I don't have green fingers, what to do?

[Post and beam]

I am fortunate to have about 3/4 acre plot on which we have built our house.

The land has not had much care for 40 years. it is overgrown with scrub. Where attempts have been made to clear it in the past and not cleared, the mowed scrub has clumped in paces such that it is now very lumpy. Such that a ride on mower would not do the job.

 

Will a petrol Rotivator  do the job of both chopping up the scrub and effectively tilling the land.

Or do i need something else?

All suggestions gratefully received.

[Russell griffiths]

Pictures needed really 

[SteamyTea]

Did you include landscaping in your plans, think you can get the VAT back.

 

Sounds like you need to remove topsoil, sieve the weeds out, then respread. Maybe start with grass seed.

[Conor]

Why do you want to clear it? Let it go wild and maybe stick a few down native trees in and let nature enjoy the space.

[IanR]

1 hour ago, Post and beam said:

I am fortunate to have about 3/4 acre plot on which we have built our house.

The land has not had much care for 40 years. it is overgrown with scrub. Where attempts have been made to clear it in the past and not cleared, the mowed scrub has clumped in paces such that it is now very lumpy. Such that a ride on mower would not do the job.

Definitely photos needed. If it's "just" brambles, clumps and saplings up to 1" diameter, get started by hiring yourself a ride-on brush-cutter for a weekend. Something like 

https://hertstools.co.uk/product/as-915-sherpa-2wd-ride-on-mower-hire/

If it's thick bramble and sloping ground then get an AWD version. ...and wear protective clothing if there are brambles and black-thorn etc. Oh, and wait for the area to dry out a little.

These brush-cutters are really capable, I was shocked at how they went through saplings and brambles. 

If you are not in a rush I'd cut it 4 times over the next year to keep knocking back the saplings, and then start digging out the roots of things that won't give up and spraying any re-occurring weeds.

How about the boundaries, is there over-grown hedging?

 

1 hour ago, Post and beam said:

 

Will a petrol Rotivator  do the job of both chopping up the scrub and effectively tilling the land.

Nope, it wouldn't cut through the foliage, and won't leave it suitable for re-seeding. 

 

Edited 5 hours ago by IanR

[Post and beam]

I've looked at the brush cutters before. They would certainly deal with the stuff that's growing. 

Its the combination of the growth and the rough clumpy ground where previous mown growth has not been removed.

Looks to me like it needs ploughing. Or turning over at least.

[IanR]

When you say "clumpy", is that foliage that's sprouting in clumps, of is the ground now uneven due to moles and ants etc. 

A brush-cutter will sort the foliage and after several cuts get the grass growing more evenly. If the ground is uneven, you will still need to clear/mulch as much foliage as possible, but the then either turnover the ground with a large rotovator or bring in new screened topsoil.

Edited 4 hours ago by IanR

[Nestor]

A bit of space is a nice issue to have really and a few questions.

Does it have hawthorn, brambles, bracken, dock  as well as grasses growing wildly?

Is it level, does it have good stock proof fencing or hedges and do you have responsibility for the boundaries?

What would you like it to be, an area of short grass with easy maintenance by regular mowing?

Would you like a wild flower meadow,  a small copse of native or fruit trees. 

 

Post some photos.

What Ducati is that, a 750 Sport?

 

 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by Nestor
Bikes and tings

[Omnibuswoman]

You might consider getting a digger and driver to scrape the very top layer off, or scrape it into a bund at the edge of the garden. This should even out the ground and pull up the scrub. We did this, but then left it untended for a couple of years and the brambles did unfortunately return. It takes a number of years of continuous work to get brambles out permanently.

[Redbeard]

1 hour ago, Nestor said:

What Ducati is that, a 750 Sport?

 

 

Silly me! Posted asking where the Duke was, without looking at the 'thumbnail' pic! Too little of it to guess which model, for me.

Edited 3 hours ago by Redbeard

[Nestor]

15 minutes ago, Redbeard said:

 

Silly me! Posted asking where the Duke was, without looking at the 'thumbnail' pic! Too little of it to guess which model, for me.

It won't power harrow the field though.

[Post and beam]

1 hour ago, Nestor said:

What Ducati is that, a 750 Sport?

Its certainly a 750 round case Bevel. Cannot remember which picture i clipped it from, it might be a green frame. 

Either way one of the most desirable pieces of engineering ever created.

 

[Post and beam]

1 hour ago, Nestor said:

What would you like it to be, an area of short grass with easy maintenance by regular mowing?

Would you like a wild flower meadow,  a small copse of native or fruit trees. 

I'd like most of it to be short grass, i did buy a ride on mower after all.

The wife wants a wild flower meadow for part of it.

 

The land slopes right to left slightly and away from the house also. Its about 50 metres down to the bottom of the garden with fabulous views across the Beane valley.

 

1 hour ago, IanR said:

When you say "clumpy", is that foliage that's sprouting in clumps

Yes sort of. Where the previous grass & brush cuttings have not been cleared away and just left in clumps randomly they have then sprouted up from those piles. Its now too difficult to get a mountfield ride on mower over it effectively. Hence me thinking a large Rotivator might chop the clumps up.

[IanR]

10 minutes ago, Post and beam said:

Yes sort of. Where the previous grass & brush cuttings have not been cleared away and just left in clumps randomly they have then sprouted up from those piles. Its now too difficult to get a mountfield ride on mower over it effectively. Hence me thinking a large Rotivator might chop the clumps up.

It's a job for a ride-on brush-cutter, a walk behind rotovator is unlikely to handle it and leave you a lot more work to do to get just grass growing.

[Bramco]

20 minutes ago, Post and beam said:

i did buy a ride on mower after a

Part ex that for a husqvarna robot mower and sit back of an evening with a cold drink and think of the poor bastards going up and down with the racket of a 2 stroke, having to stop every few rows to dump the grass out of the hopper thinking every time - that piles getting bigger, what the hell are w3 going to do with that....

[SteamyTea]

2 hours ago, Nestor said:

What Ducati is that, a 750 Sport

 

1 hour ago, Nestor said:

It won't power harrow the field though.

Not on its own, but a few of them on a short circuit scrambling track will sort it out, and you can charge an entrance fee.

[Redbeard]

1 hour ago, Post and beam said:

Either way one of the most desirable pieces of engineering ever created.

 

Agree wholeheartedly. Always a very huge way outside my price range. Ultimately had my V twin the across the frame, and no chain! Please forgive the M/C-related hijack!

[Nestor]

52 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

 

Not on its own, but a few of them on a short circuit scrambling track will sort it out, and you can charge an entrance fee.

We can but dream, had a Husaberg 600 which I used at Lydden and Brands for supermoto days out.

Had to call out the AA outside the gates at Brands to take me home as big end gone!!

[Nestor]

1 hour ago, Post and beam said:

I'd like most of it to be short grass, i did buy a ride on mower after all.

The wife wants a wild flower meadow for part of it.

 

The land slopes right to left slightly and away from the house also. Its about 50 metres down to the bottom of the garden with fabulous views across the Beane valley.

 

Yes sort of. Where the previous grass & brush cuttings have not been cleared away and just left in clumps randomly they have then sprouted up from those piles. Its now too difficult to get a mountfield ride on mower over it effectively. Hence me thinking a large Rotivator might chop the clumps up.

Sounds great.

If the ride on is more of a finishing mower it might struggle until most of the field is under control unless it is a brush cutter / flail, you

will know if it starts shredding belts.

Areas for wild flowers ideally need to be power harrowed (you could try a rotovator) before seeding with Yellow rattle (helps reduce the perennial grasses) and other wild flower seeds. 

What to do with the meadow grass needs to be considered, ours is cut and bailed late summer, once the seed heads have flowered, cut and leave on the ground for a few days during a dry, warm period and then remove all the cut material. I have used a scythe.

Continually dig out, remove the roots, cut back the unwanted shrubs, some even spot spray as well.

It is a bit of a task, takes a few years to establish but very rewarding.