right there. I agree to spray what u got cleared. Neighbor of mine cleared off about 80 acres of trees, and brush, and now 4 months later, its all grown up with sprouts and weeds.. some grazing grass but he should have sprayed it and would have helped him this fall when he plants it.

 

[lovehammer]

Are you clearing trees and brush or just trying to improve your pasture?

I recently cleared 22 acres of mesquite, hackberry, shin oak, giant ragweed, prickly pear, jumping cactus, and every dang kind of thorny brush known to man. It was a nightmare and something that's going on my "I'm never doing that again" list. Also, if I scratch the ground here I get a bumper crop of woolly croton and sand burs.

I did the first half wrong and paid the stupid tax and had to redo most of it a year later. The second half went much better using this method: Spray cut stumps (trees and brush) with 4:1 diesel\Remedy right after cutting them. Some folks use straight Remedy but the mix worked for me and diesel is a whole lot cheaper than Remedy. The mix also kills prickly pear. After trees are cleared, spray everything with glyophosphate. Wait a few weeks for stubborn stuff to start to bounce back and respray. I planted annual rye in the fall (First week of October where I'm at). In the spring, use a preemergent, I used prowl H2O. I then sprigged coastal bermuda (I couldn't find anybody local for tifton 85 sprigs when I was ready this past spring). I did spot spray some weeds this summer, but overall it turned out well.

Good luck.

 

[inyati13]

I cleared my farm using a Cat D3G LGP 2005. For the size growth I had, it was about right. 10 foot 6 way blade. I had the same circumstances you do. But I would guess my terrain is much steeper.

This may surprise many and seem contrary to common thinking: If you are leaving cleared land until the surface can be graded and a seed bed prepared, leave it as rough as you can. Leave the craters where you push out the trees. If the ground is not rough enough and you have a 6 way blade, orient it so you can use the corner bit of the blade like a combination of a ripper and plow. Go across the slope and throw up a series of berms perpendicular to the slope. I learned a lot of this having spent 14 years in the coal mine reclamation field. You don't need to waste resources such as seed mulch or fertilizer until the most favorable seeding season. Then you can come in with your dozer and knock it down quickly. You can knock down 10 acres in a couple hours. Then bring in your seed bed preparation equipment, prepare the seed bed, seed, etc.

The rough surface with berms to dissipate the energy of run-off will capture the water and hold it. You will not lose any soil. It is very similar to the practices used to create a water recharge area.

 

[SteppedInIt]

I am not sure what all is growing. Looks like small fern like stuff and the stuff that grows the bean type pods. Sorry I am ignorant in identifying plant life. This land was native pasture bout 15yrs ago that has grown a mix of pines, different oaks, sweet gums and of course tallow trees about 6" to 8" trees down to brush. i am using a dozer to push trees with stumps out, but am only getting about two to three acres knocked down a week in my "spare time" lol. Land around here is flat but I do have some craters from the hardwood trees. Most of the pines will push out with the taproot and basically leave the dirt. I really appreciate the info and I think I got really great advice from y'all.

 

[wbvs58]

I had some pretty rough country I cleared earlier in the year which I had stick raked and in our autumn I broadcast some oats with a bit of rye and cocksfoot and clover seed mixed in and then dragged some diamond harrows upside down over it and then rolled it. It all did very well. The oats gave good quick coverage and when grazed I found that the grass and clover seed had taken very well and now that we are coming into spring it seems to be doing well.
We don't get snow and ice here but we do have pretty severe frosts.
Ken

 

[Brute 23]

That's all weeds and junk sounds like. If you have the moisture spray it like suggested earlier. Disk it before you are ready to plant.