Page 21Machinery and Grazing

Design By Nature's  Wildflower Growers Manual

Cutting Machinery and Grazing

Always Hand cut a meadow in the early morning when the grass is moist and fresh, the hand tools or machinery will do the job faster if cut by mid-day

With Tractor driven machinery cut a meadow after mid-day when the grass gets stiffer.  Grazing animals can be used anytime except during the nesting season if the meadow remained uncut during spring as birds will be nesting in a tall meadow.

Finger-Bar or Sickle-Bar Mower

A Finger-Bar or Sickle-Bar Mower is the very best machine for cutting where a tractor or ride on mower cannot be used.  We can cut many acres in a day with this machine.

The machine is best rented or can be purchased.

Always keep people away from the front of the machine, as it will chop there feet off..

Brush-cutter

Ideal for small areas and around trees,  Brush-cutters are very slow on area over !/4 acre and can be dangerous as they scatter shards of foliage

We recommend using metal blades, not plastic.  Please read and follow full safety instructions and use correct safety equipment, including eye protection, ear mufflers, proper boots and leggings, as well as not wearing any wool or clothes liable to catch or snag to fast rotating parts

Tractor mowers

Ideal large areas

We recommend starting the cutting of the meadow from the middle outwards.

Best not to cut on a wet day.

Finger bar mowers are ideal. Bale the Hay or compost, or spread under trees.

Tips

• Flail mowers are not suitable for wildlife habitats but are efficient machines for amenity meadows where wildlife is not an important issue. 

• Cutting bars and strimmers or brushcutters (blades) are best for wildlife. 

• Meadows should be cut from the inside of the meadow outwards, so that wildlife can escape. 

• After the meadow is cut back in autumn, have a party on it, play sports, polo even, and the damage done will be terrific for bringing back new seedlings in to the meadow, (no joke). The more damage in Autumn the better the gaps created, the more seeds next year.