Posted on 06/18/2018 7:33:15 AM PDT by rarestia
Calling all farmers, land owners, and gardeners... yours truly recently took ownership of 4 acres of property in central Florida and has some questions. I'm far from a greenhorn, but I'm learning new things and don't know what I don't know. Please bear with me and correct any misuse of terms herein.
Approximately 3 acres of my land is heavily wooded and was poorly maintained. My last 2 weekends were spent with a rented brush hog clearing the front acre of my property of undergrowth. Vines were everywhere, some as thick as 2 inches (diameter), and it made for very slow going. There were numerous dead logs and some dead trees are still standing. The rest was poison ivy, overgrown deliberately-planted bushes such as oak leaf hydrangea, and oak saplings.
After clearing, I'm left with a lot of thatch, leaf litter, and branches to clear, but I have my sights set on the future. What are my next steps? I could walk the acre and manually pick up the big stuff. I'll either burn, chip, or save felled lumber. How can I make the grounds arable for turf? Should drop a broadleaf herbicide to tame the weeds? Should I rent a power rake or a dethatcher? Finally, should I aerate and then overseed with bahia or rye?
My goal is to have the natural large trees remain intact with appropriate pruning for shade, some winding mulch pathways, and either turf or natural ground cover such as fern, vervain, or juniper filling in the space where a lot of the weeds and brush were previously. I understand this is going to be a very lengthy process, but with the proper machinery and patience, I believe it's all very possible.
My thanks to any and all FReepers who might be able to help.
“””There is some scientific evidence showing a potential link to cancer from exposure to Roundup. ...”””
Oh, that’s definitive.
I want. I need. :)
bump
Thank you so much for responding on this, ott. I’ve been very curious about herbicides, esp. with all of the hullabaloo surrounding RoundUp (glyphosate) and cancer risks. I am leaning heavily toward 2,4 D and triclopyr, but I’m reserved about it because of health considerations. I truly believe if you follow the SDS on these chemicals, you’re no more at risk than not using it, but there’s always that unknown.
Nonetheless, I doubt I’m going the goat route, and I wouldn’t be spraying herbicides around the areas designated for gardening. Any idea how long these chemicals stay in the ground before dissipating? I read that 2,4 D dilutes after 3 - 6 days, but glyphosate and triclopyr can stay in the soil for up to a year. Is there contact risk if someone or something (like a dog) rolls around in grass growing from soil soaked with this stuff? Is it like any chemical where if it’s dry, it’s safe?
Thanks again for this, ott. Seriously. I want to try the natural route for the most part, but sometimes I think we just need to nuke it from orbit to start from scratch.
Goat Herd Helps Trump Lower Tax Bite with New Jersey farmland law
We used to bulldoze a pit and push the brush into it. Pack with the dozer and cover with dirt.
They also can be farmed for milk and cheese. Very healthful. Might find a local farm wife or foodie who wants to be the caretaker and make the profit from milking.
I’ll bite. What kind of bugs do they have in rural KY?
An article I read recommends confining them to a half-acre at a time, then moving the fencing to another half-acre, using metal posts and wire roll fencing.
Or a heart attack. And if Monsanto is the manufacturer of RoundUp, why would you trust their "study"?
The only two I hate are Chiggers and ticks. I don’t mind ticks all that much because it takes them hours to decide where to bite and hang on and they are pretty easy to see. However, recently we’re getting these tiny ones about the size of the head of a pin. The bite itches just as much, but you can’t see them until you start feeling the bite.
Chiggers are the worst. They create these “rash” areas that itch like crazy and take more than a month to go away. The solution for me, beyond using permathrin on my clothing and DEET on my skin, is to take a nice hot shower after I’ve been in the woods, brushing up on lots of plants. And do it immediately.
That’s what we did. I found a bush hog was a lot easier. ;)
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