Having once been entirely bog, we’ve got a fair amount of rushes growing. In fact the wood field had so many this year that it was more than half covered. The horses have dealt with the majority of the rushes in their bit of the field, but the far end is fenced off following Sherafey’s accident in the ditch earlier in the year. It’s a fair sized bit of land, about 1/10th of an acre, and we’ve decided to grow (at least some of) our willow crop in it.
One slight snag however, is that it looked like the bit in the picture above – shoulder high growth, shading out almost everything else. Its a bit of a jungle –
I know from experience that there’s only one way to cut this, and that is by hand with a good, sharp sickle. It’s hard old work, but quicker than any strimmer, and a lot less noisy. So cue a couple of hours slashing last night, and another session this morning, in torrential rain, and it is starting to look a bit tamer –
I now have a couple of mountains of rushes, and am wondering what to do with it – if I can bundle it and dry it, then I am wondering whether we might thatch our (as yet non existent) woodland shelter?
We have quite a bit of that in the little field at the front of the cottage. I think Rob was reading about using it as animal bedding (thinking maybe for the chickens), and I was thinking of attempting a wattle & daub duck house out there – I read somewhere that you can use the reeds with willow or hazel for weaving…
I’m wondering how best to dry it – where did you find your info about using it?
I know I just googled wattle & daub – will try to find again what site I was on. Will ask Rob when he comes back up from the water pump!
Having had a read around I’m going to try using it as bedding in one of the stables, if I can dry it a bit. Seems you can dry it the way you would straw, turn it and bale it (except we’d have to turn it manually and cart it the hard way, ie. loose, up to the yard). Worth a go…
I have read that the rush seed can survive for sixty years in the soil. I have similar rush problems and we are sadly starting to spray them with MCPA. I don’t like doing it but topping and cutting them with my strimmer doesn’t work. I think drainage and lime also help. May be even try growing something else like willow getting it ploughed and grow something else?
Great blog. I really like the Round House.
Hi Dave,thanks for visiting. The horses eat them down pretty well, though only once they’ve run out of grass. Its really reduced them though. We’re going to plant willow so densely (15,000 to the hectare) so 600 in a tenth of an acre, that the rushes dont stand a chance, and at least we’ll have some fuel crop. In the other paddocks where there are just a few rushes coming, the horses seem to like them while they are young.
Ploughing them apparently just spreads them around. Dry the ground out a bit, and it’ll probably have more effect than anything else..
Mole Ploughing is supposed to be excellent Steve. The great thing about willow is that it’s sustainable and it regenerates itself. Have you thought of getting some pigs? They are fantastic for clearing land. I also use a lot of cardboard boxes for mulching in my vegetable plot. The Americans call it ‘Lasagne Gardening. So perhaps you could spread some around the Willow trees?
Its been so wet here this year that I doubt we could get a machine onto the land. Next door abandoned combining when he got stuck halfway up his hill, and there are fields with water on that apparently never got wet before.
Yes, we use cardboard mulch, works very well and hopefully it’ll keep the rushes at bay long enough for the willow to get a hold. Where we were before had saddlebacks, but I came to the conclusion that I’m not a natural pig man. Having said that they are brilliant cultivators and they do taste nice. I know John Seymour swore by them. Have you read ‘Fat of the Land’? Is a great read and covers all his early years in smallholding.
It’s been terrible down here in West Cork also Steve. Although we did manage to harvest 72 massive bales of silage (contractor not me) and we never used any ‘bag manure’ fertiliser. I wanted to make hay but not this year. Still a dairy farmer is buying quite a lot of them so we are happy and it’s only cost a few hundred for the Winter feeding.
I have read ‘Fat of the Land’ and quite a few more of his books. Currently reading ‘England Revisited’. John wrote over forty books. A great biography type book: ‘The Good Life: Paul Peacock is very good and it traces John Seymour’s life.
You can get quite a lot of John Seymour’s books on Ebay. They are really cheap and still relevant today. I like John Seymour because he spoke his mind and inspired millions to get an allotment or smallholding.
Dorothy Hartley is also very good and her books are full of useful stuff from the last 500 years that is dead handy, but much forgotten. Food in england,made in england,land of england, and several more.
Never heard of Dorothy Hartley until now Steve. Think you have solved some Christmas presents for myself. Thanks.
I was also thinking that you can sell the Willow for basket making as well as for fuel.
Thanks again.