# Hog ruts and weed problem



## Farmerjon28 (Apr 13, 2014)

I have about 10 acres of really good soil and a pretty good strain of coastal growing. It has weeds and hog ruts all in it. I was looking for ideas on how to smooth ruts and kill weeds off.


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

If there are just a few scattered ruts, a box blade might do the level job. If it's near solid, the only way I can think of would be to disc the field up & start over. If the ruts aren't too deep & you have plenty of moisture & can get it smooth without too much cutting, you might luck up & not have to re-plant. Herbicide for the weeds, which one would depend on what weed.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Farmerjon28 said:


> I have about 10 acres of really good soil and a pretty good strain of coastal growing. It has weeds and hog ruts all in it. I was looking for ideas on how to smooth ruts and kill weeds off.


Just curious define hog ruts


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## rajela (Feb 15, 2014)

Depends on how old the hog ruts are also. If they have been in the meadow recently then maybe a chain harrow would knock them down pretty good but if they have been there for a while then a disc will be needed.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Are the hog ruts from feral hogs? How many ruts need to be smoothed?


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

endrow said:


> Just curious define hog ruts


He's talking about where the hogs dig for roots or insects below ground. I've seen them up to knee deep, & some times just a small spot, say a foot across & the sod just turned over, to several acres looking like a big disc or plow has been pulled across the ground. Only rougher.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I would really dislike trying to farm where the hog rodents had access. I have seen what they do the the planted green fields on deer leases for hunting. Here there is no closed season on feral hogs.

I guess a box blade of front end loader would be good for smoothing ruts. Depends on how deep and wide they are. Some can be huge mud holes where the hogs wallow.

You would probably have to back push with a box blade if the ruts are deep.

The Good Lord would be calling some pigs home early.


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## urednecku (Oct 18, 2010)

Tim/South said:


> I would really dislike trying to farm where the hog rodents had access. I have seen what they do the the planted green fields on deer leases for hunting. Here there is no closed season on feral hogs.
> 
> I guess a box blade of front end loader would be good for smoothing ruts. Depends on how deep and wide they are. Some can be huge mud holes where the hogs wallow.
> 
> ...


Yep, & my freezer would be full.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

urednecku said:


> Yep, & my freezer would be full.


I was near Jacksonville, Florida a couple of years ago. A local was running his hog dogs. The dogs would catch and hold a pig. The guy would castrate the boar pigs and notch their ear. When the pigs became hogs he knew which ones to shoot for the freezer.


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

Farmerjon28 said:


> I have about 10 acres of really good soil and a pretty good strain of coastal growing. It has weeds and hog ruts all in it. I was looking for ideas on how to smooth ruts and kill weeds off.


Farmerjon28,

Been there- done that, as we say in these parts. Here is what works...

When the bermudagrass initiates green sprouts (now) connect your disk harrow to your tractor and put a weighted drag behind the disk harrow. Take this unit and go disk the hog rooted area several times over until you are satisfied that it is as smooth as you would like it to be for haying, etc. Immediately follow this with a heavy roller (water filled) to repack the soil and conserve moisture.

To do this without killing your Coastal bermudagrass stand, the soil must contain adequate moisture and the ideal would be to complete the task a day or so before a > 40% chance for rain is predicted. Disking, dragging, and repacking the soil will cut up the plant roots, rhizomes, and runners so that the operation will be similar to resprigging these hog-rooted sites.

You will be surprised at how fast the site recovers because you effectively are incorporating any surface limestone, phosphorus, etc., and putting it into the root zone where it becomes more effective for plant uptake.

You might want to spray any broadleaf weeds with a product like WeedMaster or other reasonably priced broadleaf weed killer a couple of days before doing the disk harrowing to ensure that they will die and not be replanted by disking, but this may not be necessary as these are winter weeds that soon will die off anyway and some will be killed by the disking operation. If they have produced seed, you can spray to control them next year.

Also, please add TX after Smith County in your profile since this is a national and international site and there are other Smith Counties in the USA.

Vincent


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## Colby (Mar 5, 2012)

The bad part about it is I've noticed hogs root up the same spots year after year. What we do, disk and roll it, about 45 days ago. Then spray it with grazon p+d or trooper p+d now. Coastal responses well to light disking.


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