newly seeded field

V

Vicki1986

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 May 2006
Messages
3,160
Location
Maidstone & Fawkham, Kent
Visit site
how long should you wait before putting horses on a newly seeded field? its being done in the next week weeks, ideally i wanted to move onto it between dec-feb but worried it wont be ready - but ive been told two completely different things on this topic so need some guidance please. thank you.
 
IF the field has been completly re-seaded and you want it to remain permanent pasture then my advice (having done this several times is not to put any animals on it for at least 2 years. The reason for this is that the new grass will be destroyed and the ground will be unevenly compacted causing future bad grass growth and for thistles nettles and weeds (including Ragwort) to take over from the grass.

Once the grass has grown early next spring cut and collect it.

Do this again when it grows another 9 inches. This will give you a dense grass with a good root structure.

Repeat and do not allow it to grow longer than 9 inches.

The following year do exactly the same.
 
Hmm, depends what your soil's like but as a rule of thumb, you need to let it lie (as Peter says) and take a cut of hay off it. Probably will be OK next autumn at the earliest.
 
Two years for complete re-seed including, as has been said, a cut. Grazing animals before roots fully established will just rip them up.

Is there another sort of re-seed? Or do you mean undersowing?
 
One year minimum, 2 years ideally.

If you were desperate, you could cut it for hay in June/July and leave it until this time next year to put horses on

The problem is that if it is grazed too soon there is no root structure to the grass and will not be allowed to establish itself.
 
Grass only rows at 5 degrees upwards and obviously the warmer and wetter it is with lots of daylight, the grass grows more quickly. You are therefore going to get very little growth in the next 6 months. Added to that the soil will have been disturbed so will not withstand hooves for many months. Dont even think about putting horses on it until AT LEAST May next year. If you put horses on newly re-seeded grass it will not establish, let alone in the winter months. By may you should be ok as long as you have enough acreage to rotate and dont overstock it. If you get alot of rain then you have to be even more careful, because the soil is easily poached.

A word of warning too- be careful with laminitis as young grass is higher in sugar than mature grass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top