lime on field

[carthorse]

I have just had a local contractor to look at my field as it is growing mostly weeds and the bottom is getting marshy.
I was hoping we could have a soil test and then lime it. Spread our muck heap and have weed killer in the spring.
We have 6 acres divided in two and have 2 horses and 2 ponies. It was limed about 10 years ago but since then has just been harrowed and rolled.
The contractor think I should spend about £3000 on it to have ditches dug round. Hedges done. Etc etc. I just dont have that sort of money.
Has anyone had there field limed recently. How much did it cost. Last time we had it done it really helped the grass

 

[JillA]

Couple of hundred £££s for 13 acres about 5 years ago. Ring Sean Smith 01629 581279 - he will come and do a soil test and tell you how much lime you need. And yes, he did tell my friend she didn't need any. He is from not far from Ashbourne but covers most of the Midlands and N Wales.

 

[Polos Mum]

It would be worth doing a soil test - £25 ish and you'll not only get PH but all the different minerals etc.

Hedges are not cheap to do - our nice local farmer charges £25 an hour and it does take all day to do a few 100 meters both sides

Boggy marshness - it depends on how much you want to use that land over the winter - if you can't do the proper drainage (which probably is ££££'s) the you'll just have to put up with the mud!

Personally I don't think You can know what fertiliser / treatment etc you need until you've done the tests.

I'm not suprised you contractor wanted you to spend £ks with them, if you ask many trades people how much work they should do on your house they will come up with a massive list - even if it's not essential

 

[carthorse]

Thank you. We are between Birmingham and coventry so maybe too far for him. But sounds great. Many thanks

 

[carthorse]

Polos mum thank you. I just cant afford it and came home really upset. I have to pay the council rates for my stables others on my lane pay nothing even though they have the same ( I got planning permission for my stables) so they spend their money on having jobs done on their fields. Maybe the time has come to sell the land and horses and just keep my grand daughters pony in livery as I am getting too old.

 

[AmyMay]

Would it be worth taking your horses off the fields for 6 months? Putting sheep on it for the winter, and then harrowing, rolling and fertilising ready for next spring/summer?

 

[martlin]

Don't get disheartened, I never pay anywhere near as much as Polos Mum for my hedge cutting, it averages around £100 per year, but I don't see how overgrown hedge would be a problem for horse paddock anyway.
Get soil samples done, you can do it yourself and send for testing, Google will bring companies that do that and advise on fertilising etc. I would think it got marshy as the pH has changed.
If you want to have a go at draining it, have a look out for a tame local farmer with a mole plough and give it a go that way, shouldn't cost too much and will help, at least temporarily.

 

[TigerTail]

Of course the contractor would say that he wants the job!

Drainage is useful obviously and wet land tends to end up low in minerals as they get leached out of the soil. We had our dykes dug out, as in they were there but silted up, and it cost £200 to do 2.5 sides of 3 acres.

You def need soil testing before liming - you could do a simple ph one or contact forage plus who will do an equine specific one.

 

[Clodagh]

My home paddock sounds much like yours but luckily I am marries to a farmer. The bell bine and buttercups have got really bad this year, in spite of repeated topping and harrowing. I am borrowing a neighbours agrivator (Spell?) a spiked roller thing as he thinks a lot of the trouble is caused by the soil getting compressed. Maybe you could hire one?
I would get a quote from a local farmer, although he will only work on your land when his is done!

 

[carthorse]

You have all been very helpful and kind. I will get a soil test done. Our land has now got a dip in it as we had subsidence from coal mining. They did pay for the crack across our concrete but uk coal are a nightmare to deal with.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

A ditch would help drainage, which would reduce boggy areas, there are other methods, but if the field is draining to a corner, then the ditch has to lead downhill to another ditch and so on to a stream.
Spiking will help to break up a soil pan which stops soils free draining, but in a way that is a whole different scenario.
Years ago many fields had round clay drain pipes laid in rows to a ditch, modern farming methods use plastic pipes [often yellow], but this is just not economic for horse pastures.

Liming should not be done at the same time as fertilising or muck spreading, it is counter active. Over the years most UK soils get more acid, but grass is fairly tolerant.

A farmer will give you a better price but will do it when it suits him and use the machinery he has available.

If the dip is causing drainage problems perhaps you can send BC the quote, they have already accepted liability for subsidence, so your case is now much stronger, also they should send someone out who is familiar with these problems, and will advise, time to get you brave boots on again!

 

[meesha]

I bought a pH tester and did it myself, pH was 5 so I have bought seactiv calcified seaweed for the 1.5 acres which cost me about £90, weedkillered first then today spread seaweed pellets by hand, I have mostly clover and buttercup out competing the grass. Will let you know how I go, weedkiller cost me about £36 and I borrowed friends backpack sprayer to do it. Very hard work but hopefully rewarding. M.y other 2 acres looks OK so leaving it be at the moment. have had hedges done once in the 9 years I have been there for 1.5acres cosr me about £50 as he was doing lane outside field anyway.