Muddy field re - seeding advice

W

wildcard

Well-Known Member
Joined
31 March 2011
Messages
499
Location
Yorkshire
Visit site
Just wanted bit of advice on where to get grass seeds from which are suitable for horses, my field had taken bit of a hammering over winter and although i have a summer field for them to go into its not huge. So i wanted to try and re seed the areas of the winter field which is now just mud!! in the hope that back end of summer it might have recouperated. any tips and advice much appreciated..
 
Polos Mum said:
We buy ours from Boston seeds (if you google grass seed you'll get lots of options), I find using a cambridge roller to push the seed in works well.
Click to expand...

Ahhh that answers a question i had, my partner is saying we would need to plough our field up to reseed which i didnt think we would need to :)
 
In Scotland and here in France we buy seed from an agricultural dealer, someone selling a variety of animal feeds, chemicals etc.

In Scotland we sowed a mix with Timothy which grows well in wet conditions, here in France we want the opposite a seed which will cope with drought. We also ask for 2% clover as this helps fix nitrogen in the soil.

If you want fast germination Rye can be included in the mix.
 
navaho said:
Ahhh that answers a question i had, my partner is saying we would need to plough our field up to reseed which i didnt think we would need to :)
Click to expand...
If you plough it will need about two years before the roots establish enough
to stand grazing, best bet is to harrow, seed and roll the bald bits when it starts to dry out and get a bit warmer( april ish) ...
 
I was always told to never plough as youy need years for the surface to compact again and that (no matter how bad it looks) there will still be some root structure underneath that will recover/ help new seed establish.

If it's really rutted - roll, then harrow to break up top 1/4 inch then seed then roll again to 'pat' the seed in.
 
ahh lots of great advice believe it or not i actually work for a turf growing company so know a little about the mixes, but unfortunately our mixes arent suitable for pasture.. if its just a small areas of the field in wanting to re seed will i need to dig harrow or anything was hoping could just do on a wet day and leave to grow naturally itself without too much work!! lol
 
If you just chuck the seed on the ground some will grow but some will get blown away/ eaten by birds/ rot if too wet. If you're OK with a bit of waste no problem.
Probably also depends a little on the soil - we are on heavy clay that goes like concrete on the surface so we have to break that up a little of the seed stands no chance of putting roots down.
I have seen seed mixed with sand and chucked around work well as the sand protects the seed a little while it's getting established.
 
ahh well maybe i might be lucky then as our land is sandy and my particular field is quiet well shelltered from the wind, dont mind a bit of waste but dont want to be throwing it away aso to peak....
 
Polos Mum said:
I was always told to never plough as youy need years for the surface to compact again and that (no matter how bad it looks) there will still be some root structure underneath that will recover/ help new seed establish.

If it's really rutted - roll, then harrow to break up top 1/4 inch then seed then roll again to 'pat' the seed in.
Click to expand...

Thankyou, great advice.....see, i knew i was right & he was wrong lol!
 
If you are still using this muddy area, put hay out in different places every day - the seeds will fall out and in spring as ground dries harrow, roll and magic you will have new grass from the hay seeds.

A trick told to me by an old farmer many years ago and it never fails to provide a cheap and effective way of repairing winter damage.
 
ahh wow this is really interesting nevere even thought fo that just presumed grass wouldnt grow where the hay had been as would be covered over with the bits not eaten!! good thinking!!
 
sport horse said:
If you are still using this muddy area, put hay out in different places every day - the seeds will fall out and in spring as ground dries harrow, roll and magic you will have new grass from the hay seeds.

A trick told to me by an old farmer many years ago and it never fails to provide a cheap and effective way of repairing winter damage.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I do :D It just seemed to make sense - and I worked out that the areas where I feed hay have suddenly got much nicer timothy grass and less rye. I wondered why, and then realised what I'd been doing!

I have heard good things about Cotswolds Seeds - you can buy small amounts (kilos) for small areas, and they have pasture mixes that avoid the dreaded ryegrass, so safer for horses. https://www.cotswoldseeds.com/seedmix/horse-pony
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top