Moss and scarifying

[Achinghips]

Not a post about drainage of fields, but is this weekend the right time to scarify to remove moss from paddocks ? Clay fields are fairly hard now, a few new shoots but lots of moss.

 

[Limbo1]

following as have moss too.

 

[Steerpike]

I have moss too and was wondering how to get rid of it

 

[Red-1]

My OH did it this week

 

[JillA]

You might find it worth having your land tested for PH - moss is s sign of too much acidity. Spreading lime will probably help, (My lawn was scarified in Jan, so I don't think there is a good time except when the ground isn't too wet and the grass is growing to smother out any regrowth)

 

[southerncomfort]

My landlord has stopped harrowing my field as they get a grant to protect the ridge and furrow.

Upshot is I now have a ridiculous amount of moss. Think I'll be getting busy with the rake this weekend!

 

[ester]

You might find it worth having your land tested for PH - moss is s sign of too much acidity. Spreading lime will probably help, (My lawn was scarified in Jan, so I don't think there is a good time except when the ground isn't too wet and the grass is growing to smother out any regrowth)

We're on chalk and all the fields and gardens have lots of it so that doesn't really fit with the pH!?

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Not a post about drainage of fields, but is this weekend the right time to scarify to remove moss from paddocks ? Clay fields are fairly hard now, a few new shoots but lots of moss.

Moss is very hard to get rid of. There are chemicals out there but more often than not it re grows.


We have an on going issue with it and did spray it but it re grew

The best way is leave the field for a long time so grass grows up an suffocates it

 

[popsdosh]

I am going to say this and duck !
Moss is a sign of poor grassland management it will grow on any land were the sward is left open and short. PH has nothing to do with it .
The best cure is nitrogen fertiliser as the grasses will dominate it again .
Its a waste of time and effort to harrow it as it will just regrow unless anything is done about the reason its there in the first place.

 

[Fiona]

That makes sense popdosh, as we have most moss in the pony's 2 small paddocks where he grazes the grass v short over the summer. However I don't particularly want to fertilise (we are doing the big fields this year, just not the pony paddocks).

Would raking it out be better than nothing???

Fiona

 

[Achinghips]

It's not so much poor management. Type of soil, strip grazing due to lami risks, drainage, overhanging trees, leaves and compaction, all cause it. The original question was is now the right time? ..... so thanks to the poster who responded to that. I will do this tomorrow. 😄

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I am going to say this and duck !
Moss is a sign of poor grassland management it will grow on any land were the sward is left open and short. PH has nothing to do with it .
The best cure is nitrogen fertiliser as the grasses will dominate it again .
Its a waste of time and effort to harrow it as it will just regrow unless anything is done about the reason its there in the first place.

"Throws an eggs"

No its not actually more the type of soil,our fields are very well maintained and rested. Never have 24 hr grazing, we have fertilizer done according to what is needed inc nitro. Weed killed and poo collected daily, not over grazed. We left till moss brown and grass long but eventually it returned. We have had the full SP from our land maintppenance guy who has been in land management for over 50 years, moss is very hardto clear like bind weed.


Our back fields are free of moss but the front is mossy, the soil is darker in patches, not earth coloured so something has happened years ago to cause the soil to go bournville coloured. The rest is earth coloured and moss free .

 

[popsdosh]

"Throws an eggs"

No its not actually more the type of soil,our fields are very well maintained and rested. Never have 24 hr grazing, we have fertilizer done according to what is needed inc nitro. Weed killed and poo collected daily, not over grazed. We left till moss brown and grass long but eventually it returned. We have had the full SP from our land maintppenance guy who has been in land management for over 50 years, moss is very hardto clear like bind weed.


Our back fields are free of moss but the front is mossy, the soil is darker in patches, not earth coloured so something has happened years ago to cause the soil to go bournville coloured. The rest is earth coloured and moss free .

I can clear moss in 1 week but unless anything fills the space your wasting your time . If you have moss its inadequate management its that simple .I have 300 acres of grass here if it was not managed the way it is it would be full of moss by next spring .
People with horses forget that horses and grass management do not go together they nibble out areas so low and leave them exposed and then in comes moss and Ragwort. The only Ragwort that appears here if on horses paddocks which tells a story in itself.

 

[popsdosh]

"Throws an eggs"

No its not actually more the type of soil,our fields are very well maintained and rested. Never have 24 hr grazing, we have fertilizer done according to what is needed inc nitro. Weed killed and poo collected daily, not over grazed. We left till moss brown and grass long but eventually it returned. We have had the full SP from our land maintppenance guy who has been in land management for over 50 years, moss is very hardto clear like bind weed.


Our back fields are free of moss but the front is mossy, the soil is darker in patches, not earth coloured so something has happened years ago to cause the soil to go bournville coloured. The rest is earth coloured and moss free .

I can clear moss in 1 week but unless anything fills the space your wasting your time . If you have moss its inadequate management its that simple .I have 300 acres of grass here if it was not managed the way it is it would be full of moss by next spring .
People with horses forget that horses and grass management do not go together they nibble out areas so low and leave them exposed and then in comes moss and Ragwort. The only Ragwort that appears here if on horses paddocks which tells a story in itself.

 

[JillA]

Have you got a local farm suppliers? Because often they have an agronomist who will offer advice for free so long as you are a customer and buy any recommended products from them - I often go and pick their brains, and one even came for a site visit to advise on reseeding a few years ago.

 

[FfionWinnie]

I can clear moss in 1 week but unless anything fills the space your wasting your time . If you have moss its inadequate management its that simple .I have 300 acres of grass here if it was not managed the way it is it would be full of moss by next spring .
People with horses forget that horses and grass management do not go together they nibble out areas so low and leave them exposed and then in comes moss and Ragwort. The only Ragwort that appears here if on horses paddocks which tells a story in itself.

Re your comment about ragwort. If the ground is grazed by sheep, it's still there you just don't see it. Take the sheep off for a couple of years and just graze with cattle and it will appear.

I have absolutely no signs of rag in my fields because I (heavily) graze with sheep. My fields are over grazed because I lamb and calve a high number of stock on the acreage then ship them to other extensive grazing. I also have horses. The moss was here in one field only, before the horses and before the over grazing, although I agree horses are the worst animals in terms of land management. Well, other than pigs lol.

 

[popsdosh]

Re your comment about ragwort. If the ground is grazed by sheep, it's still there you just don't see it. Take the sheep off for a couple of years and just graze with cattle and it will appear.

I have absolutely no signs of rag in my fields because I (heavily) graze with sheep. My fields are over grazed because I lamb and calve a high number of stock on the acreage then ship them to other extensive grazing. I also have horses. The moss was here in one field only, before the horses and before the over grazing, although I agree horses are the worst animals in terms of land management. Well, other than pigs lol.

Pigs do the ploughing for you.
We only ever see ragwort where the horses have created lawns otherwise it cannot establish in thick grazing and cutting swards. Luckily we have no woolly time wasters anymore we had a party when the last one left ! The only ones that set foot on the farm now are somebody elses problem to look after.
I will concede I misss lambing! Then I wake up!!!!!

 

[Mike007]

We're on chalk and all the fields and gardens have lots of it so that doesn't really fit with the pH!?

Just because there is chalk underneath, this does not mean that the top isnt acidic.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We find that sheep get rid of moss.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I can clear moss in 1 week but unless anything fills the space your wasting your time . If you have moss its inadequate management its that simple .I have 300 acres of grass here if it was not managed the way it is it would be full of moss by next spring .
People with horses forget that horses and grass management do not go together they nibble out areas so low and leave them exposed and then in comes moss and Ragwort. The only Ragwort that appears here if on horses paddocks which tells a story in itself.

We will have to agree and disagree on this . Our land has been maintained an cared for every year since we brought it (1996). And with the owners before, we have our land checked every feb to see what it needs prior to work starting.
Our guy has 500 acres of his own and manages many livery yards land around here. I cannot work out why you say" its pure and simple" when for instance our land iswell maintained. Some maybe un cared for badly maintained, but to say if you have moss it is not is incorrect when many of us have some moss and maintain it.

I have explained ours is moss free A part from a small area which has different soil to the rest and only there the moss grows

I cannot comment on others.

As for ragwort. We have a neigbour that has 5 acres of which ragwort grows in abundance and we have reported him many times.

last year our field was rested and grass grew Knee high and still it grew, we dee ragwort as we depoo and got on top of it after many many weeks . So if you have a inconciderate neighbour it is an ongowing battle

 

[ester]

I am going to say this and duck !
Moss is a sign of poor grassland management it will grow on any land were the sward is left open and short. PH has nothing to do with it .
The best cure is nitrogen fertiliser as the grasses will dominate it again .
Its a waste of time and effort to harrow it as it will just regrow unless anything is done about the reason its there in the first place.

This would make sense, our sward is very open and short partly because we have very low soil depth, I think we also end up with the moss because it is so well draining. . . the soil is definitely alkaline though . It is definitely less conducive to grass growth than the low lying clay/peat mix on the somerset levels where we were before.

HGA I think popdosh's point is that however good your grass management is just having horses on it works contrary to that.