Grass on clay soil

[Ant123]

Does anyone know whether pasture on clay soil provide better grass with lower sugar for horses prone to laminitis?

 

[coblets]

Depends on the species of grass But generally speaking I was always told that grass on clay soil is lusher in the summer.

 

[Fanatical]

I would agree with coblets.
Usually, as clay tends to be wetter land than say, sandy soil, clay tends to retain moisture for longer and therefore grass grows better during dry periods than it would in drier soil types.

 

[honetpot]

We are on heavy clay, and some of it is old pasture. The finer grasses grow well, although any area that gets heavily poached gets the cheapest paddock mixture thrown at it, as it will always get churned up again. Clay holds water so stands dry weather better, its not lusher unless it's rye, most of mine ends up as wispy fogage, and my neighbours hay which is on the same sort of land is fine, even when cut in June in a good year.

 

[Ant123]

We are on heavy clay, and some of it is old pasture. The finer grasses grow well, although any area that gets heavily poached gets the cheapest paddock mixture thrown at it, as it will always get churned up again. Clay holds water so stands dry weather better, its not lusher unless it's rye, most of mine ends up as wispy fogage, and my neighbours hay which is on the same sort of land is fine, even when cut in June in a good year.

that’s really interesting- my Irish Draught lives out 24/7 and does well on the grass which is there. I’m trying to establish whether my Welsh mountain pony should live out on it as he is already on the large size.

 

[Hallo2012]

i was on sand for 20 years and now clay for 3.

both grow lush lami inducing grass in warm wet weather as both ex dairy BUT the sand grass loses it green/sugar/nutritional value much quicker in hot dry spells and as soon as he weather cools in October, the clay seems to keep it growing far far longer and greener!

 

[ester]

old, not improved pasture and it grows like buggery. Which does mean even if it gets poached over winter it comes back. We track graze in the summer.

having livery on limestone the grass was way sparser and needed fertilising to get a hay crop, the sward just wasn't anywhere near as thick and a lot more diversity.