Goldenrod 1, Me 0

Part Time Pete · Oct 19, 2015

One of my neighbors has a ten acre field that was left fallow after oats, about three years ago. He wants me to work it up, and plant it back to hay. It's nothing but goldenrod now, so I figured a good first step would be to bush hog it - problem is, I only made three laps before the radiator was plugged solid.
Guess I'll have to try the haybine
Pete

Billy NY · Oct 19, 2015

Latest you want to cut those is when flowering, once those flowers turn, its really tough to keep the radiator screen clean. Last time I had to cut a field of that after flowering, I rigged up some insect screen so there was a gap for air to get through, worked well enough to keep the engine temperature down to get the job done. Same thing with thistle and some other weeds, one short length of operating and the entire radiator screen will be loaded. Whats on your radiator is highly flammable, add some oil residue or leaks from a valve cover.... not good.

Part Time Pete · Oct 19, 2015

If he had come to me earlier in the year, it would have been nice to mow it, let it green back up, then hit it with roundup and plow it this fall.
I'm hoping if I use the haybine, the tractor will be far enough away, so the radiator doesn't plug

ss55 · Oct 19, 2015

I'm curious, will next year's hay control that much goldenrod and fresh goldenrod seed, or do you have to take extra measures to control it?

Part Time Pete · Oct 19, 2015

SS55,
I'm not sure - I'm thinking of over seeding the grass with oats, to provide extra cover. The problem with that is, I only do hay, so I'm not set up to harvest the oats. I may be able to work something out with one of my neighbors, and have him take it off as oatlage.
Pete

DLMKA · Oct 19, 2015

(quoted from post at 10:32:32 10/19/15) SS55,
I'm not sure - I'm thinking of over seeding the grass with oats, to provide extra cover. The problem with that is, I only do hay, so I'm not set up to harvest the oats. I may be able to work something out with one of my neighbors, and have him take it off as oatlage.
Pete

Ought to get about 20 honeybee colonies, you'd make more selling the honey than you would hay.

JerryS · Oct 19, 2015

Borrow a sickle mower. You'll still have to check your radiator, but probably not nearly as often.

showcrop · Oct 19, 2015

(quoted from post at 07:46:19 10/19/15) I'm curious, will next year's hay control that much goldenrod and fresh goldenrod seed, or do you have to take extra measures to control it?

Lime and fertilizer have always worked for me.

RodinNS · Oct 19, 2015

Cripes..... I think I'd plow a few loops around it and set fire to the damn thing.

Rod

Traditional Farmer · Oct 20, 2015

Wrap the outside of the grill in screen wire that way you only have to brush it off the screen wire and you'll have a gap to aid cooling when the screen wire gets covered.

Goldenrod 1, Me 0

Part Time Pete

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Billy NY

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Part Time Pete

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ss55

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Part Time Pete

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DLMKA

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JerryS

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showcrop

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RodinNS

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Traditional Farmer

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