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symplestytches

1+ acre of weeds

symplestytches
9 years ago

Hi everyone,

I just purchased a home that sits on 1.3 acres in wonderful Western Washington, and all the land is covered in weeds (mostly just dandelions and variations of), and is basically a blank slate. the front yard is the septic field, and is a hill. the backyard is nice and flat, and already has a fenced off raised garden set up in a back section. My question is this: What would be the best way to remove the unwanted plants on this size of a property, and replace it with a low-growing groundcover for most of it, instead of just having boring old grass cover the entire thing? my husband and i are against mowing, we want to spend our time doing other things than just cutting down an acre of grass every week. I included pics in the link of the land. (the weeds are about knee high now, it's only been a month since those pics were taken please help!)

Here is a link that might be useful: House Yard

Comments (4)

  • PomoDoroFarms
    9 years ago

    Congrats on being the steward of your new land! At that size you are pretty much at the agricultural scale. Keeping one species (basically a monoculture) will always be labor intensive. Allowing native species to stay in a diverse lawn is easier. But to get a total and temporary kill on those weeds would require a tilling using either a plow or rototiller. You would also have to immediately introduce a new species(s) both to crowd out the weeds which would germinate and to protect your soil health. That does require a bit of skill. A low growing ground cover would also be competing with the native species and the natives will almost always have an advantage over time. A somewhat longer term option would be to plant some trees like say pines or fruit trees if you want to put that land to food use. There would be years of maintenance as the trees were making a canopy though. Another option that many people might not choose for obvious aesthetic reasons in a neighborhood would be to just fallow it. Grass also doesn't need to be mowed weekly. I mow a 1/2 acre at a time with a scythe about 4-5 times a year (when there is adequate rainfall, less in drought). If you or your husband are athletic it is great exercise and with the right technique it is not as strenuous as it sounds. There is no engine maintenance and a lot cheaper than a mower. You do have learn to maintain the blade. It could be a fun activity in two.

    Sorry to report but there is no maintenance free way that is also as aesthetically pleasing as a neatly trimmed suburban lawn to plant on an open or mixed acre. The easiest thing to do for now would be to mow every month or more adding some grass seed or pasture mix if you can see any soil in there. The mowing when the grasses are about 8-10 inches high will actually increase the health of your soil if you leave the clippings where they fall and you do not cut it too short. Certain weed species will disappear under that management. You might be also be able to have a farmer make hay from your land for his/her own use. No money is usually exchanged in that situation. And your land may be too small for a farmer to bother but maybe you have some homesteaders nearby that want it.

    As you make your decision, those dandelions are pumping minerals up to the top of the soil using their deep taproots! They make great free culinary additions to a kitchen too!

    I hope this gives you some ideas.

    Godspeed

  • PomoDoroFarms
    9 years ago

    P.S. i just saw a pet bunny in those photos of your land. You can make hay for free for your rabbit if you have one. To make hay, cut it before the grass has lignified (before it turns brown and woody) and full of seed heads . Cut just before you have three days of sunshine coming to dry it out. Cut grass in the evening while it has the day's sugars still in it which makes it more palatable to animals. After turning it a few times under the sun for about three days it should be dry. It should smell fragrant and be dry before you store it. You could just cut the grass with a scissors if that is all you have or a scythe or a cheaper sickle get more advanced.

  • symplestytches
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Where does one purchase a scythe? My husband was actually thinking of getting one to do just that. I'm just trying to figure out how to get rid of the weeds, even if it means just to let other natural flora grow in its place. They are just everywhere! And the blackberries and salal have taken over around almost every tree, I don't want it to look like a housing development yard, I just want the weeds under control.

    and yes, i have a pet bunny =)

    we are currently picking as many of the edible weeds as he will devour, along with our little tortoise, but it's just too much for just the two of them. is it possible to compost weeds, or is that a no bueno thing to do?

    This post was edited by symplestytches on Wed, Sep 17, 14 at 13:26

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    By all means compost weeds. Try to do it before they set seed although personally I compost them in any condition.