Carnog offers two harrow options. The heavy harrow has 2 No 4ft mats with 13mm tines and a heavy duty drawbar and weighs 82kg in total. It was made by Paul Helps of Chain Harrows, is really heavy duty and has done a great job of getting rid of those ever-creeping buttercups – as well as spreading muck. The lighter harrow is shown below. Horse-drawn harrows can be used to manage most grassland and are specifically good for managing horse-pasture. Horses do have a bad reputation for poaching fields but Billy and Tyler can be used to remedy most damage.
Good horse-pasture management can be achieved by a variety of methods including regular removal of manure (to keep ‘rough latrine’ areas to a minimum whilst making yourself good compost for the garden at the same time!) as well as pasture rotation and seasonal harrowing. The effect of harrowing is almost miraculous. A muddy mess can be transformed back into a healthy pasture with a small amount of harrowing and some resting.
Harrowing aerates the soil by removing dead grass and moss and allowing water and nutrients down into the soil to enable new grass growth. It is best carried out early in spring, before strong grass growth gets underway but should not be carried out if ground nesting birds are present or the land is too wet. Harrowing can also be useful during the summer to break up piles of manure (which can cause some areas to become wrank) allowing them to dry out and expose any parasite larvae to the elements, as well as re-distributing the nutrients more evenly around the fields. Harrowing can be useful at any time the ground has become compacted but it should only be done when the soil conditions are right or the soil can be damaged.
Please contact us to discuss your requirements.