Mud-club
Chat & Social => The Bar - General Chat => Topic started by: carbore on August 02, 2008, 22:34:16
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I have some long grass thats too much for my ride on mower, im resisting buying a tractor to top it and and local contractors cant be bothered whit it, sheep will do the job next year bur right now I cant mow it myself.
It wraps round the cutting blades as its long and hay like/wispy. Now the question is
If i leave it till September/October will it die back enough to mow or will it just die back long and tough. The ride ons file on the long lush stuff and even tall docks, just not the wispy string like grass.
I also have a pedestrian sickle bar mower thats great for docks, but as it does not mulch it looks like it will leave too much long grass around. And I dont want to buy any more stuff as its only this year (I hope)
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Sheep farmer mode.
You would be best cutting it and leaving it to rot. If it dries and dies on it's own then next year it will make quite rough pasture and you would need sheep with standing room only to tidy it. Also next year try to keep it topped as if you let the grass get too long you will have no end of bother with your sheep's feet, as it cuts in between their hoofs.
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It depends on how much you have to cut??.....but...
One option is to hire/borrow a petrol strimmer for the day (...weekend?) and effectively use it like the worlds smallest topper...although I wouldn't recommend leaving the cut grass to rot on the top as it has a tendency to kill whats underneath from light depravation etc, blitz it into mulch sized pieces and this is less likely to happen (..and the remaining grass can reabsorb the nitrogen as the mulched grass breaks down).....perhaps by strimming then passing the mower over the top, even though your's isn't a mulching mower by definition, it should still shorten the cut length :-k
Similarly, there are other animals besides sheep that could possibly manage it for this year...there are various businesses and charities that cry out for overwintering for donkeys (..usually october till march) so you could possibly have a clean pasture by spring, they eat pretty much anything, can survive quite happily on poor grazing and they don't poach the ground up too much due to their tiny hooves...hunting the internet would perhaps be the best idea for that one. :)
Or....sticking with the donkey theory, buy your own!...My sheep run all year with a donkey and they provide good comapny for each other, and as much as my sheep will eat grass of all kinds it's only the donkey that will deal with the docks and even the young thistles...the result, a pretty reasonably well maintained field, that hasn't needed topping or spraying for the past three years. :D
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You can get strimmers with a blade instead of cord - its much faster and you can go through almost everything. (I did have 1/2 an acre of thistles - not any more! :D )
What about borrowing a tractor and topper from a local Farmer?
If you do get it cut and leave the cuttings, it will kill the grass underneath unless it is mulched. Running over the cuttings several times with your ride on should sort that out.
Shame you are not closer to me - I could have sorted something out for you.
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You can get strimmers with a blade instead of cord
Brush cutter - ive got a honda one, ive had it for years and its brilliant! it even cuts through traffic cones concealed by undergrowth!!hehe. they arent too expensive to hire either by all accounts.
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Looks like I need to mulch it as I suspected.
I already have two strimmers one "strimmer" one "Brush Cutter", I dont fany it for 5 acres although its about 3 that needs doing as I managed to get one done in time. The Sickle mower cuts lovley but I should have saved the money for a trator. I think the idea of cut, wait, then mulch with the ride on is looking the best compromise. Also may need harrowing and I found dragging a pallet around wiht the freelander seemed to help!
I am still wrestling with my concience over buyign an old tractor but this month I have spent far too much on a car transporter and close ratio gearbox and that sickle mower!
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Good luck with which ever method you decide on. However, before you put any livestock (other than pigs it seems!), make sure that there no cuttings left. It tends to cause compact colic.