Doing a lot of cleanup work this spring, primarily to help reduce Skeeter populations. I'm clearing the underbrush from many areas, and I need something to plant where I've worked.
Some areas will have chickens.
Some areas are dirt covering 100 year old garbage piles.
Some areas are lowland, almost swamps out during spring thaw.
Won't be mowing it.
Open to suggestions.
Posted: 2/18/2017 11:46:59 PM EDT
[#1]
To add, the mature trees are mostly staying, and mostly oak, sugar maple, hackberry, and box elder and basswood.
Posted: 2/18/2017 11:49:19 PM EDT
[#2]
To add also:
Goals are primarily erosion control withsomething that hopefully wwon't give too much refuge to Skeeter's, and is OK for chickens.
Posted: 2/19/2017 9:03:17 AM EDT
[#3]
Buckwheat sounds like a good option for you. Good attractant for good insects. Its low maintenance and you can till it into the ground as a green fertilizer or you can let it do its thing and it will turn into a weed. Perhaps not so great in the lowland areas but that is it.
If you look at the left side as you scroll down, you'll see where it says "Legume Cover Crops," and right above that it will say something like "Non-Legume Cover Crops." That's a list to start with. IMO, find at least 5 different species of cover crop that meet your needs and plant them all, intermixed. Ten is better. Either go with perennials, or plant winter cover crops in the fall as well if your goal is erosion control.
I've had good luck with the deep shade/forest grass mix from the local greenhouse. Not cheap but performs better than the big national brand name grass seeds.
Posted: 2/27/2017 2:04:34 PM EDT
[#8]
Sounds like you could benefit from rotational grazing. Move goats through and then follow with chickens to get rid of the brambles and underbrush while promoting healthy ground bacteria and soil building.
If you're dealing with a lot of puddling and pooling in non natural swamp areas your ground doesn't have the carrying capacity for the water and so its only going to erode further if you take away the plant life holding it together. You'd be better served most likely by going this route rather than mechanized disruption of the soil and then trying to seed a grass into it.
Just my .02
Posted: 2/27/2017 9:07:54 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote History
Quoted: Sounds like you could benefit from rotational grazing. Move goats through and then follow with chickens to get rid of the brambles and underbrush while promoting healthy ground bacteria and soil building.
If you're dealing with a lot of puddling and pooling in non natural swamp areas your ground doesn't have the carrying capacity for the water and so its only going to erode further if you take away the plant life holding it together. You'd be better served most likely by going this route rather than mechanized disruption of the soil and then trying to seed a grass into it.
Just my .02
View Quote
Either follow the plan above , brush hog 2-4 times a summer or do controlled burns late winter. Planting a groundcover in a shaded area that was woods just a few weeks earlier is most likely going to be an exercise in futility.