Anyone elses grass not growing?

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Sandstone1

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The grass seems to be very slow coming through this year. Is anyone else finding this?
Also any advice on the paddock paradise system? Im thinking this could be a good way of resting most of the land for a while. Anyone do this?
 
Agree that grass is currently slow growing. My husband is a farmer and noted this. He has topped our as yet ungrazed fields just to try and stimulate more growth - ultimately need the weather to warm up and you will see a 4inch rise overnight (!) .
 
Mine is very slow, but my horses were late coming off the summer grazing before winter so im wondering if this is why.

Also contemplating fertilising..... cant decide what to do, had a couple days of rain, so going to wait a week and see what happens.
 
Yes, my small field which is only ever used for a week or two at a time, but even so, has hardly any grass growth. Its been dry and warm, then cold, and now finally wet, when ideally things should have been in a different order!
 
we are in suffolk too and in the lawn in the garden which was fed 6 weeks ago and has been mown 4 or 5 times in that time is growing at a manic speed (3 inches or so in a week) but the horses field which was being grazed until about 6 weeks ago and now being rested doesnt seem to have grown at all - barely longer than an inch or two. The nettle patches however are knee high... :-(
 
My home paddocks have been rested for nearly a month and no growth at all. I had feared it was the spraying man mixing pastrol ( because he hadn't emptied his tank from job prior to mine) and doxstar and therefore killing everything but hopefully not :(

I too am contemplating fertiliser and the local chicken farmer due to come weds but with all this rain scared he'll make an almighty mess :( Clay soil :(

Just seen countryfile forecast ( I record it) and not looking any warmer just rain and more rain!
 
Ours wasn't either but in the last week its really obvious. We had a small area about the size of a foaling box fenced off due to a fallen tree, its so clear to see the growth where the horses haven't been eating it & its only been a fortnight its had horses off it
 
Very slow, luckily two out of the three don't need it and the older girl gets lots of extras. The boys have hay, fast fibre and their decahedrons with hi fibre cubes to keep them occupied and they are happy enough.

It's my friends field and she is worryying but I know others are in the same situation, have to keep telling her that xx
 
nope :(


i have 4 paddocks in a big field for 1 horse. I have a lot of grass down the bottom field but refuse to use it as its so waterlogged she will trash it in 2 seconds!!



is there anything (Cheap) i can fertilize it with?? while its raining n all....???

I dont mind doing it but it also needs rolling and cant do that until it drys up :/
 
Fertiliser advice also appreciated as think with slow growth we are all going to need something to get it growing. We normally have enough to take first cut for hay mid may ..... Can't see that this year .....eekkk

Ag student told me chicken muck may scorch my grass so to be very careful?
 
My grass is also very slow in coming through, I am going to fertilise with Suregrow, just been reading up on it so this is a bit spooky :D

Apparently it is slow release so you don't get the laminitis causing flush as you do with other fertilisers. You can also leave the horses on the paddock after fertilising. Sounds perfect!

http://www.suregrowuk.com/
 
My field is as bare as a baby's bottom! Mine are just not interested in going out, much prefer to stand in their stables and have food brought to them!
 
my horse needs the grass and it hasnt been grassed since end of november and i had a bout a foot in some areas. i hate poo picking long grass but anyway, its not growing but she has 2 acres to herself and shes not any where near finishing it so i dont mind if its doesnt grow for at least month she will still have enough
 
I'm quite pleased as it is the best I have been managing to keep my horse's waistline in check at this time of year. Dreading a real flush growing as he will turn into a porker within the week!
 
I have a 'paddock paradise' type system. We have just over 5 acres and 5 central paddocks. My WB is kept seperate from the rest as he is too exuberant for them :) We have a wide (20m or so) track that runs around the paddocks and opens to a larger flat area at the bottom of the hill, where we have our roundpen and flat grass schooling area.

There are hedgerows on 2 sides for the horses to forage from and we have hay/haylege feeders at the top of the land where there is a water trough and shelter also. The grazing is quite poor - it is self seeded grass on fallow land and we did overseed with a herbal mix 2 years ago , so I find parsley growing randomly at times :) We are really pleased with how it has worked out. The horses are fitter through their continual movement (except my mare who has shock laminitis , but that's another story)

feeders:
IMAG0337.jpg


wide flat area:
IMAG0114.jpg


perimeter track (with jumps):
IMAG0106.jpg


track with internal paddocks:
IMAG0103.jpg


WB's paddock and shelter:
417.jpg


It's not perfect by any means, I don't have a stoney area for example and I will probably add this. I am pleased with the paddocks, because I can just open one gate and allow the horses access to a paddock when they need more grass. I can also rest my WBs winter paddocks all summer (he is out 24/7 all year) and put him in a solo paddock, where he can still interact with the others on the track etc. The pics show the mares in the paddock, but they are on the track now. Hope this helps.
 
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We have had a little growth, but sadly it is being mushed into the mud as the fields are so wet atm.

By May I usually have enough grass not to have to put out and haylage, but can't see that happening this spring.

Hopefully it will warm up soon and we will all be moaning that we have too much grass - can't wait!
 
OMG just googles chicken manure on horse pasture and got the shock of my life - risk or salmonella and botulism not to mention link with grass sickness.

Off to cancel chicken farmer for weds........

Is cow poo safe.....?

Or shall I go with the suregrow and be safe ?
 
We bought a muck spreader last year (hubby likes his toys) and we spread a summer's worth of 3 horses and a pony's muck on around 1.5 acres - it was surprising it didn't go far at all. But I have to report that the paddock we spread the muck on in the autumn is growing the best and looking good.
We will have more muck (a whole year's worth this time) to spread this autumn on the rest of the land to start with. It realy is good, no wonder farmers are keen to remove horse manure heaps.
 
Interesting Yasandcrystal - I thought you weren't meant to use horse manure on horse grazing, something to do with worm burden?

Of course I could be totally wrong, and if this is the case, I will stop giving mine away to my farmer neighbour and use it on my own land instead!

Anyone?
 
Sidney said:
Interesting Yasandcrystal - I thought you weren't meant to use horse manure on horse grazing, something to do with worm burden?

Of course I could be totally wrong, and if this is the case, I will stop giving mine away to my farmer neighbour and use it on my own land instead!

Anyone?
Click to expand...

I understand there are 2 schools of thought on that. I always leave the muck heap to mature and ferment for a year which would kill any worms imo. I have my horses wormcounted and they are all <50, so clear.
We spread in the autumn, so the paddock is then rested with the pulverised muck on it for the whole winter and therefore exposed to the many frosts too. I honestly have no concerns that I am spreading any worms, especially as I know the source of my manure too.
I was always advidsed 'what you remove from the land, you need to put back'. I also almost forgot that we have a plethora of dung beetles accross the land too which busy themselves breaking it down. We do de-poo daily, as I do believe fresh dung does sour the grass, hence horses where it is left tend to avoid that grass.
 
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YasandCrystal, I'm as jealous as flip of your set up, it looks perfect. Want want want....

...ahem, where were we? Oh yep, grass not growing, no mine isn't either.
 
gala said:
YasandCrystal, I'm as jealous as flip of your set up, it looks perfect. Want want want....

...ahem, where were we? Oh yep, grass not growing, no mine isn't either.
Click to expand...

aw thanks - I love it, to me it's idyllic- all that wildlife there too - buzzards, deer. The horses are so chilled out. It's taken years to get it though rest assured gala and an insurance payout for ctritical illness which I would rather not have had :)

Thanks Tallyho! :)
 
We put Suregrow fertiliser on our paddock about 2 weeks ago and I can honestly say it has never looked better.

I didnt want the farmer putting the normal fertiliser on this year, think it was 20:10:10, as my horse got colic last year which I am sure was down to the grass going quickly and being too lush. I did lots of research and Suregrow seems to be made specifically for horse paddocks. It says its slow release so the grass becomes thicker and healthier from the roots instead of just shooting up. I could also put the horses straight back in the field afterwards so didnt have the hassle of fencing off sections of field.

If you quote HH12 they will give you a 5% discount:)
 
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