Hello, Our property in San Sai includes about one rai of land that formerly was planted with rice by our neighbor.  She gave up on planting once price supports ended and the ditch that used to supply water is no longer usable.  Since then the paddy has become overgrown with weeds--especially Spanish needles. Recently I had her cut these almost to the ground, but expect they'll come back once the rains start. (I recognize that butterflies and honeybees LOVE this weed, but there's enough of it on my neighbors' properties to support tons of butterflies and bees, trust me...) I've read that glucosate will kill Spanish needles, but don't want to poison the soil so that other, more manageable, lower-growing and attractive plants can grow. Have thought about hiring someone to come in and plough the soil, smooth it out, and perhaps add some topsoil. Then maybe plant some kind of grass.  The area gets full sun and could be watered from our well when it's not raining.  

 

Any comments or ideas?

Plant some Yang Na trees and fruit. Give shadow if you thinking of any house or bungalow there? 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the Farming Forum. There are many things that can be done with a 40x40 metre block of land, but none of them will be free and only a few that may return on investment. What would you like to see happen to this Rai? Who will control the effort? Who will do it? And more importantly, who will pay? 

Lots of knowledgeable and experienced guys here will help, but you need to give us your vision or target.

Hello, and thank you for your response. My goal for the moment is to clean up this area, mainly to get rid of the weeds (which, as mentioned, have been cut close to the ground but are now--absent any rain--brown, dry and unsightly). Ideally, I'd have some low-growing, grass-like plant there so at least the area looks green and tidier.  With our permission, our neighbor planted a couple of dozen banana plants last year, many of which didn't really take hold. The remaining ones that are starting to get bigger can stay. I don't really intend for the land to be revenue-producing, nor do we intend to build on it. It's a nice expanse that extends to her land, separated by a now-defunct (gov't) irrigation ditch, with views of the hills in the background.  We'll continue to pay her to maintain the land.  Meanwhile, WE will pay to have the area tilled, leveled, and if necessary, planted with something low-growing and green.

Do you or your active neighbor have any livestock?