On 12/11/2018 16:36, Chris Green wrote:
In uk.d-i-y Janet wrote:
In article , says...

In uk.d-i-y Ermin wrote:
On Sun, 11 Nov 2018 11:59:34 +0000, Chris Green wrote:

We have bought a Stiga 'out front' mower for the lawns so I'm wondering
what to get for the rougher paddock areas.

Why not use the Stiga for that as well?

Because it's not designed for rough ground or for hacking through tall
nettles and such. Our paddocks can get pretty overgrown at times with
great patches of thistles, nettles and tough grass.

Have you thought of setting up an electric fence, then putting pigs in
to clear the enclosed area? They will eat everything, dig out all roots
and eat those too, thoroughly dig and compost the soil, then you could
reseed (if you want lawn).

We have horses on the land, mixing in some pigs would not go down too
well! :-) Horses are notorious for leaving sections ungrazed, hence
the need for mowing at intervals.

Sheep then, if you already have the fencing, and it will improve the
land and reduce the parasitic worms. One of the reasons we've never got
around to it is that our old hay supplier (a retired sheep farmer) used
to say "If you've got three sheep, one of them is lame".

On 12/11/2018 16:36, Chris Green wrote:
We have horses on the land, mixing in some pigs would not go down too
well!:-)
Would the pigs ram the horses or would the horses kick the pigs?


--
"Nature does not give up the winter because people dislike the cold."

― Confucius

In uk.d-i-y newshound wrote:
On 12/11/2018 16:36, Chris Green wrote:
In uk.d-i-y Janet wrote:
In article , says...

In uk.d-i-y Ermin wrote:
On Sun, 11 Nov 2018 11:59:34 +0000, Chris Green wrote:

We have bought a Stiga 'out front' mower for the lawns so I'm wondering
what to get for the rougher paddock areas.

Why not use the Stiga for that as well?

Because it's not designed for rough ground or for hacking through tall
nettles and such. Our paddocks can get pretty overgrown at times with
great patches of thistles, nettles and tough grass.

Have you thought of setting up an electric fence, then putting pigs in
to clear the enclosed area? They will eat everything, dig out all roots
and eat those too, thoroughly dig and compost the soil, then you could
reseed (if you want lawn).

We have horses on the land, mixing in some pigs would not go down too
well! :-) Horses are notorious for leaving sections ungrazed, hence
the need for mowing at intervals.

Sheep then, if you already have the fencing, and it will improve the
land and reduce the parasitic worms. One of the reasons we've never got
around to it is that our old hay supplier (a retired sheep farmer) used
to say "If you've got three sheep, one of them is lame".

I think his advice is good, we have quite enough livestock already! :-)

--
Chris Green
·

In article ,
says...

On 12/11/2018 16:36, Chris Green wrote:
In uk.d-i-y Janet wrote:
In article , says...

In uk.d-i-y Ermin wrote:
On Sun, 11 Nov 2018 11:59:34 +0000, Chris Green wrote:

We have bought a Stiga 'out front' mower for the lawns so I'm wondering
what to get for the rougher paddock areas.

Why not use the Stiga for that as well?

Because it's not designed for rough ground or for hacking through tall
nettles and such. Our paddocks can get pretty overgrown at times with
great patches of thistles, nettles and tough grass.

Have you thought of setting up an electric fence, then putting pigs in
to clear the enclosed area? They will eat everything, dig out all roots
and eat those too, thoroughly dig and compost the soil, then you could
reseed (if you want lawn).

We have horses on the land, mixing in some pigs would not go down too
well! :-) Horses are notorious for leaving sections ungrazed, hence
the need for mowing at intervals.

Sheep then, if you already have the fencing, and it will improve the
land and reduce the parasitic worms. One of the reasons we've never got
around to it is that our old hay supplier (a retired sheep farmer) used
to say "If you've got three sheep, one of them is lame".

A shepherd told me "Sheep spend their lives inventing new ways to
commit suicide".

Sheep are grazers, unlike gots they won't eat nettles, thistles,
tall/rough grass or brambles. But they will get horribly tangled up in
long bramble stems.


Janet.

On 12/11/18 20:05, Janet wrote:
In article ,
says...

On 12/11/2018 16:36, Chris Green wrote:
In uk.d-i-y Janet wrote:
In article , says...

In uk.d-i-y Ermin wrote:
On Sun, 11 Nov 2018 11:59:34 +0000, Chris Green wrote:

We have bought a Stiga 'out front' mower for the lawns so I'm wondering
what to get for the rougher paddock areas.

Why not use the Stiga for that as well?

Because it's not designed for rough ground or for hacking through tall
nettles and such. Our paddocks can get pretty overgrown at times with
great patches of thistles, nettles and tough grass.

Have you thought of setting up an electric fence, then putting pigs in
to clear the enclosed area? They will eat everything, dig out all roots
and eat those too, thoroughly dig and compost the soil, then you could
reseed (if you want lawn).

We have horses on the land, mixing in some pigs would not go down too
well! :-) Horses are notorious for leaving sections ungrazed, hence
the need for mowing at intervals.

Sheep then, if you already have the fencing, and it will improve the
land and reduce the parasitic worms. One of the reasons we've never got
around to it is that our old hay supplier (a retired sheep farmer) used
to say "If you've got three sheep, one of them is lame".

A shepherd told me "Sheep spend their lives inventing new ways to
commit suicide".

Oh, they've got enough without inventing new ones. I remember driving
the A836 many years ago, and being amazed that with the vast areas of
grass on either side of this single-track road, the sheep seemed to
tempt fate by just standing in the centre of the road around a blind bend.

--

Jeff

In article , lid
says...

On 12/11/18 20:05, Janet wrote:
In article ,
says...

On 12/11/2018 16:36, Chris Green wrote:
In uk.d-i-y Janet wrote:
In article , says...

In uk.d-i-y Ermin wrote:
On Sun, 11 Nov 2018 11:59:34 +0000, Chris Green wrote:

We have bought a Stiga 'out front' mower for the lawns so I'm wondering
what to get for the rougher paddock areas.

Why not use the Stiga for that as well?

Because it's not designed for rough ground or for hacking through tall
nettles and such. Our paddocks can get pretty overgrown at times with
great patches of thistles, nettles and tough grass.

Have you thought of setting up an electric fence, then putting pigs in
to clear the enclosed area? They will eat everything, dig out all roots
and eat those too, thoroughly dig and compost the soil, then you could
reseed (if you want lawn).

We have horses on the land, mixing in some pigs would not go down too
well! :-) Horses are notorious for leaving sections ungrazed, hence
the need for mowing at intervals.

Sheep then, if you already have the fencing, and it will improve the
land and reduce the parasitic worms. One of the reasons we've never got
around to it is that our old hay supplier (a retired sheep farmer) used
to say "If you've got three sheep, one of them is lame".

A shepherd told me "Sheep spend their lives inventing new ways to
commit suicide".

Oh, they've got enough without inventing new ones. I remember driving
the A836 many years ago, and being amazed that with the vast areas of
grass on either side of this single-track road, the sheep seemed to
tempt fate by just standing in the centre of the road around a blind bend.

I see that all the time, (also, sheep lying on the warm tarmac) but
strangely, even after decades in rural Scotland I've never once seen a
sheep or even a lamb that's been hit by a car.

Janet

On Mon, 12 Nov 2018 16:36:23 +0000, Chris Green wrote:

In uk.d-i-y Janet wrote:
In article , says...

In uk.d-i-y Ermin wrote:
On Sun, 11 Nov 2018 11:59:34 +0000, Chris Green wrote:

We have bought a Stiga 'out front' mower for the lawns so I'm
wondering what to get for the rougher paddock areas.

Why not use the Stiga for that as well?

Because it's not designed for rough ground or for hacking through
tall nettles and such. Our paddocks can get pretty overgrown at
times with great patches of thistles, nettles and tough grass.

Have you thought of setting up an electric fence, then putting pigs
in
to clear the enclosed area? They will eat everything, dig out all roots
and eat those too, thoroughly dig and compost the soil, then you could
reseed (if you want lawn).

We have horses on the land, mixing in some pigs would not go down too
well! :-) Horses are notorious for leaving sections ungrazed, hence
the need for mowing at intervals.

Is there a grass farmer near you or an Ag contractor? You could get them
to top the rough stuff a couple of times a year to keep it under control
for you. Looking at the lawn tractor you used to use for the job I'm
amazed that the Stiga won't cope. Nettles are not that hard to keep
under control once they are down similarly with thistles and brambles.

I'd start with a brushcutter to get the 'weeds' down and then use a
selective herbicide to keep on top of the new growth - again have a chat
with a grass farmer to see what he uses and if he can get some for you.



--
Ermin

On 12/11/2018 17:42, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 12/11/2018 16:36, Chris Green wrote:
We have horses on the land, mixing in some pigs would not go down too
well!:-)
Would the pigs ram the horses or would the horses kick the pigs?


Pigs are omnivores, so smell like predators to horses. Horses *really*
don't like them. I was riding today past a place that used to keep
Tamworths five years ago, and my horse can still smell them.

On 12/11/2018 17:58, Chris Green wrote:
In uk.d-i-y newshound wrote:
On 12/11/2018 16:36, Chris Green wrote:
In uk.d-i-y Janet wrote:
In article , says...

In uk.d-i-y Ermin wrote:
On Sun, 11 Nov 2018 11:59:34 +0000, Chris Green wrote:

We have bought a Stiga 'out front' mower for the lawns so I'm wondering
what to get for the rougher paddock areas.

Why not use the Stiga for that as well?

Because it's not designed for rough ground or for hacking through tall
nettles and such. Our paddocks can get pretty overgrown at times with
great patches of thistles, nettles and tough grass.

Have you thought of setting up an electric fence, then putting pigs in
to clear the enclosed area? They will eat everything, dig out all roots
and eat those too, thoroughly dig and compost the soil, then you could
reseed (if you want lawn).

We have horses on the land, mixing in some pigs would not go down too
well! :-) Horses are notorious for leaving sections ungrazed, hence
the need for mowing at intervals.

Sheep then, if you already have the fencing, and it will improve the
land and reduce the parasitic worms. One of the reasons we've never got
around to it is that our old hay supplier (a retired sheep farmer) used
to say "If you've got three sheep, one of them is lame".

I think his advice is good, we have quite enough livestock already! :-)

Us too, but we are cutting down. Down from five energetic dogs to two
lazy ones, currently have six equines of various types and sizes, but
some of them are going next year too.