Homesteading and Hobby Farm/Ranch
- Thread starter Kiroy
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Guest, it's time once again for the massively important and exciting FoH Asshat Tournament!
Go here and give us your nominations!Who's been the biggest Asshat in the last year? Give us your worst ones!
Asshat Foler
2024 FoH Asshat
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Interesting. I’ve seen these for cows. How does it benefit the goat? A happy goat is a healthy goat, etc?
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Edaw
Parody
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Asshat Foler
2024 FoH Asshat
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About to give up on my solarization experiment. I think it’s been two months now and weeds are just growing under clear plastic. No real sign of them dying. Meanwhile the black weedmatt I had laid prior has decimated the area it’s on.
Im thinking maybe because the area I’m trying to solarize is on a slope that when it rains the water is going into ground uphill of it and feeds the entire slope. Doesn’t help that it’s winter in Florida and that this area doesn’t get sun all day, only 70-80% of day.
I need to plant around Easter so I need to pivot to weed mat soon for the rest of it if I want to give up on this. Probably $400 of weed mat coupled with $600 wasted on clear plastic. Bummer..
Im thinking maybe because the area I’m trying to solarize is on a slope that when it rains the water is going into ground uphill of it and feeds the entire slope. Doesn’t help that it’s winter in Florida and that this area doesn’t get sun all day, only 70-80% of day.
I need to plant around Easter so I need to pivot to weed mat soon for the rest of it if I want to give up on this. Probably $400 of weed mat coupled with $600 wasted on clear plastic. Bummer..
Kiroy
Marine Biologist
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Very cool but I bet its 2k+ and breaks every other months.
I found giving them a couple piles of decent sized branches (2-3 inch) from trimmed trees fulfills this need. They make their own little scratch tunnels with em.
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Kiroy
Marine Biologist
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About to give up on my solarization experiment. I think it’s been two months now and weeds are just growing under clear plastic. No real sign of them dying. Meanwhile the black weedmatt I had laid prior has decimated the area it’s on.
Im thinking maybe because the area I’m trying to solarize is on a slope that when it rains the water is going into ground uphill of it and feeds the entire slope. Doesn’t help that it’s winter in Florida and that this area doesn’t get sun all day, only 70-80% of day.
I need to plant around Easter so I need to pivot to weed mat soon for the rest of it if I want to give up on this. Probably $400 of weed mat coupled with $600 wasted on clear plastic. Bummer..
Black plastic for a month after it starts heating up and you’re done. I think you explained your reasoning a while ago but still don’t get why you’d do clear plastic, you’re just making the weeds a nice winter greenhouse unless you somehow seal all edges from air which is probably impossible.
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Asshat Foler
2024 FoH Asshat
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Yeah. Rolled the dice. Is what it is.. I’ll do this.
Hah. Probably aluminum fencing. Gotta go good ole fashion chain link.
Asshat Foler
2024 FoH Asshat
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Do you guys have a lot of permaculture folks in your community? Vibe I get is most of you have ruralish farmers and not hippy permaculturists.
That’s not to say permaculture is bullshit but I don’t think anyone should be worshipping bill millison. Because my land is really in the city most of the people into growing their own food are straight permaculture hippy types. I keep seeing stranger and stranger shit. Like they’re into crystals, or selling this idea that “growing your own food is literally the solution to all the world’s problems”.
I don’t feel like I fit in with this community. I view permaculture as a tool in a toolbox, I’m a bit more pragmatic and wtf crystals? I was talking to my tree farm guy and the vibe I got was he shares the same sentiment - permaculture guys have big egos.
Don’t know what I’m trying to say. I just wish I had more community in this hobby. I’d be stoked to help someone cultivate their land with my tractor/resources.
That’s not to say permaculture is bullshit but I don’t think anyone should be worshipping bill millison. Because my land is really in the city most of the people into growing their own food are straight permaculture hippy types. I keep seeing stranger and stranger shit. Like they’re into crystals, or selling this idea that “growing your own food is literally the solution to all the world’s problems”.
I don’t feel like I fit in with this community. I view permaculture as a tool in a toolbox, I’m a bit more pragmatic and wtf crystals? I was talking to my tree farm guy and the vibe I got was he shares the same sentiment - permaculture guys have big egos.
Don’t know what I’m trying to say. I just wish I had more community in this hobby. I’d be stoked to help someone cultivate their land with my tractor/resources.
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I don't do permaculture, not exactly. I grow what I want, but I also have a large area that is all native plants that is a registered monarch garden. When I cut trees down I plant native trees to replace them, mostly red oak. I do rotate my crops every year, as in I don't plant tomatoes in the same place two years in a row. I do a bunch of research to see what will benefit from the previous years crop.
There are really good things about permaculture, but I can't embrace it fully.
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Asshat Foler
2024 FoH Asshat
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That’s neat. I have some milkweed in my nursery right now. Monarchs absolutely love it. Going to plant it near my water with some white African iris.
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Borzak
Bronze Baron of the Realm
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They use similar type deals for cows. About 3' in dimater and vertical about 4' tall. Anchored to the ground. The ones I've seen the cows love it and rub up against it all the time. Of course it doesn't rotate or anything, that's up to the cow.
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Blazin
Creative Title
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Think I'm going to get a zero turn for this mowing season. Currently maintain property with an offset flail mower pulled by my tractor and a Kubota BX for tighter areas.
It's just not working out, mow times are just too high and the BX is just not heavy duty enough for fields, really meant for rolled lawn. Keep having to reweld breaks from stress.
I just can't believe the price on diesel commercial grade zero turns but I know that it's the right piece of equipment when dealing with this amount of mowing just really sucks to drop another $20k on equipment. I'm a few years into this now and still fully coming to grips with how much axuilary cost their is to land ownership especially when wanting it properly cared for. You start to understand why farmers just let things go to shit.
It's just not working out, mow times are just too high and the BX is just not heavy duty enough for fields, really meant for rolled lawn. Keep having to reweld breaks from stress.
I just can't believe the price on diesel commercial grade zero turns but I know that it's the right piece of equipment when dealing with this amount of mowing just really sucks to drop another $20k on equipment. I'm a few years into this now and still fully coming to grips with how much axuilary cost their is to land ownership especially when wanting it properly cared for. You start to understand why farmers just let things go to shit.
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Asshat Foler
2024 FoH Asshat
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Maintaining land cost so much. Easy to overlook how important the right tool for the job is.
Asshat Foler
2024 FoH Asshat
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Blazin
check out Dixie chopper too.XCaliber | Dixie Chopper
Featuring a 66" or 74" cutting deck the Dixie Chopper XCaliber series zero turn mower offers the most productivity and features money can buy.
www.dixiechopper.com
Blazin
Creative Title
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That is not in the same class as far as duty. Steel not as thick and thats gas. Bros don't buy gas equipment. I'll stick with team orange just keeps my maintenance life simple.
XCaliber | Dixie Chopper
Featuring a 66" or 74" cutting deck the Dixie Chopper XCaliber series zero turn mower offers the most productivity and features money can buy.
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Once you have it you will never regret buying it. The right tool for the job.
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Asshat Foler
2024 FoH Asshat
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TBH I had no idea they made zero turns that were this intense.
Blazin
I’m not sure if you remember the pic I sent you in private message of my towing setup? Canam defender pulling a kunz rough cut acre ease.
Commercial Grade Pull Behind Rough Cut Mower AcrEase Model MR55KEI - Kunz Engineering
The Rought Cut Mower AcrEase Model MR55KEI demands your attention. Take a look at this Rough Cut Mower and just imagine what it can do to your property.
kunzeng.com
I would have gone zero turn but during Florida summer the property flood by river and the guys I had mowing at the time would get theirs stuck down there. This same situation made a tractor not a viable solution either. Glad I didn’t go that route because with the canam I run over 10 ft tall brush with zero concern due to skid plates under it. Also I wanted something that could handle more of a rough cut. Maybe the only other benefit from a zero turn is the ability to run these daisy chained as you can see in some of their pics. I think they fit a nice niche.
Downside of course is I can’t get the granularity on getting in tight spaces as I could a zero turn. Which is fine for now.. Not much of a lawn anywhere.
Anyways that thing looks amazing. I see it has kubota’s HST. I wonder if it has the HST whine. That threw me off on my tractor at first but I’m used to it now.. Please do share pics of this when you get it and also if you could share before/after pics of what you’re cutting. I’m excited for you.