How to care for Over Grazed fields

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sp33dy

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Hello

I am looking for some advice, we are considering buying a house which has 3 stables and 5 acres of land split into 3 decent sized paddocks and 1 small paddock. At the moment they have been over grazed with horses and a couple of cows.

What steps would I need to take to get them back in tip top condition, I've got 2 horses and would probably get a companion Shetland so no one gets left alone
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Have also put this in NL

Any advice appreciated

Thanks
 
i'm no expert, but i'd say analyse soil type, and then fertilize (and perhaps lime) accordingly. might even need ploughing and re-seeding if really wrecked, or if grass is totally the wrong type. perhaps you could just use 1 small paddock while you put the others right. local farmer might be the best to advise, he'll know the type of land and what to do about it, that's been my experience in the past.
 
Agree with kerilli. Get soil analysed then treat accordingly. A local agronomist will be able to help you. May need to weedkill as well.
If old and hammered you will probably have to re-seed
 
Have you any pics of the fields just to see how bad they are.

If they are just over grazed but not poached, it should be possible to roll, fertilize/lime, spot spray the docks thistles etc with a backpack sprayer, hand sow any bare areas ie by the gate, and rest until there is sufficient growth (which shouldn't be long at this time of year).

If they are very poached all over it might be necessary to reseed.

Fiona
 
A good dose of slurry does mine the world of good. Are you friendly with any of the local farmers. You can also roll and throw some grass seed on poached bits.
 
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