keyline ploughing for silvopasture.

[onesiedale]

Any tips, guidance , ground rules for applying these methods into grazing ground.
Have got in mind a 2ha project, into former arable ground, gentle SE aspect.
tree lines 20m apart. fruit trees
Establishment?
mix of trees/shrubs
depth of subsoiling - if at all
Best fencing and spacing.
all for grazing with cows/calves.

 

[crashbox]

Any tips, guidance , ground rules for applying these methods into grazing ground.
Have got in mind a 2ha project, into former arable ground, gentle SE aspect.
tree lines 20m apart. fruit trees
Establishment?
mix of trees/shrubs
depth of subsoiling - if at all
Best fencing and spacing.
all for grazing with cows/calves.

Watching.

No experience here yet (planning a similar project) but plant trees in north-south lines.

 

[onesiedale]

Watching.

No experience here yet (planning a similar project) but plant trees in north-south lines.

ahhh. here , the guy is proposing following the contour minus 1⁰

 

[Jonny B88]

Funnily enough we are planning a very similar project this year. Im having a go at planning 3 different styles.

1. similar to you 20m spacings with tree protection being a strip of electric fence either side of tree line. This is a field i can cut for hay/silage so want to see how the tree spacings work with that.

2. similar but different. Main tree lines at 20m spacings but alternating with a line of shrubs at 20m spacing. So it means a tree line of some sort every 10m. These fields i plan never to cut as they are generally not suitable to cut. The shrub lines protected with leccy wire and the main tree lines with cactus guards. These trees will be about 4 or so meters apart to allow cattle to walk between them.

3. a very small awkward field with multiple gateways i plan on a few “islands of about 5x5 trees in a group doted about randomly (but planned randomly). These island will be shrubs outside and main trees inside. They will be protected by electric fence enclosures which after establishment and a bit of maturing we will take the fence away so cattle can roam through.

excited about it tbh

 

[Jonny B88]

Also i dont have a scooby about keyline ploughing. Something i should study

 

[crashbox]

ahhh. here , the guy is proposing following the contour minus 1⁰

Rationale is if you plant north south, the pasture still gets the benefit of enough sun for photosynthesis.

East-West leaves a bigger area without sun during the growing season.

@Kiwi Pete may know about Keylines?

 

[crashbox]

Keyline design - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Rationale is if you plant north south, the pasture still gets the benefit of enough sun for photosynthesis.

East-West leaves a bigger area without sun during the growing season.

@Kiwi Pete may know about Keylines?

Not as much as I have done planting trees, we planted loads back in the day. Work out a contour line with a level and then plant off that.
We just used to set out "by eye" which worked very well, especially if the land is steep and sheep have been on it as their tracks are great at following contour, but you could fit a water-level to a machine and drive according to that?

 

[Nick Adams]

Get the book: PA YEOMANS Water for Every Farm, off the top of my head.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Get the book: PA YEOMANS Water for Every Farm, off the top of my head.

£2.82 for Kindle (Amazon) or
£39.42 for the book (Blackwells).

Keyline was the precursor to Permaculture, I would like to read that book (when I finish everything I already own).