Which fertiliser is best?

[katymay]

I use a rented paddock which is split in two, two ponies spent approximately 3 months over winter out 24/7 on it and it seemed to hold up really well, when I moved them up to the top at the beginning of April I was hoping to see some lovely re-growth, had the paddock harrowed and rolled then about a month ago I spread Mole Valley paddock horse and pony fertiliser around, luck would have it that it rained that very night! its been about three to four weeks since I did it but the regrowth is really slow, both paddocks look really poor, previously to me renting it, it was home to sheep who literally grazed the life out of it, I am not really in the position to plough and re-seed although I am sure it would do it some good! anyone have any suggestions? tips? I have to mow my lawn at home every two weeks if not more so know the grass is growing somewhere! thanks in advance x

 

[Tinsel Trouble]

you shouldn't have to plough and reseed, but you can buy acre bags of grazing grass seed from most CWG/ mole valley/ farm-equine emporiums and walk over the field with a hand pushed seed machine (from B&Q/ Homebase). It's a cheaper way of reseeding it!

 

[McCauley]

Might be worth seeing if you can get a quote or two from those that are in the business of 'direct drilling' to see if it's feasible to go this way perhaps?

My OH is doing this now as we speak for a couple of farmers. YOu could look at buying the seed that's aimed at horse pasture too.

 

[Dry Rot]

Ideally, you'd get a soil analysis done and aim your fertiliser at correcting deficiencies. But from what you say, you now have the wrong species of grasses for your horses.

If you continue to graze a field, you will eventually graze out all the tall grasses and the only ones that can survive are those that like plenty of light and are naturally short. These are likely to be wild species natural to your ground and they are not to be despised but they won't give much productivity! Careful timing of grazing and cutting will also change the composition of your pastures. Growing good grass is quite complicated if you want to go that way!

One way to regenerate your pastures would be to give it a thorough harrowing, spread your seeds mixture and fertiliser, then roll. You don't mention acreage but for an acre or two, the seeds and fertiliser can be spread by hand. There's a knack to doing that by hand which is easy to learn.

A better way would be to get the field sprayed with Roundup (or equivalent, it comes under various names) and then harrow, etc. as above. Or you could get a contractor in to do a direct re-seed. Or you could do it the traditional way by ploughing etc. For quotes and prices, try Yellow Pages for your local machinery ring or agricultural contractor.

BTW, I got two acres of very poor grass ploughed earlier this year. It cost £40 an acre to plough (£20 or so would be fair for a larger acreage) so £80 total, then I went over it a few times with the chain harrows, finally broad cast the seed (£140 total), then the fertiliser (100kgs/acre of 20:10:10 costing £80 total), and finished by harrowing once again and rolling several times. The grass is coming a treat. I've used a fescue/cocksfoot mixture from http://www.thegrassseedstore.co.uk/equine-grazing.html as my soil is sandy. Later, I will graze with sheep, then apply farm yard manure (horse poo!). So, £150/acre plus diesel for the tractor and my own time which I don't think is too bad.

 

[OWLIE185]

Be aware that the soil temperature this year is still very cold for the time of year due to the excessive rain we had over the winter which will stunt grass growth.
I would get a soil test done and then use the appropriate treatment to make up for any deficiencies.
You could over seed - my contractor is trialling a nice piece of kit which create a small rut 1 cm deep, drills the seed in to it (drops it in) and then rolls it all in one go/pass.
Grassland contractors are usually better than farming contractors for grassland.