spotty_pony
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Anyone know roughly how long this would take before the Paddock would be usable again?
Ploughing, Levelling and Reseeding a Paddock
- Thread starter spotty_pony
- Start date
Miss L Toe
Well-Known Member
It not normal to level a paddock, do you mean harrowing and rolling.......... it all depends on so many factors, soil, weather , drainage, what seed you put down and so on.
It may be better to change the management of the paddock, unless it is down to Rye-grass which will resist any change.
If you re seed in spring you can lightly graze [a few ponies or sheep] in the autumn, but leave it alone in winter.
Best to take a light crop of hay if there is enough.
It may be better to change the management of the paddock, unless it is down to Rye-grass which will resist any change.
If you re seed in spring you can lightly graze [a few ponies or sheep] in the autumn, but leave it alone in winter.
Best to take a light crop of hay if there is enough.
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ofcourseyoucan
Well-Known Member
2 yrs! minimum. what kind of soil? ph? previous use? loads of variations but generally if you plough and reseed then it will take 2 to 3 yrs of fert, rolling, 2 hay cuts to establish a root bed capable of having horses on it! a season with sheep on it will improve it as sheep pat down the root base and graze cleanly.
spotty_pony
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Possibly rolling and harrowing is what I mean then. Basically, the fields at my yard are being ploughed, flattened out and reseeded.
spotty_pony
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I know we are on Clay soil, not sure of PH, etc though.
Miss L Toe
Well-Known Member
Grass is fairly tolerant of pH, it does yield best at certain levels, but really we are not very interested in the yield, more in resistance to poaching and low sugar levels.
Mike007
Well-Known Member
DONT PLOUGH.... Ploughing doesnt level land it just rolls it over and adds at least a year to your timescale. Spray with weedkiller disc harrow and then reseed ,either by direct drilling or by scattering a mix of seed and sand through a varispreader and then discing and rolling. Best done in the autumn but can with Luck (weather) be done in the early spring.
spotty_pony
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Basically, the fields are ridge and furrow (which is meant to be the best type of field for horses as they tend to drain well) But the YO has decided to have them levelled as it makes poo picking with the tractor awkward. Also, the field seems to contain a lot of grasses the horses aren't keen on, so they are going to reseed.
ofcourseyoucan
Well-Known Member
as long as the field is given 2 to 3 yrs after ploughing and reseeding, fert each year and a hay crop off and a cross graze of sheep then the root base will then be able to take horses on the 3rd season. if the yard doesnt have the acreage to allow the ploughed land to become established then the exercise will be a waste of time money seed and fertilizer. horses seriously kill grazing and particularly first and second year seed land..
Mike007
Well-Known Member
Nothing short of a Bulldozer will level those fields.It just aint going to happen! Re seed by all means . But dont plough!