To reclaim an overgrown field, first find out what is growing and what you want the field to become, then cut the brush and saplings down to ground level, hit the resprouts and invasive shrubs while they are soft, and keep the field mowed, grazed or planted so it does not grow back. The first cut is the big job. The follow-up decides whether it lasts.
How a field goes wild
An Ohio field left alone follows the same path almost every time. The first year or two it is tall grass and weeds. Then come goldenrod, briars and blackberry, followed by shrubs like multiflora rose, autumn olive and honeysuckle. Within five to ten years saplings of ash, maple, cherry and box elder rise above the shrubs, and the field is on its way to becoming woods. The further along that path it is, the bigger the job of bringing it back.
Decide what the field is for
Before cutting anything, decide what you want: hay or pasture, a mowed open field, a food plot, a building site, or simply ground you can walk and see across. That decision sets everything else, from which trees to keep, whether the stumps can stay and how much follow-up the field will need. Flag any trees you want to save and mark fences, wells, rock piles and old equipment hidden in the growth.
Match the cut to the growth
Grass, weeds and first-year brush can be mowed with a tractor and rotary cutter. Once the stems turn woody, a mower just bends them over and leaves sharp stubs. Thick brush, briars and saplings are a job for a forestry mulcher, which grinds them to chips where they stand and leaves no piles. If the field is going to be built on or plowed deep, the stumps and roots need to come out, which is land clearing work rather than cutting.
Hit the resprouts in the first season
Cutting at ground level leaves the roots alive, and many shrubs answer by sending up a crowd of new shoots. That first flush of regrowth is soft and easy to kill, which makes the first growing season after the cut the most important one. Mow it, graze it or cut it again before it hardens off. Fields that get a follow-up cut in that first year stay open. Fields that do not are often back to brush within a few years.
Deal with the invasive shrubs
Multiflora rose, autumn olive, bush honeysuckle and buckthorn are the toughest part of most Ohio fields, because they resprout hard from the roots. Cutting alone slows them down. Many landowners pair the cut with a follow-up treatment of the regrowth, using a product labeled for the plant and following the label exactly. Your county Soil and Water Conservation District or the OSU Extension office can help you choose. Our invasive brush removal page explains our part of the job.
Get the ground covered
Bare ground invites the next crop of weeds and brush. Once the brush is cut, get grass growing as fast as possible. A cut field often comes back on its own from the grass already in the soil, but thin spots and deep chip layers may need seed. Fall and early spring are the most reliable seeding windows in Ohio. A field with a thick stand of grass is far easier to keep open than one with patches of bare dirt.
Keep it open for good
The long-term answer is regular use. A field that is mowed once or twice a year, grazed or hayed stays a field. Fence rows, ditch banks and edges are where brush creeps back first, so keep an eye on them and cut them back every season or two before the stems turn woody. A light cut on a schedule costs far less than reclaiming the whole field again in ten years.
Common Questions
How long does it take a field to grow back into brush?
In Ohio, a field that stops being mowed or grazed usually fills with briars and shrubs within a few years and has saplings well above head height within about five to ten. The exact pace depends on the soil, the seed sources nearby and how wet the ground is.
Can I just brush hog an overgrown field?
If it is mostly grass, weeds and light first-year brush, yes. Once the field has woody shrubs and saplings thicker than a thumb, a brush hog struggles and leaves sharp stubs. That is when a forestry mulcher does the first cut, and a mower can keep it open afterward.
When is the best time to cut an overgrown field?
Late fall through winter is easy on the soil and good for the big first cut, especially on wet ground once it firms up. The follow-up cuts belong in the growing season, while the new shoots are still soft.
What to Do Next
If you have a field that has gotten away from you, call Jeff at (330) 625-5754 or send the form. He will walk it with you, tell you what it will take to bring it back and give you a free estimate on the brush cutting or brush mulching it needs.