Grass reseeding - how to choose varieties??

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Scot123

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Not sure this is the right place to post this, but since the ponies will be eating the grass, I am guessing it is...! Can anyone either offer advice as to any companies that will advise on reseeding a field or does anyone have first hand experience?

I have a hillside so badly damaged over winter that I plan to reseed in early spring. It's very wet soil, acidic (I presume), poor, brackeny, Scottish so cold... not exactly ideal. And I would like to know what variety of grasses would stand a chance?

Any ideas gratefully received:)
 
Have you done a search on the forum? I remember reading some helpful posts recommending a company for advice and seed sales. Sorry can't remember name but was recent.
 
Thank you. I had searched on 'grass' but there were so many totally irrelevant (to me!) posts that I gave up! But if you remember seeing something out there then I will give it another try. Thanks for your help!
 
I am having to reseed large areas of my fields which have been damaged by machinery installing my arena as well as damage to gateways caused by the horses over winter so I have been looking at different seed mixes. I have found that some horse grass mixes do not include rye grass so they take longer to establish than those with rye grass but contain less sugar so are more suitable for laminitics. I am looking at going for a meadow mix with herbs and clover but no rye as I have good doers and want low risk of laminitis. The mixes which are marketed for gateways are more likely to contain rye as it's fast growing and helps build a stronger sward.
I would also be interested to see what other people have used as I'm just going by what I have found online.
 
I'm constantly reseeding but most of it is done with the muckheap (which contains a lot of grass seed from the haylage.) If the area is VERY bare - or it's a small area - I sometimesadd a little seed mix.

We have a steep 3 acre bracken bank where the bracken has ALMOST given up and there is now a lot of grass. I put a couple of youngsters on it in early spring - just before the brcken appears - and feed haylage on th ground spreading it as widely as I can. I graze it HARD until the bracken in the fenced off bits is at least a foot high (you HAVE to give plenty of hay or haylage so horses aren't tempted to nibble the bracken because they CAN get a 'taste' for it!) Then I take them off and spread MORE muck on it and harrow it. I've been doing this for about 8 years now and the grass on the bank is very decent - and the bracken is getting weaker and sparser. Treading is very effective against bracken as long as you get the timing right.
 
You don't say what acreage you want to re-seed but if it is a reasonable area I would first get the soil tested.

From what you say, it will certainly need lime.

I've a similar problem here and cannot decide whether to re-seed or just apply muck and try to improve the native species!

If you do decide to re-seed, it is usually recommended that you spray with Roundup to kill off all existing grass and weeds, then plough. It is tempting to just harrow and sow grass seed with fertiliser but apparently that ends up being more expensive as you won't get such a good take.

Grass species? As a previous poster has said, the species better for horses are slow to establish so you may not get the best recovery unless you keep horses off for at least 12 months. As said, beware of fast growing commercial varieties like ryegrass and timothy and look instead for the less productive species. If I reseed, I'll probably choose fescues and cocksfoot.

Which brings me back to the possibilities of encouraging the native species with a bit of FYM (farm yard manure), lime and some artificials. FYM does seem to contain nutrients that artificial fertilisers lack. I applied muck to one of my fields (young grass) plus the normal amount of artificial fertiliser and got such a huge crop I had to get the local contractor in as my equipment (small baler) could not manage!
 
Thank you for the posts. I was considering getting it tested, but with so much gorse/rhoddies/bracken I can take a pretty good guess at what it would say! Yes, it's a balancing between varieties quick to establish and hold the soil together or those more suited to the horses diet. However, as I'm only talking a small area then the quickness/hardiness of the grass is probably the priority.

Also want to thank JanetGeorge as that answer is SO relevant to my situation! And gives me a bit of hope that one day the bracken may be under some sort of control. I knew it would take years and certainly that's the case! But what you say is great practical advise, thank you. :)
 
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