Sheetrock = gypsum = recommended additive for improving the tilth of clay soils.
It's much cheaper than when purchased in a garden store in a bag marked "Gypsum". Especially if you can get scraps for free. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
I always drag my chain harrow in the most aggresive mode....teeth down and 45 degrees. It will breakup the horse manures and help the grass grow. Chain harrow is a essential attachment for pasture management.
Thanks all for the advice. I am about a week away from getting my soil test done.
I live in Skagit County in NW Washington State. There is a group called the Skagit Conservation District that offers several free courses on subjects ranging from "Watershed Masters" to information on how to handle a "non-commercial farm." I will be taking one that will deal with soil treatment, manure and mud management, and pasture managment.
I suspect that I will get a personal visit to my land and help making up a plan to deal with it. I think I will open another thread and post the information I glean from the classes in the hope that it may be useful to others as well.
Oh..and I do realize that the horses won't eat where their manure is. I have 4 viable fields to rotate them through and plan to mow and spread manure in each after I rotate the horses out of a particular pasture. Each pasture is about an acre, so it should be quite manageable. I also read that breaking up the manure clumps by spreading them keeps the flies down due to the faster drying time of the spread manure.
So, thanks again and I will continue to seak the good advice that I am finding on this excellent website.
Steve,
I also rotate my horses around pastures. After I move the horses out a pasture I always make sure that the grasses are short before I drag my harrow. Once the manure is spread around, the insects scatter and the horses will come back to eat the new grass. The horses don't like the bugs in the manure and that is the reason why they don't eat the grasses around the pile.
Thanks for the info. Do you drag with the tines facing forward or dragging backwards? I would imagine facing forward would pretty much rip the grass out of the ground.
Steve,
Drag them forward. Do it after you cut the grass so the manure can spread better. The 45 degree forward mode help thatch the grass and scrach the ground which can help the new growth.
Thanks again. I have not yet purchased my chain harrow. I am planning to get a 4'x8' since my Yanmar 195 is about 4' wide. Do you have any idea how much this will weigh? I am looking for one like the one listed in valleyvet.com but hope to find one locally to save shipping costs.
Steve,
My drag harrow (flexible tine harrow) is built by Wingfields (http://www.wingfields.com) with three point attachment and stands. It is the best design I've seen (I did quite a bit research on drag harrows)...solid, simple, and functional. I took their standard model and modified a bit, so I can use it with tractor or with my RUV. I found that the Wingfields (owners) are reasonable, professional, and helpful. They also have some good information on their web site regarding the use of drag harrows.
Good info. But if you had left off those () on the URL, it would have displayed as a clickable link, which is much easier for those of us who are too lazy to copy and paste...
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