Land is being cleared at the barn I manage to expand the paddock for the two ponies and the mini. The plan is to hydroseed the freshly cleared land in order to help with mud and erosion. The ponies have always been able to nibble on the small amount of grass they could reach through the fence and whatever grows up in their paddock. I have no experience with hydroseeding. Is there a particular grass that would work best for ponies that don’t really need grass? I imagine it won’t take long for them, and the mini pig. to beat it down and weeds to show up but I really would love to avoid muzzles since they are out 24/7. Is it crappy enough grass I won"t need to worry? Any advice is welcome!
My dad used to do a lot of hydro seeding with former company. They created a grass blend based on what species thrived well in the area. I’m a long way from PA so I have no idea what kinds of grass might work well for you.
If hydroseeding is done well, it does not lead to patchy, poor grass. It should come in really well even in first year due to seed/water/fertilizer mixture with fewer weeds than if area had been hand seeded. Could newly cleared area be fenced as it’s own paddock and ponies turned out there for a few hours daily rather than expanding current paddock so they have 24/7 access to grass?
Yes, there will be a gate to close them off. Honestly the goal is to have it end up weedy poor patchy grass so they will be able to have more room to roam and will continue to eat mostly hay while searching for the bits of grass they can find. I know, the opposite of what most people want. LOL
I had an area done at my farm when I lived in PA. It was expensive but not a huge area, but an area that was sloped, partially shaded and just a nightmare. Worked well. Still had grass there (not a pasture but a traveled area) 15 years later…
Hydroseeding is ideal for sloped, shady or areas with bad soil where grass needs some help to start. If the cleared land will be relatively flat with decent soil and get sun, probably would be better off to hand seed or use a quad mounted seeder. You can always put down more seed next year if the grass is too thin.
