Owning a piece of woodland property might be a dream come true for a number of homesteaders. But sometimes, clearing out the land to make it manageable enough to live on can be a nightmare.
It can get especially hairy when it comes to removing invasive plant species.
One Redditor deployed an ingenious solution that delegated the bulk of the hard work to a number of hungry goats. They took to r/homestead to show off the before and after results of their project.
In the original poster's before picture, wild grass and an assortment of invasive plants appeared to spread across the property. Instead of using harmful chemicals or expensive equipment, however, they let a small army of goats loose to eat away at the growth.
"As they move through the woods, I wait until they've exhausted an area, then I drop any tree that needs selective clearing to promote healthy silvopasturing, they eat it, and then repeat the cleanup process," the OP wrote in a comment.
"I really can't emphasize enough how awful the area was in the before … pictures. It's been years of work. But this is a great way to clear land if you're not in a huge rush," they added.
Invasive plants can often wreak havoc on landscapes by outcompeting native species for resources such as sunlight, water, and nutrients. This can lead to a decline in biodiversity and the disruption of entire ecosystems. Invasive plants can also degrade wildlife habitats over time, affecting soil health and increasing the risk of erosion.
If you don't have a healthy stock of goats to tackle your invasive plant problem, don't worry. While it may take some extra elbow grease, installing native plants on your property can help to restore a healthy balance. You can find what's native to your area with this search tool provided by the National Wildlife Federation.
Once established, native ground cover has the ability to block out invasive plants from forcing its way onto your property. Over time, native plants can even help cut down on your regular landscaping work by requiring less water and maintenance.
Down in the comments section, several users appeared to be impressed with the effectiveness of the original poster's goat method.
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Would you be willing to let your yard grow wild? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
I already have 😎 "They eat anything," wrote one commenter.
Another user shared a similar experience they had with invasive plant removal: "My Highland coos do the same thing! They love weeds! They will eat weeds before green grass! My Grove is clear up to about 5ft high."
"Goats are the best environmental control ever, I think. The ones we used to have quite literally ate down a spot for a pig pen for us. Super underrated animal to keep on a ranch," added a third commenter.
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