Sounds like a good plan. You have to start where you are:) This is my second summer in my farm and my pastures are better than they were last year. Next year I hope they are better still. It’s expensive and time consuming to rehab pastures. Nothing wrong with doing it a bit at a time.
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Whatever you use now will require you to be at the upper end of the application range as it’s well into the growth cycles of most of the late emergence weeds (at least here in TN; you’re further north so you will be behind us by a few weeks but still with the weeds well established). So go ahead and do an application and get a jump on next year’s late weeds even though you’ve likely missed knocking down this year’s early emergence weeds.
Read the label on when you can return the stock to the pasture. Many say almost immediately or a couple of days. I like to wait a week or so in order that the weeds be good and dead and not tempting to foraging stock. I understand that when weeds die out that they can change in taste (usually becoming more salty) and that can temp hungry stock. I suspect I’m being over cautious but it doesn’t hurt to do so, IMO!!! 
Don’t mow until you KNOW the weeds are good and dead. If you spray early on a hot day the plant takes up the spray quite quickly and it goes right to the roots. But if the day isn’t so hot or maybe there’s some dew on the grass then it will be taken up but maybe a bit more slowly. Give the product a chance to do its job and then mow.
Glad you’re on board for the long haul!!! Good luck in your project.
G.
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I never realized anyone worried about buttercups? I have dirt paddocks and my horses have never ever touched the buttercups, I do pull out as many as I can.
Even growing up I road at a ‘flake of hay twice a day’ type barn and the hungry horses never ate buttercups in the paddocks…
Well…they’re toxic? Some horses do eat them. There have been reports of horses dying. And if stuff is growing in my fields, I’d rather it be stuff that’s okay for them to eat, particularly if I’m spending the money on fertilizer and lime.
I’m not the only one who cares about buttercups. The only way I even know what they are is from reading threads on this forum about how to get rid of them.
When you overseed use a slice seeder/ no-till drill. Magical devices that ensure soil/ seed contact in one easy pass. Just go right over your existing patchy grass then water and wait… I don’t know whey they’re not more common n the US.
I definitely get that they are toxic! However they are also very commonly found in most fields in my area and haven’t ever herd of anyone removing them or of any horses actually eating them. It would seem it is accepted (in this general area at least) that horses won’t eat them. But definitely would be ideal not to have them!
Pasture management is an ongoing process, done right. You may need to repeat certain steps of the cycle either every year or every few years. Here are the steps we typically take:
#1 Test soil. Now is a good time to do it. It can be done at any point in the cycle and at any time of year.
You will have no direction on what to do about fertilizer without this info. It will tell your soil pH. This is important because various nutrients are more or less available to your plants at different pH levels. Lime will raise your pH, sulfur will lower it. In most areas pH will need to raised. Soil tests will also tell you the relative amount of various nutrients in the soil. Knowing this, you can then calculate how much lime or other fertilizer you need to apply. (An extension agent or farm coop adviser should be able to help with the calculation if you are not sure how to do.) Often test results will include application recommendations if you ask for them when submitting the sample.
#2 Apply lime, phosphorus, and/or potassium according to test results. (I prefer in the fall, but can be done anytime.)
These are all slow acting, not readily soluble minerals. They will take months (or more) to break down and go to work in the soil. I like to apply them just before expecting a gentle rain that will carry them into the soil. Avoid doing it just before a gully-washer or they are likely to be washed away with the run-off, as someone else mentioned. If large quantities are needed, you may do best with split applications - half one year, followed with repeat application the next. Otherwise, a single application normally lasts for several years. Phosphorous is used by plants to help form new roots, make seeds, fruit and flowers. Potassium helps plants make strong stems and keep growing fast. Lime alters soil acidity/pH.
#3 Apply nitrogen for grass growth. This is a spring time activity.
Nitrogen is highly soluble, easily leached away in the soil, and consumed by the plant in growth processes. Annual application is usually always needed. Start with the rate recommended on the soil test. If the grass is growing the way I want, I usually continue that rate yearly without necessarily retesting.(From years of experience, I may vary up or down just based on growth. You’ll learn over time.) Again, I like to apply just before a few days of gentle spring rain. I do keep my horses off the pasture until the nitrogen has been washed in by a good soaker, so timing may mean you have to do this when it’s not real convenient. You can use granular or liquid forms.
#4 Rotate and mow regularly.
Some solid advice has been given on rotation. I won’t repeat. Regular mowing at a height of 4 -6 inches will keep weeds from going to seed. This will help keep their numbers low, but never completely eliminates them. Mowing too low weakens your grass (just like over grazing). Keeping strong grass growth helps it compete with weeds. A few weeds, under general control, are no big deal unless it is something truly toxic. They have their place in nature’s cycle too. Some can be mineral accumulators that are actually good for our horses to eat in small quantities. (Think dandelions)
#5 Judiciously apply herbicides when weeds are truly out of control.
Know the weed you are trying to kill and choose the appropriate herbicide. Is it an annual or perennial, broadleaf, or woody plant? 2,4-D is the active ingredient in many pasture management herbicides. Read the label. It is in many products. (Pasture Pro is one.) It mainly controls non-woody species. Triclopyr is one of the active ingredients in Crossbow (which also contains a low concentration of 2,4-D). It is used for control of woody plants. Apply your spray in wind-still conditions so it does not drift. This will usually be in the evening, near sunset; overnight; or very early in the morning around sunrise. 2,4-D especially, is very volatile and can do damage to many other plants (notably grapes up to a mile away, in cases).
Rinse and repeat as needed, steps 3 & 4 on a yearly or more basis; steps 1, 2, and 5 as needed every few years. Good luck.
(And people wonder why I don’t just offer cheap pasture board, as opposed to the price of stall board. Keeping pasture takes just as much work and money. Most of those that want to move complain that the “pasture” where they are is just weeds or dirt.:eek: Rant over.)
^^^^ You really do need to have a plan. Very satisfying (emotionally) when you formulate your plan and then start to act on it. I was all, "Woe is me!" (for years) looking at my pastures and watching them deteriorate before my eyes – I had no time (until now) to even THINK about renovating them, and the task seemed too overwhelming to actually do – over 20 acres!
But now I have my plan and know what tasks have to be done and when. Baby steps – little by little – will take a few years – but it feels good to start! Part A of my plan is killing/controlling a particular noxious/invasive weed. Doing that now. Then on to Part B and so on.
OP, you have gotten a lot of good advise. By the book advise. The kind most extension agents give. Which reminds me of the Rodney Dangerfield movie, Back to School and this scene called, “First Day of Business Class” Rodney’s reply’s to the Professor are too funny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmiyrYTxxvs
We would all like to manage our farms “by the book” But that is not always easy depending on one’s time and budget nor practical for some of the same reasons. Nor needed depending on things.
As I said in my “novel” lol, a novel I will title the Practical Farmer, or Farm Management on a budget and needing things done ASAP.
This biggest bang for little money and a bit of time and effort is to get ride of the broad leaf weeds ASAP. Don’t worry about soil testing, fertilizing, liming etc right now. Getting rid the stuff that is competing with the existing grasses will/should give dramatic change in a month or so. This is a picture of one of our small barn paddocks that is used a lot in the winter because of easy of access. After a winter of freeze thaw, spring mud season conditions it was not much to look at, mostly weeds and dirt. I took horses off of it in early May I hit it with 2-4-D and let it rest. The paddock has not been limed nor fertilized in over 14 years. Wish I had taken a picture of it in May. It still had new weed growth and I will hit it again. But plenty of grass has grown back and will fill in even more when the competing weeds are eliminated. [ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:“Click image for larger version Name: IMG_0011.JPG Views: 1 Size: 22.2 KB ID: 9800772”,“data-align”:“none”,“data-attachmentid”:“9800772”,“data-size”:“full”}[/ATTACH]
To be fair, honest if one were to walk through this paddock there will be a lot of “junk” found. The picture makes it look a lot “nicer” than it is. But it is FAR better than it was in early May, FAR better with very little effort and expense. All that was needed is getting rid of most of the competing weeds and resting.
I was remiss in not pointing out that using an off the shelf soil tester is not come close to what a proper soil test report gives. It will only give a reasonably accurate PH. The tester has to figure out how much lime will be needed. There maybe better ones on the market that give some other details. A soil test report will exactly how much in lbs per acre one has to apply to bring everything back in ideal balance.
But soil testing reports are FAR more important for crop farming than they are for horse farming. Various crops deplete the soil far more than just grass. We are growing, trying to grow decent grass, not great corn. Most grasses grow best in “sweet” soil with a neutral PH of around 7, The use of lime sweetens the soil. (kind of oxymoron using Lime and Sweet together). But IME in my neck of the woods with our soil the grass grows pretty darn good in soil that test in the low 6 range.
Getting rid of buttercup is paramount regardless of the timing. Yes, they have already gone to seed. So you will have to spray new growth again next spring. But the plant is still there and is competing with the existing grasses, shading out new growth, sucking out soil moisture during the dry spells. Grass needs more moisture than weeds. It goes dormant, slows growth and doesn’t spread. While most weeds can and do thrive at the same time. Depth of top soil plays an important part of maintaining good grass during long and dry spells. We have very deep top soil which is why this is a big Ag area. Our grass has never gone brown even after a month of no rain. Verses KY that has very shallow layer of top soil over limestone. The limestone under it maintain a natural PH and the KY Bluesgrass grows amazing during the wet season. But come mid July a lot of the Bluegrass becomes brown grass.People don’t see a lot of pictures of KY during a typical hot dry July.
Mowing pasture grass lower than 4 inches doesn’t necessarily “weaken” it. But it doesn’t keep it to shade the ground, keep moisture from evaporating during dry spells. It also doesn’t shade out weed growth. Which can and does help big time keeping new weeds at bay.
Springing for a $6-700 boom sprayer to work 3+ plus acres maybe over kill. But it sure make the work load easier. The same can be accomplished using a spot sprayer. I bought a 15 gallon spot sprayer for on sale for around $50. TS has similar ones for around $80. Stick in the back of a Pick up, one person drives slowly and the other walks behind broadcast spraying. Unless you have a 12 volt battery handy you will have to MacGyver, tap the power cars battery or a power port that most cars/trucks come with. A power port adapter can be hand for a few dollars and some wire the length needed.
Again in short. Get out and spray the broad-leaf junk.2-3 oz of 2-4-D per gallon. If you have woody stuff, milk weed, ivy, thistle , as I advised in my other comment you will need to mix 1-2 oz of Crossbow into the mix. Or just spot spray the “woody” stuff with Crossbow and 2-4-D on the rest. Crossbow is more expensive than 2-4-D. As I said before Pasture Pro is for amateurs IMO and experience.
Again, the above in based on many years managing my farm in my neck of the woods. I have paid for the useless T-Shirts and advise before learning from my mistakes. Every geographic area, south, west, etc will need different management practices. Even when dealing with basically the same types of weeds and or grasses. The OP is basically in the same geographic area as I am. Though soil composition in CT can and does vary depending on location. It has a lot of coastline, soil can be a lot more sandy even when miles inland. The western, NW parts of the state can and does have low PH left over from the pine forests that were once abundant.
Yup another novel,lol. I can’t help myself. If there are any good editors out there feel free to wack it down, Cliff notes.
