Finally Bought Some Land

[j44ke]

Think I am going to need a Stihl or Husqvarna brush cutter.

[davids]

"Avant Gardener" is streaming in another tab as I read this.



Oh irony.

[ides1056]

For some reason every photo I try to upload now gets a red x, and I can't figure out how to get around it.

Jorn- that brush saw is overkill. I have an FS 85, and it's been up to every task I've needed this sort of implement for. The saw blades are brilliant till you hit a rock, which you invariably will. The trim head leaves bits of plastic everywhere, which is a bummer till some microbe evolves to eat the stuff- this is a ways off, I realize.

A walk-behind brush hog is a useful tool, but the DR I have isn't truly a contractor grade tool, as advertised. Were Scag to make one, that would be. Until they do I am stuck welding the one I bought every year or so as it breaks. I had a real brush hog, tractor mounted, and sold it because it seemed stupid to run a fifty horse motor, and I don't like to sit. There was also the issue of goldenrod debris clogging the radiator- you do not want to overheat a diesel motor, ever.

The beauty of forest regeneration where we live is it enables you to select for succession. Trees will sprout willy-nilly, and you get to choose which survive and where. I've planted acorns since I first owned land, and the trees are now fifty feet tall. Tulip Poplars as well, which I love. I figure as the climate warms the forest composition here will look more like what is common just north of the city: hickory, oak, and the like. So I've planted accordingly. I collected Osage Oranges in CP and planted those. Paw-paw.

I read this a long time ago:

I had a world about me—'twas my own;
I made it, for it only lived to me,
And to the God who sees into the heart.

Book three of the Prelude by Wordsworth

[j44ke]

There are so many rocks in the land that I am not sure how a brush hog would work. Just eat up a bunch of blades or worse, bend a shaft.

I need to take out a bunch of barberry. No central trunk on the bush, so each stalk is about 3/4" diameter at most. I've just been whacking them with a nice sized pruner to test spray the base with Triclopyr. Ideal set up would allow me to mark out an area, walk through and cut down the barberry, then dose the bases with the spray. I really hate the idea of Triclopyr, but barberry reduction is a key part of tick management.

We do want to plant trees, but right now the deer browse any tree into a bonsai so at least initially we'll need to plant trees and fence them off rather than try to grow from seeds (unless we do it in big pots and keep them in a bank safe.) I think all the construction noise and possibly inviting my brother-in-law up to hunt on the property a couple winters in a row (he's not begging but he's begging) will help the trees too. Right now the deer use our property as sleeping quarters before staging assaults on the neighbor's hostas.

[bcm119]

Interesting study about the ecology of Lyme disease from the Cary Institute up in Millbrook. Not at all surprised that higher incidence of Lyme is linked to more ecologically disturbed/fragmented landscapes. The parallel time lines of the explosion of Lyme and McMansion-style development in the Hudson Valley are curious. Good to be aware if you live up there.

Forest ecology shapes Lyme disease risk in the eastern US | Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

[ides1056]

I use a self-feeding string head for less woody stuff, Stihl Supercut and Durocut. The brush knife takes a beating that completely dulls the circular blades. A harness is a must, and a helmet with a visor- all kind of stuff kicks up. They take an incredible beating, and if you are considering cutting saplings this is preferable to using a chain saw. Sometimes herbicide is necessary: Japanese Knotweed is a case in point. Many invasives are just too persistent: garlic mustard. You'll figure it out.

My primary care here, a cyclist, skier, and contemporary had this to say about Lyme: primary and secondary are easy to identify and treat. So I don't apply permethrin to my clothes, particularly since I am sensitive enough to wake at night if one is crawling on me. I had one attach earlier in the summer, took 400 mg Doxy and about fainted. No more prophylactic treatment for me.

I would invest in a flock of guinea hens. They are feral and require little care. But ask around, you may find the clatter they make objectionable. No one will sneak up on your house if they are around.

[lumpy]

There are so many rocks in the land that I am not sure how a brush hog would work. Just eat up a bunch of blades or worse, bend a shaft.

I need to take out a bunch of barberry. No central trunk on the bush, so each stalk is about 3/4" diameter at most.

A scythe with a brush blade does a great job on stuff like that, and it's quiet. Heck of a trick figuring out the arm action to make it work effectively though. It's sort of a scissoring motion. One of our tenants is an Old Guy and he saw me swinging the tool around and came out and set me straight. I've done whole fields with the scythe but it takes extra time compared to a good machine.

One of my long-term projects is getting our old 10-horse Gravely running again/better. That's got a sickle bar on it and the sickle bar is great for rocky terrain - it only cuts what goes in between the guides. Walk-behind Gravelys are great tools for a small homestead but they are all pretty old now and tend to get collected.

[mmoore]

There are so many rocks in the land that I am not sure how a brush hog would work. Just eat up a bunch of blades or worse, bend a shaft.

I need to take out a bunch of barberry. No central trunk on the bush, so each stalk is about 3/4" diameter at most. I've just been whacking them with a nice sized pruner to test spray the base with Triclopyr. Ideal set up would allow me to mark out an area, walk through and cut down the barberry, then dose the bases with the spray. I really hate the idea of Triclopyr, but barberry reduction is a key part of tick management.

We do want to plant trees, but right now the deer browse any tree into a bonsai so at least initially we'll need to plant trees and fence them off rather than try to grow from seeds (unless we do it in big pots and keep them in a bank safe.) I think all the construction noise and possibly inviting my brother-in-law up to hunt on the property a couple winters in a row (he's not begging but he's begging) will help the trees too. Right now the deer use our property as sleeping quarters before staging assaults on the neighbor's hostas.

not sure how much of it you need to deal with.... a mini ex with a toothed bucket would make pretty quick work of the brush with the root bulb. I did about 300ft^2 of lilac bush removal (large, mature lilac up to ~3.5 or 4" diameter) in just over an hour with the machine, by myself. just dig the bucket into the ground behind it and twist the bucket towards you and it will grab the whole bulb and rip it out. if you need to cut the brush first to get at it, leave the stump about waist/breast height to give leverage to pull if you need to.

these machines rent locally to me for about $200 for a day, they are fun to operate and there are no worries about chemicals to remove stumps/kill a new one from developing.

[ides1056]

There's a contraption I have seen used in Central Park that is akin to a T-post puller, but adapted to pulling saplings. Something like this might help remove the Barberry, because it will pull the crown out:Pullerbear Tree Puller Tool, Weed Wrench Alternative, Extractigator Alternative, Uprooter Alternative, Sapling Puller, Seedling Puller, Tree Puller, Shrub Puller, Root Puller, Brush Puller, Buckthorn Puller

[nahtnoj]

I bought a used Stihl FS280 brush cutter for $100. Awesome machine. But yeah, rock strikes.

I've been using it the way I think Jorn wants to - 4-6" off the ground, cut down the woody base of brambles, honeysuckle, etc. - then cut further with lopers.

Really tall grass, like has been growing up along unmaintained fence lines - I go a little lower, then finish off with a string trimmer.

Also, goats!

[xjoex]

I use a $230 Echo weed whacker (string trimmer) from Home Depot for my yard. In my last yard I would use it for about two hours at a time on full throttle to do the hillside that was my yard. It honestly works better than any Stihl I own. Never a problem to start. All I do it put premix'd gas in it and it starts right up.

In fact the first 2 years I did not have a garage, so it spent the winter outside wrapped in tarp in the yard. Covered in snow... It is garage kept now, but for 6 years it has been flawless. You can get a plastic doo-hicky blade adapter for cutting saplings too.

-Joe

[xjoex]

Joe, of course you realize your property is the snake’s property and you are just borrowing it. ;-) I’d suggest calling someone with some herpetological knowledge who might be able offer some gunpowderless solutions.

It is an air rifle, so it is already free of gun powder. It is a bb gun that shoots tiny BBs.

I have 10 acres in the desert which back up to 1000's of acres of BLM land, there is nothing I can do to keep them out of the yard. I have already killed some with shovels when they are near the house. I'd rather not risk my safety by staying further away with this air rifle.

It was a hard decision to make, hell I have been a vegetarian for 26 years now. But my wife and dogs safety takes priority. I'm not going out hunting them, but if they are sunning themselves on my driveway...

-Joe

[j44ke]

It was a hard decision to make, hell I have been a vegetarian for 26 years now. But my wife and dogs safety takes priority. I'm not going out hunting them, but if they are sunning themselves on my driveway...

-Joe

I understand. I've been around poisonous snakes plenty, so it was a suggestion based on experience but I trust you can judge what works for you in your situation.

[j44ke]

We been up in Hillsdale for the week, and in between cycling and localized flooding from thunderstorms, we visited the Churchtown Dairy. Very cool project on a portion of the Rockefeller land in Columbia County. They have a cheese production facility and farm shop where you can buy some of their product. Basically you walk in the farm shop door and there are two glass front dairy cases, one refrigerated cheese and raw milk and the other vacuum frozen pork and beef. You pick your stuff and then go over to an iPad and self-pay. All honor system. Cheese is great, and I hear the meat is too. But the best part is the barn. Circular timber frame structure. Beautiful building.





This is about 12 minutes from our house site too, so bonus.

[rwsaunders]

Jorn...the Shakers famously built one round barn but there is quite a science behind the structure and the use of the facility...cool structures.

The wonders, and the workings, of the Round Stone Barn | The Berkshire Eagle | Pittsfield Breaking News, Sports, Weather, Traffic

Round barn - Wikipedia

[ides1056]

^^^

I was going to say.

Reminds me a bit of the Globe Theater.

Check out Tithing Barns, if you like old timbered structures: eg Tithe Barn, Pilton - Wikipedia

[j44ke]

The arborist is out cutting trees today. I feel sorry for him and his guys. Already hot at 9:00AM. I am going over in a few minutes for a session of thumbs up, thumbs down as they've found a few trees that are alive at the top but dead at the bottom. I am a bit worried we will lose more trees than expected after this, but I figure we'll plant hardwoods as replacements and get some variety at the house site.

The rain has made everything go bonkers. So much vegetation now. Almost need a machete in places. Fall will be good as I will be able to see all the spots where I need to get in and dig and cut.

[ides1056]

There's 300 acres across the street in the process of being logged. I hear them at 3:30 am banging around. Too hot to work today if one isn't in the shade.

[j44ke]

Actually those trees are okay. But there are two pines that will be in the middle of the trench for the electrical service that we wanted to keep originally. Removing them will create a bit of a hole, but now that the buried cable is going on their side of the wall, they will need to go. Unfortunate because they are nice big pines. We have plenty of big pines, but these were in a nice spot as far as screening the garage from the house. We'll just have to plant a nice maple or oak - some tree with color in fall - in that spot. Plenty of sun so whatever we plant there will be really happy.

I can see our landscaping bill post-building notching upwards. I may also try to dig up saplings elsewhere on the property and move them.

[marley]

It is an air rifle, so it is already free of gun powder. It is a bb gun that shoots tiny BBs.

I have 10 acres in the desert which back up to 1000's of acres of BLM land, there is nothing I can do to keep them out of the yard. I have already killed some with shovels when they are near the house. I'd rather not risk my safety by staying further away with this air rifle.

It was a hard decision to make, hell I have been a vegetarian for 26 years now. But my wife and dogs safety takes priority. I'm not going out hunting them, but if they are sunning themselves on my driveway...

-Joe

Give this a try - I am sure you have spare crank and chain