Mowing the rose area this year was nothing like the terror
of last year. I never had to use the
reverse gear on the mower and I only suffered a single scratch. I really enjoy viewing this scene without
rose bushes. There are still a few roses
in the flanking tree lines that I’ll work on cutting through the winter.
The sparseness of red flags indicates that very few roses
survived from last year’s efforts. I
only marked six live bushes in the former rose thicket. I’m still amazed at the success of this
project.
The incidence of rose bushes was higher in the neighboring
field. The entire number of marked
bushes was just around two dozen, so treatment next spring should be fairly
easy.
The Indian Grass was in perfect condition for mowing. When the stalk has dried, it is easily cut
and chopped by the mower. This allows
the cut material to be more uniformly spread.
It’s also easiest to mow when the stalks are still standing upright.
A cut cedar showing green growth will soon return as a tall,
thick bush. It’s hard to spot some of
the smaller cedars hidden in the Indian Grass, so it’s important to watch for
the bright green patch that indicates a young cedar stump.
It adds to the mowing time, but it’s important to take the time
to clip these little cedar bases. The
cedar won’t die on its own and will require even more time to remove later on.
Dried Goldenrod stalks easily break up and disappear into
the stubble. A scattering of young
Winged Sumacs were cut, but the large specimens were left. Their fruits have all dried and are hanging
in tight clusters for use by the birds if needed later in the winter.
The Allegheny Mound Ants had just one mound in this
field. The mounds are much more common
on higher ground where the soils are drier and more easily drained.
I’ll continue my mowing efforts further into the field to
the extent of the Indian Grass stand.
The area beyond these cedars has never been mowed by me, but evidence of
Autumn Olive and Multiflora Rose growth now makes it necessary.
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