Grass management

[monkeynut]

I've currently split my grazing in to two large paddocks for my 3 horses, I was planning on resting one totally over winter, but now I'm having doubts.

If I rest one until December time, then move them in to that one and leave the other until March time then will it recover or the grass grow at all?

I'm just trying to work out the best thing to do (I've not had the land long)

 

[Bosworth]

I had winter and summer paddocks and would take my horses off the winter grazing on April 1st, then feed, weed, harrow and get a good hay crop off in about July. and those paddocks then rested until November 1 when I put the horses back on the winter grazing. My summer and winter grazing were always muck spread, limed and fertilised as required following soil sampling. So I would use your paddock over winter and then rest after, but just resting is no good, it needs looking after to maintain or improve the quality

 

[mareemoo]

I had winter and summer paddocks and would take my horses off the winter grazing on April 1st, then feed, weed, harrow and get a good hay crop off in about July. and those paddocks then rested until November 1 when I put the horses back on the winter grazing. My summer and winter grazing were always muck spread, limed and fertilised as required following soil sampling. So I would use your paddock over winter and then rest after, but just resting is no good, it needs looking after to maintain or improve the quality

Hi completely off topic but you seem to know a bit about wentwood livestock in Wales ,and wanted to pick your brains ,,,,hope you are up for that

 

[Polos Mum]

It really depends on where you are in the country and the weather. Grass will grow when it's about 6 degrees - soil temp and there is day light and water.
I try and make 'summer' grazing last until Christmas and I am always surprised by how much recovered by end of Feb when we lived in sunny Lincolnshire - in high altitude Yorkshire the grass didn't really grow at all until end april last year !

Most places should have enough warmth for it start to grow by mid/ end March - but it will depend on how much the grass is churned and muddy by the time you take them off

I liked to have 3 paddocks 1 spring - mid March (after a good week of sun so sometime early sometimes late to August), 1 summer (Aug after a hay cut through to Christmas) winter (Christmas to March) - it worked well on our soil, and with our climate

 

[WelshD]

I wouldn't rely on a rested paddock growing over winter

I'd trash the one they were in then move to fresh at the end of the winter

If you are able to split further still I would do that, if you can make a small paddock and rest that now you could use that as a trash paddock during winter if you get desperate

 

[MotherOfChickens]

It really depends on where you are in the country and the weather. Grass will grow when it's about 6 degrees - soil temp and there is day light and water.

yep and, as you mentioned, altitude. Where I used to be in Scotland, grass would continue to grow (albeit very slowly) until around christmas in a normal winter and would start again end of April isn. Where I am now we didn't get grass growth until end of May this year. We've had weeks of ground frosts already although I hope this milder patch helps, it is still growing slowly right now but last year it had stopped by November.

The better condition you leave a paddock, the better it bounces back-if its overgrazed then weeds will take over more quickly than grass and poaching damage is worse. I have an emergency winter paddock with about 3-4 inches of grass on it, if I use it sparingly or not at all it'll be good to use march isn even here. I have another that won't be grazed from end of November until May.

 

[gnubee]

Depends a bit on how much land you have and how long they are out as well. My winter field last year (1.5 acre) was knee deep mud in places and had no grass at all by Christmas. It didn't recover til late summer after reseeding. If you can rotate and keep short grass on both that might be the best option, but if you are destroying them then I'd keep one nice til late spring.