Which fertilser?????

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Danindigo

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Does anyone know which is the best/safest fertilser to use on grazing land for horses? I want to get it on ASAP before we have another wet spell (which im sure cant be far away!) & so wondered if anyone had any tips on which grade to use etc?
 
um, I really wouldnt chemical fertilise horse grazing at all? reseed patches maybe and oversow thin sward with a leafy mix, but fertiliser and horses not a good mix?

the best fertiliser for horse grazing is sheep! they nibble down all the uneven bits and leave lots of very mild slow release fertiliser, and clear a lot of the worm risks too....just an idea but its working brilliantly for me.
 
Don't just randomly apply fertiliser, it may be completely wrong for your fields needs, get a soil analysis done and see what you need. We bought this place 3 years ago and had the soil analysed in each of teh 8 fields my analysis showed our fields had far too low a pH so any fertiliser would be wasted, a good grass growing pH is 6.6. our fields ranged from 5 - 5.3. The priority job was therefore to raise the pH by adding lime which we did. the soil analysis also showed we needed potash and the lime we applied was rich in that too. Our soil has changed, we have now increased pH to 6 - still need more lime this year but we are producing far far better grass, and far more of it. We have not fertilised, just muck spread to add organic matter and the lime. We have got rid of the prolific buttercup crop as they only grow in low pH soil.
 
I agree with Bosworth, it really is best to get a soil analyis done - it's cheap, abour £10 or less- and with the results, get advice on what is best for your needs.
 
Bosworth - i have loads of buttercups too and weed killers not doing much good. my land does get quite wet in the winter and i know they like that but...
- are you sure it was the lime that got rid of them?
- how successful has it been - no buttercups, very few, just less than?
- how much lime did youu use and how much does it cost?
- where did you get it from?

any info that will help me get rid of or at least cut down on my buttercup growth would be hugely appreciated!

ta!
 
Buttercup growth is a sure sign your pH is far too low. Increas the pH and they can;t grow. Nothing to do with wetness all to do with aciditiy levels. Don't just lime without knowing what your soil needs, as you can just cause other problems. land needs to be analysed carefully to find out exactly what you have, and also what other issues you have. Once you have the full analysis - and use a decent company and if you have several fields get each analysed and treated individually. a blanket solution may not be the best. The analysis will give you a full breakdown of pH and mineral content, It will show what you are lacking in.

We have sorted out buttercup problem. We have no buttercups in the fields, we have however still got them in the walkways which we have not limed.

My lime cost me £38 a tonne spread and we needed between 1 an 3 tonnes per acre on our fields, depending on the individual pH.
 
Agree with Bosworth, contact your local ag merchant or cereal agronomist they will know who can test and lime your fields. Wet ground will usually be more acidic (just look peat bogs etc) nutrients are leached from the soil and are replaced with more acidic elements. Another sign of low ph is poor establishment of a ley, once the ph is raised the grass will out compete the buttercups too.
 
thanks , will look into it.
anyone know anyone near exeter, or east of it, that would do soil analysis?
 
Bosworth said:
Don't just randomly apply fertiliser, it may be completely wrong for your fields needs, get a soil analysis done and see what you need. We bought this place 3 years ago and had the soil analysed in each of teh 8 fields my analysis showed our fields had far too low a pH so any fertiliser would be wasted, a good grass growing pH is 6.6. our fields ranged from 5 - 5.3. The priority job was therefore to raise the pH by adding lime which we did. the soil analysis also showed we needed potash and the lime we applied was rich in that too. Our soil has changed, we have now increased pH to 6 - still need more lime this year but we are producing far far better grass, and far more of it. We have not fertilised, just muck spread to add organic matter and the lime. We have got rid of the prolific buttercup crop as they only grow in low pH soil.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the help! We had the soil tested & limed last year 7 was dtold that it wouldne need to doing again for several years. I will ask my local agri supplier of where to get a soil test done to see hwat fert i require.
 
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