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The GREEN HORSE - sustainable horsekeeping

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2007
Vol 29-3

In the October/November 2007 Issue of The Green Horse you will find the following articles:

Information Exchange - Reader’s Tips, Views and Questions.
Deeds, Steeds and Weeds - Managing Revegetation by Stephen Anderson.
Useful UTV’s.
Weed Watch - Cathead by Nicola Field.
Fencing On A Curve.
Growing Equine Herbs - Yucca by Fiona Adams.
Earthworms In Pasture.
Grass Is Not The ‘Baddie’.
Reading The Landscape Pt 2 by Chris and Tracey Ferreira.

MANAGING REVEGETATION OVER SPRING/SUMMER

Summer should be a time to watch your revegetation do it’s thing. The less time you have to spend out in the heat (and getting prickles in your socks) the better!

Do I Need To Water?
Water if... Drought conditions prevail; Late season plantings have not had time to establish adequate root systems; Pre or post planting weed control is inadequate and there is too much competition for moisture. Water infrequently, perhaps once a month or less, or only during/prior to hot spells, and give your seedlings a good drink when you do. Over watering will cause shallow root development and seedlings may blow over, or may not be able to cope with particularly adverse conditions without your care and attention.
Seedlings that were planted in good time and look healthy going into summer should not need watering in most circumstances. Direct seeding is not usually watered, often due to the large scale of these projects, but if you have a small project on reasonably level ground or seeded on the contour, you may like to experiment.

Continue Weed Control
If you have managed to keep on top of weed control over winter and spring, you can concentrate your efforts on summer weeds, including couch, kikuyu and many woody weeds. If your site contains none of these and you have successfully expended effort prior to summer, you may able to rest easy!
Herbicides may be applied to foliage or in conjunction with manual removal by swabbing or spraying the cut stems. Exotic trees could be removed from watercourses whilst water levels are down or flows have stopped, reducing erosion potential. It will be difficult to re-establish cover during summer if the earth has been exposed, so every effort should be made to do this as soon as possible.
If you haven’t been able to keep up with the weeds, maintaining your revegetation area over summer may require considerable effort. Invest in and utilise spraying and slashing or mowing equipment, but take precautions to avoid igniting fires. Contact your local CFS for further information.
Stop seed-set of unwanted weeds if possible. Reduce bulk of dry matter if intending to plant next year.
When controlling weeds prior to planting, crash-grazing (usually with sheep) could be considered, but site disturbance caused by livestock access or overgrazing could cause worse weed problems next season and is not recommended for unstable watercourses.
Biological controls for some weeds could also be considered. Contact your local Animal and Plant Control Board for further information.

Monitor
Keep an eye out for rabbits and kangaroos and seek assistance to control them, if necessary. Vermin and stray livestock are most likely to cause damage to your seedlings over summer and autumn when feed reserves are short. Observe which species in your seeding have emerged, and learn to identify different species by their seed and juvenile leaves. Watch for signs of stress in vegetation as an indicator of the season or disease.

Maintain Fences
When feed is in short supply, your revegetation (or the weeds in it) may seem more attractive than what is in the paddock, causing livestock to place additional pressure on fences.

Check fence regularly
Keep electric fences free of rank grass. Good earthing may also require you ‘water’ any earth stakes if your earthing system requires them.
Check for broken wires and insulators, loose clamps or connections, flat batteries and broken energisers.
Repair any faults immediately or move stock. Animals will exploit any flaws and cause damage to infrastructure and plants.
Avoid overgrazing and rotate stock regularly to keep them content. Consider revegetation fences as permanent and do not skimp on construction.

Prepare For Next Season
Collect native seed and grow your own seedlings, especially over December and January. Collect seed from mature revegetation projects if of known origin. A permit to collect seed from public lands is required.
Place orders and source seed with nurseries or retailers if you have not already done so as soon as possible.
Map out new areas and decide what action you will need to implement.
Seek advice from consultants or contractors - there are plenty of days over the summer months that are unsuitable for specialist field work when you may be able to arrange a site visit at short notice.
Seek advice if you need it, and relate your observations and ideas to anyone who would offer advice.

By Stephen Anderson courtesy Land Management Program and Small Talk Newlsetter

FENCING ON A CURVE

There are many different techniques used when fencing for livestock, however one of the more challenging, is when faced with a curved area such as a watercourse, trees or revegetation area or rocky outcrops. Here we have simplified the actual construction technique to fourteen steps, which will work for either standard or electric fencing.

Fourteen Steps For Successful Curved Fencing

1. Plan your fence well - use diagrams and maps and measure out distances correctly.

2. Use 1.8 metre x 100 to 125 millimetre creosote posts or relative hardwood substitute as these offer more strength.

3. Ram all posts (makes the fence 30 percent stronger).

4. When fencing a watercourse, construct the fence five metres minimum from creek or river bank.

5. Lean posts five degrees into the wire strain.

6. For strength and maximum strain, number eight post leans way out, away from the creek (see diagram).

7. Number seven post leans in towards the creek. This works for any curved fence project, such as revegetation areas or rock patches.

8. Wire should be fixed so that wire is always pulling into the post on change of direction of the fence.

9. Use porcelain drive screw insulators for positive wires - these have a stronger fixture when straining wires.

10. Use insultimber (electric fence) or galvanised (standard fence) droppers to space wires if needed.

11. The sharper the curve, the closer the posts should be placed (maximum 20 metres, minimum 3 metres).

12. Out of line placement (distance of post five from a straight line between 4 and 6) should be no more than half the post length.

13. Strain all wires from the centre of the fence.

14. Use well constructed end assemblies / strainer posts. This will ensure the long term integrity of the fence.

Courtesy Land Management Program