Reducing (non-pasture) mowing / supporting wildlife

[PeteyPie]

I think a border of some kind makes a wild area more attractive, partly because it looks purposeful and planned. If you can figure out how to do it, it seems to me you could just let nature overtake the areas you want to stop mowing.

In the beautiful photo posted by @S1969 the border is accomplished simply by the dramatically different heights of the weedy meadow area contrasting against the mowed path. You could also use an attractive fence, a low stone wall, or, more economically, a planted border of some kind to make a boundary between the wild area and your maintained and mowed pasture.

I googled “meadow in landscaping” and clicked on the Images icon to get some ideas. Some look too weedy and just not attractive to me but there are many which I like. But, as seems to happen too often in life, I tend to like the most expensive treatments the best, like the wide hardscape paths which separate the areas, or the beautiful rustic split-rail fences which would probably be a bear to maintain.
Examples from Google Search

For what it’s worth, I think your treed area looks really pretty as is, and I think if you let it go completely it would look great.

[StormyDay]

I would not do goats. I have a friend who got some for the exact reason of wanting to not have to mow as much, and holy cow I don’t think those things ever stop trying to kill themselves. She’s spent more in goat vet bills in the past year than horse vet bills. One of them had to say in the ‘goat ICU’ for 2 days.

My neighbor had planted a wildflower mix in their yard. It grew to be about 3 ft tall and looked very pretty. I don’t know exactly what the mix was, but it bloomed pretty much from April to October, just different plants at different times. They had bees. I don’t think they ever mowed it. However, they sold and the new owners are mowing it down now…

[candyappy]

@StormyDay

I would not do goats. I have a friend who got some for the exact reason of wanting to not have to mow as much, and holy cow I don’t think those things ever stop trying to kill themselves. She’s spent more in goat vet bills in the past year than horse vet bills. One of them had to say in the ‘goat ICU’ for 2 days.

Individual experiences will vary greatly for everyone. Just look at people’s experiences with horse ownership on this place?

Just a suggestion I threw out. A homeowner down the road has a " plot" of land it looks like they planted with flowers/ native plants so they would have to mow. It just looks awful and overgrown. I would rather mow!!

[wildlifer]

Just wanted to say that I’m sorry I didn’t get back to this thread. Had a bunch of shit going on in my life & I just recently had to bury my young horse. But if you still have questions, I’d be happy to help.

[endlessclimb]

Lots of land is maintained as a prairie type landscape with the CRP program. They would be a good agency to contact on how to get it there and keep it there.

For the dog training grounds, it is never fully mowed. Paths are mowed throughout, and the 80 acres are burned every 2 years or so. Many years of this and it has never gone scrubby on us.

[Bluey]

@endlessclimb

Lots of land is maintained as a prairie type landscape with the CRP program. They would be a good agency to contact on how to get it there and keep it there.

For the dog training grounds, it is never fully mowed. Paths are mowed throughout, and the 80 acres are burned every 2 years or so. Many years of this and it has never gone scrubby on us.

CRP conservation programs here require you to keep grass mowed, because if not overabundant grasses and competing weeds will ruin your prairie grasses.

Is the natural progression of plant species to go from mere weeds, grasses get established, fighting it out with weeds, weeds taking over under certain conditions, like winter snows and heavy early rains, grasses thriving with early dry spells and later rains.
After those, shrubs and bushes and trees get established, is how forest form.

One reason settlers found the Great Prairies was because the native indian tribes used to keep those thriving by prescribed fires, that eliminated mostly bushes and trees trying to grow, that took years to get any size and so the land stayed in mostly grasses.
Each tribe had their designated territories and fought over the better places with water and more grasses and protection in the winters, more animal reserves like buffalo they loosely herded by directing their movements and peeling off a handful and scaring them down cliffs.
They then spent days camped there until thru slaughtering and curing the meats and other products, until ready for more.
Without them and their management of their prairies, most of the US would have been a forest by the time European settlers arrived.

If we want open land, the vegetation that works there is different and takes another kind of management than if you want forest, all according to what region you live in.

Why not pick brains of those that know, your county agent, your Farm Service people, including those there of the Soil Conservation Department?
They really can help you manage your land and even may have ongoing government programs that some may fit what you want to do with your land they may cost share with you.
Your taxes at work, a free service, check them out.

[endlessclimb]

Around here you are not allowed to mow unless it is 100% necessary. Mowing defeats the purpose of it getting established as habitat for ground nesting birds.

[Bluey]

@endlessclimb

Around here you are not allowed to mow unless it is 100% necessary. Mowing defeats the purpose of it getting established as habitat for ground nesting birds.

Oh, that is a different goal than CRP, we also have some planted to wildlife grasses and that we don’t need to mow either.
That contract is not thru the CRP program, but the Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife office.
Yes, you are supposed to mow CRP here, but also after a certain time, to protect some kinds of birds, but definitely in wet years it needs mowing, or weeds would take over the grass turf those programs are helping establish/re-establish.

[Texarkana]

@wildlifer

Just wanted to say that I’m sorry I didn’t get back to this thread. Had a bunch of shit going on in my life & I just recently had to bury my young horse. But if you still have questions, I’d be happy to help.

Oh no. I’m so sorry to hear that. Virtual hugs.

[Bluey]

@wildlifer

Just wanted to say that I’m sorry I didn’t get back to this thread. Had a bunch of shit going on in my life & I just recently had to bury my young horse. But if you still have questions, I’d be happy to help.

So sorry on the loss of your youngster, hugs.

[Simkie]

I didn’t see this thread the first time around, but we’ve seeded a few steep, hard to mow areas with clover, and it’s done very well. It’s shorter, so doesn’t look messy, and the flowers support pollinators. It out competes the grass there pretty well. We pulled the weeds to start. It seems to be holding erosion well. The edges that come up to where we do mow tolerate mowing fine, and the slope doesn’t need it.

Clover seed is available and relatively inexpensive. These areas aren’t horse areas, but if the horses got loose and took a bite, it wouldn’t hurt them.

We’ve been very pleased with it overall, and will be doing more slopes in clover this year.

@wildlifer I’m so sorry about your young horse

[endlessclimb]

Follow Rules for Maintaining CRP Acres

Maybe they’ve changed the rules since, but it looks like in nearly all places CRP mowing is prohibited. Doesn’t stop guys from doing it, or even double dipping and having it.

[Bluey]

@endlessclimb

Maybe they’ve changed the rules since, but it looks like in nearly all places CRP mowing is prohibited. Doesn’t stop guys from doing it, or even double dipping and having it.

That is not how I read that article, but if someone has questions, check with your USDA Farm Service Agency, they will have the answer that applies to your region, your land and your contract, which as indicated in that article, can be different for each situation, time of the year, kinds of grasses, etc.