Soil test results are back - what to do now?

cblover

cblover

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 October 2009
Messages
1,887
Visit site
Hi all, hasn't this winter been awful.....so depressing and my fields agree too. We've owned our land for nearly 5 years and grazed it for nearly 4 years. It was very rich pasture when we bought it so we've never fertilized it or limed it since we bought it. I poo pick every day and rotate the land so 2 acres are always rested and I use an acre at a time. Every spring it is rolled and the winter field is rested. This year it looks absolutely awful with not a blade of grass....although its dry now and tiny bits are starting to peep through.

Had my soil tested and thoroughly expected it would need serious repair but the results recommend I don't lime or fertilize. Soil PH is 6.1, P=4, K=2-, Mg=3.....all very normal apparently. I can't believe it really. So......

Would you just harrow, roll and rest? Harrow, spread a little fertilizer, roll and rest? I'm not sure how to do it really. It was suggested that I need to aeriate it with a big spikey thing to loosen up the compacted layer of soil that is holding the water on the surface and not letting it drain away.

Any thoughts, ideas or experiences? Cheers.
 
sounds very much like my paddocks. Grass grows best at pH6.5 so a little lime wont go amiss. Your local agri store will advise on how much to apply. As for fertiliser there is a product called Suregrow formulated especially for horses. Again your agri store will advise on application rates.
We will be doing our fields this year as well as the usual annual harrowing. We will harrow the vacated paddock as soon as its dry enough to get on without doing much damage and the ambient temperature is 6 degrees or above. grass grows at 6 degrees but not below. we will then lime the paddock too, wait till it rains to wash the lime in then fertilise about 3 weeks later weather permitting. we will them put the horses back into this paddock about 3 or 4 weeks later and do the same with the paddock they are grazing now.
Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:
I would suggest aerating or slitting, we have a similar problem on some of our fields, a friend who is a contractor and a dairy farmer recommended this before going down the fertiliser route which is more expensive. We invested in an aerator and went over the fields a few times already seen improvement in the drainage so fingers crossed.
 
Thanks both. Hubby has been saying we need to ariate it for a year or so now so we'll definately get it done this spring. Would you spread cow manure on your fields?

I know farmers are always busy and my tiny 3 acre normally has to wait until someone is free to come to my rescue....I hate that!...so how realistic would it be to but some 25kg bags of fertilizer and spread it by hand? I may sound barking mad but it would mean we could do it our selves and not have to wait around. Just a thought!
 
I do muck spread only because I have cows :-) my dairy friend is organic so doesn't use any fertiliser (only slurry) and only uses a slitter, and he has the best grass in the area.
 
Great article, think aerating the land is definately the way to go. I think hubby will say to harrow, aerate the land and roll then maybe next year add some fertilizer.

I'm learning so much.....didn't know soil could be so complicated! lol
 
The issues i see is by poopicking you are removing humus from the soil and by raising the humus (old manure) to the fields will increase soil fertility and improve soil structure and so poss the need to spike may not be necessary, also spiking often only penetrates 100cm.
If you raise the humus you will need less fertiliser and will not suffer from the fertiliser you do use washing out of the soil and away
Yes 6.5 is neutural and your 6.1 so slighty acid so a little lime.
Iron content not stated always good in soil and grass, horses blood
Nitrogen will be in the manure and is the first to wash out.

So what fertiliser Low in nitrogen unless for hay production,
often a Autumn/ winter garden centre Fertiliser with iron may be best
 
cblover - do you own a ride on mower? We have a pull along spreader which I got from eBay for about £50. You can set the spread rate easily and its ideal for small paddock fertiliser spreading.
 
Another question! lol

I was wondering if I should harrow and roll the acre field (summer one) before they go into it (like do it now) but the field is quite level and although the grass is short, its is coming through. What would you do? Will harrowing mess up the grass....would you just roll it? This field never gets the wear and tear the big field gets so it always looks better, last time it was grazed was November last year.

Just writing that makes me think that I should swap them round and use the bigger field in summer (maybe strip graze or rotate) and the smaller one in winter, combined with bringing them in and using a hard standing area for hay. Thats another 'chat show'....! lol
 
I personally wouldn't fertilise land for horses - they just don't need it that rich... Grass is suprisingly resilient - the lady that rents the land where I live trashes her winter fields every year and every summer we are astonished at how well they recover - her only problem is that the weeds get worse and worse each year. My advice would be to take the horses off it and give it a good harrowing and leave it to see what happens... as summer progresses you might find you need to weed kill and or spread a little grass seed in any areas the grass is struggling to come back through (don't leave the grass seeding too late - you should have a pretty good idea of how well the grass is recovering after a month or so). Her horses have only been off the winter field a couple of days now and the grass is already starting to poke through - and it was COMPLETE mud - I'll try and get a piccie later to reasure you!

I personally would have the horses on a smaller area in the summer and a bigger one in winter - I'm constantly worried about them getting fat on the lush summer grass and getting lami etc so would rather they naturally restrict themselves - you could always swap them onto the resting winter field for a few weeks just to 'top' it mid summer and give your summer grazing a bit of a breather :)
 
Thanks for that. I've just been reading about Suregrow fertilizer....seems popular for producing think long lasting grass without it being too rich. Just a though, although I think hubby would prefer the cheaper option. LOl

In previous winters I have started to strip graze the 2 acre field in November and with the amount of grass that has grown over the summer it has supported all 3 of mine without needing additional hay until the end of Jan (usually). This year has been so wet they didn't get chance to eat the grass.....just trampled it into the ground. Such a waste! Grrrr.

I have thought about making 3 acre paddocks and just rotating them throughout the year instead of keeping 2 acre for winter and using the smaller 1 acre for summer. I do have a hard standing area on the road side (we needed to lay that as a road before we could build) and some left over sub base that will be laid this year to make that area bigger and that is what I will be using to feed hay this next winter. I simply cannot go through another winter like this one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top