to fertilise or not

Rosie'smum

Rosie'smum

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Hi I just wanted to ask weather I should do my field this year.
It wasn't done last year but was year before. Its looking very bare atm but I have a very good doer and wondering weather its best to or not.
Thanks :-)
 
You could top it up with a low N fert but higher P & K, you shouldn't get too much grass but will improve the quality. May be useful to get it pH tested too, the wet winter will have depleted nutrients.
 
If you graze and poo pick you're taking a lot out of the grass but not putting anything back - it is a living thing and what goes in comes out.
Can you fertilise half and then keep them off that half while it goes through the luminous spring phase?
Or as above I was suggested a 12:12:12 potato fertiliser that goes overall good to the grass but won;t sent it nuclear! - that's what we're going for as it seems like a good compromise.
 
Its the yard owner thats getting the fertiliser. I will ask him what he's going to use. I can fertilise half. Thanks for the advice. But is it not better to have a great deal in the grass as she gets fat on air? Shes on restricted anways x
 
I wouldn't fertilise a paddock for a 'good doer' - it would be better to have a bare paddock and supplement with soaked hay imo.
 
I'd not fertilise but definitely lime the paddock to sweeten the grass. I have a seriously good doer and after the rain we've had overnight expect her to blossom in the next few days.

You could get a soil test done to see what is missing but be careful of applying the wrong stuff.
 
If you can manage on hay all year round and not grow any grass then I guess that is better for a fatty as you can check what's going in every day.
I need mine to have some grass and I don't want to be giving hay all year hence some sort of 'feeding' of the grass is necessary.
If you want something helpful but low what about getting some old muck spread on half? Cattle farmers will be clearing out wintered cattle barn soon?
 
I have a very good doer and haven't fertilised my paddock for the past 12 years or so, in the past week it has greened up and started shooting away.

I'd consider something like calcified seaweed if possible if it needs fertilising as that will be slow release and doesn't cause a flush of growth.

There is also the thinking that unfertilised grass struggles and so is more stressed, but I've not found it to be an issue.
 
Can i hijack slightly and ask why farmers dont use muck more often to fertilise? We have a farmer who cuts haylage from our field then sells some back to us cheap but every year he wants to put fertiliser on like the little white flaky stuff and i'm worried that its not good for my horses to graze on it. I might suggest the cow manure as he is a beef farmer but i dont know why he hasnt suggested it?
 
I understand it's just that muck only has low percentages of nitrogen etc so you have to put lots more on - taking time and diesel vs chemicals which can be done in one quick spread.
 
Rosie'smum said:
Hi I just wanted to ask weather I should do my field this year.
It wasn't done last year but was year before. Its looking very bare atm but I have a very good doer and wondering weather its best to or not.
Thanks :-)
Click to expand...

Ours are all done now, all fertilised and harrowed. We do every year

I believe


feed your field your field will feed your horses.
 
She has a largeish field all to her self. So even if I don't get it fertilised she will have enough to keep her going. It is looking a bit bare atm however. I have already noticed her piling on a bit og weight! Thanks ffor the advice x
 
For any good doer, unless you have alkaline soil I would do no more than liming (which also has the advantage of being safe to do with horses in) or ideally have some sheep in even for a couple of weeks as their poo is gently fertilising. Nothing from a bag. Poo picking might remove nutrients but for a good doer within reason that's a good thing generally tho you might have to supplement vitamins And minerals its safer than lami as good doer types are designed to operate on poor grazing.
 
Basically, you only need to put back on the land what you take off. So if you are a farmer fattening lambs or milking cows, you need to put back onto the land all the nutrients that have been removed by the lambs to grow or the cows to produce milk.

So, if you are cutting for hay and selling the hay on, you need to fertlise for hay production. If you poo pick, don't heap it and spread it later on the same ground, you are removing some nutrients but probably not a lot.

Clovers and other legumes fix nitrogen from the air and your horse is not removing a lot of minerals or lime (think bones!). But some of these elements are soluble and will be washed away in rain water (which is a good reason not to put fertiliser on too early!).

For a good doer, I wouldn't bother putting anything on permanent grassland unless there is an obvious problem. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! But I will be putting fertiliser on my hay ground because if I am making hay it pays to have a decent crop and I can always sell the surplus.
 
weebarney said:
Can i hijack slightly and ask why farmers dont use muck more often to fertilise? We have a farmer who cuts haylage from our field then sells some back to us cheap but every year he wants to put fertiliser on like the little white flaky stuff and i'm worried that its not good for my horses to graze on it. I might suggest the cow manure as he is a beef farmer but i dont know why he hasnt suggested it?
Click to expand...

I suspect he probably does! But probably not on fields grazed by liveries' horses?

No, artificial fertlisers will not harm your horse but it might be a good idea to take your horse off grazing that has just been fertilized until the rain has had a chance to wash it in. Frankly, I'll spread fertliser on fields that are still being grazed, but then they are my horses!
 
Livestock numbers have fallen massively over the last 20 years which will obviously reduce the amount if FYM (farm yard manure) available. FYM provides slower release nutrients and will not be so high in Nitrogen and when spread on grass will for obvious reasons render the grass unpalatable for a while.
Artificial fertilisers will not harm animals but it is preferable but not essential to allow it to wash in before grazing. If the farmer wants to put it on your field, personally I would let him as the crop he is removing will be depleting nutrients, if he wants to put it on before cutting he probably wants to ensure a better crop.
 
Dry Rot said:
I suspect he probably does! But probably not on fields grazed by liveries' horses?

No, artificial fertlisers will not harm your horse but it might be a good idea to take your horse off grazing that has just been fertilized until the rain has had a chance to wash it in. Frankly, I'll spread fertliser on fields that are still being grazed, but then they are my horses!
Click to expand...

Not on my field he only spreads the artificial fertilisers. We rest the field after its fertilised to grow the hay but I was worried about the effects the fertilised grass can have on the vit/ mineral balance in the horses and their ability to be worked unshod.
 
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