- Joined
- May 13, 2021
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Angie asked what we homesteading topics could tell about and this is one I have to much experience with.
First off it's MUCH easier to get stumps out with the tree attached. Using the trunk height for leverage. A large truck, tractor, dozer or just about anything with weight & traction can be used. You have to kind of get a feel for how high up you can hook the chain, cable or whatever depending on tree size. My basic rule of thumb is one foot up from the ground for every two to three inches of diameter IE: an 8 to 10 inch tree hooks up 3 to 4 feet off the ground. Having weight in the bed of a truck helps immensely. If you try and hook up to high you WILL break the tree trunk!
Before taking the brushy stuff down turning goats, pigs and some breeds of cows in helps a lot. Once the larger stuff is down turning pigs in helps root up the smaller roots stumps and stuff. A backhoe is also wonderful to have for those larger trees. Digging around the base can make a huge difference. If you don't have a backhoe a post hole auger or even a plow can help a lot. Then I run my homemade root rake through to pull up what the pigs missed and to start breaking up all the ground. If you're trying to smooth things out a box blade and pulverizer work well. If you want a real smooth finish a chain drag works wonders. Like the ones they use on the infield of a baseball diamond.
If you have areas that hold water or water tends to puddle up when it rains and takes a long time to go down Daikon Radishes are awesome. Their long deep drilling roots open up the compacted soil (clay) and give a way for water to drain to lower levels. Mixing in clovers, buckwheat, hairy vetch, sunhemp, sunflowers and beans also helps improve the soil. Those radishes are also full of protein all our animals love them. A diverse planting works MUCH better than a single crop and gives a much better chance of having something growing for your livestock or wildlife. Plus a mixture gives them a better balanced diet. For new ground just leaving everything there to add biomass is a big plus.
Please note I am NOT AN EXPERT but these things have worked well for us!
First off it's MUCH easier to get stumps out with the tree attached. Using the trunk height for leverage. A large truck, tractor, dozer or just about anything with weight & traction can be used. You have to kind of get a feel for how high up you can hook the chain, cable or whatever depending on tree size. My basic rule of thumb is one foot up from the ground for every two to three inches of diameter IE: an 8 to 10 inch tree hooks up 3 to 4 feet off the ground. Having weight in the bed of a truck helps immensely. If you try and hook up to high you WILL break the tree trunk!
Before taking the brushy stuff down turning goats, pigs and some breeds of cows in helps a lot. Once the larger stuff is down turning pigs in helps root up the smaller roots stumps and stuff. A backhoe is also wonderful to have for those larger trees. Digging around the base can make a huge difference. If you don't have a backhoe a post hole auger or even a plow can help a lot. Then I run my homemade root rake through to pull up what the pigs missed and to start breaking up all the ground. If you're trying to smooth things out a box blade and pulverizer work well. If you want a real smooth finish a chain drag works wonders. Like the ones they use on the infield of a baseball diamond.
If you have areas that hold water or water tends to puddle up when it rains and takes a long time to go down Daikon Radishes are awesome. Their long deep drilling roots open up the compacted soil (clay) and give a way for water to drain to lower levels. Mixing in clovers, buckwheat, hairy vetch, sunhemp, sunflowers and beans also helps improve the soil. Those radishes are also full of protein all our animals love them. A diverse planting works MUCH better than a single crop and gives a much better chance of having something growing for your livestock or wildlife. Plus a mixture gives them a better balanced diet. For new ground just leaving everything there to add biomass is a big plus.
Please note I am NOT AN EXPERT but these things have worked well for us!