In central/tidal VA. I have small cross fenced turnouts and this year want to address: weed control, lime and fertilizer, and overseeding. I’ll probably be working with a non horseguy and supply my own products for him to use. Please share your suggestions…one of my issues is I will have to maintain with a garden tractor for mowing so it will have to be a shorter cut than I’d prefer, but its just the nature of the beast. (any garden tractor suggestions welcome too. Don’t want an actual mini tractor, its just overkill for my needs) I’ll look into grass/grazing best seed options too.
The best source for information is your county agricultural extension agent. He/she may want to come to your place and actually see what you have and do a soil test.
But in the meantime, since I can’t resist, the weed problem and the fertilizing can be dealt with possibly with your lawn tractor and a small 25-30 gallon liquid sprayer.
Each spring I do one pass over all pasture with my 25 gallon tank filled with Trimec (broad leaf herbicide --takes care of all weeds and leaves grass untouched) . I also add CoRon, a fertilizer, Ele-Max a grass booster. I have 20 acres, divided into three pastures and the entire spraying endeavor takes me about 6-8 hours, but I break it into three different days as I don’t want my geldings on the pasture right after I spray it. Vet and manufacturer said it isn’t really a problem, but I wait 7 days or until I get a hard rain. Cost is about $40/acre but husband (Mr. Accountant) long ago figured I saved that much on hay since I can keep the boys on pasture from April until end of October without supplemental hay feeding other than the occasional horse show.
Before you invest in chemicals, however, get that extension agent out —OR take yourself to where the big hay farmers buy their chemicals and chat up the experts there. I use Helena Chemical and I am probably their smallest (possibly most annoying) customer. Last year Helena declined to sell me fertilizer as I didn’t have a “real” farm (grrrr). Fertilizer was tough to get any place --so I just didn’t put it on. Since I’ve been fertilizing the same pastures for 20+ years, the experts said missing a year wouldn’t change much and it did cut my cost in 1/2.
It is possible that after spraying, you will not need to reseed. I never have. I’ve had up to six horses on the pasture, and bare spots are not a problem --by mid summer, grass is growing every place --oh, I don’t mow —
Purdue University’s pasture expert (spoke at our 4-H club) said mowing controls weeds, but since I am using an herbicide, I don’t need to mow too. I do mow the pasture by the road so it “looks pretty,” but otherwise, I just have “amber waves of (green) gold” --weed free grass that grows to about knee high. I see that the horses who are out right now on a foot of snow, are digging down to the grass in places --even though they have free choice hay. Oh, I also mow the fence line since tall grass touches my electric fence.
So that’s my 2 cents worth.
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Four words of advice. “Soil Test, Virginia Tech.”
The best use of $10 I can imagine. Here is the link to the soil testing lab to order the package,
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in re: soil, thanks and yes, will probably submit the test to VA tech regardless, but may use lawn guys PH probe for a quickie since Tech can take up to a month or more.
County ag agent: have in past not had any luck for our area with an ‘ag’ person. But I can/will try again.
so, soils and research will be done. Am still interested in personal usage of horse grazing safe products they have had good luck with. thanks!!!
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Really need a lot more information from you for the specific advice you want. What grass do you intend to seed? What grass is there now? What are the types of weeds that you need to control? Can you keep horses off the pastures after seeding or fertilizing or applying herbicides, or is that not possible? By the way, how do you handle manure - composting, dragging, picking and landfill?
Lawn guys make their money by applying fertilizer, lime, and other chemicals, frequently based on local lore rather than science. If you found one that operates scientifically and altruistically, congratulations. A soil test initially done by Virginia Tech before showering money onto any lawn guy will help you cut through any BS. It sounds like your operation is too small to count on any help from your county extension office.
How many acres do you have in grazing pastures? What is your soil type? And how many horses are using your land? Do you rotate pastures? Do you have irrigation? Would you be willing to add if not, or just be willing to drag hoses and impulse sprinkler tripods around daily. Watering obviously is the key to establishing growth after seeding. With small acreage I’d try to come up with a way to install irrigation. It took 2 days and $10K to add it to mine and I wish I’d had it done first rather than dragging hoses for several years. it did require a bigger well pump as part of the package.
There have been many threads about mowers, and the bottom line is that you will not find anything that will mow higher than 4.5 inches short of a bush hog and tractor. I have found my subcompact Deere tractor to be worth it. It is like a Swiss army knife for a small horse farm. Loader for manure and dirt moving, moving hay or fertilizer bags on a pallet, belly mower cuts at 4.5 inches, and an added spreader on the back for lime and fertilizer and seed.
Sorry…I was really asking some ‘general’ questions, I realize.
I have probably?1.5-1.75 acre cross fenced so I can indeed rotate.
I have one senior/retiree and one mini.
Yes, I have a sacrifice area to retain them on when overseeding/turnout work needs them to be off.
No, I will not be paying for irrigation given my tiny property and only 1.5 horses. too costly.
I will attempt hauling hoses / sprinklers in a dry spell need, but mostly will count on natural precipitation for the most part.
No I do not want a tractor. I have no need for one.
yes, I have lovely manure bins with tops and it is hauled off probably? once yearly.
Yes, I do pick paddocks/turnouts.
Have tried different seed/seed mixtures costly and good ole Tractor Supply pasture mix. thus the inquiry for any suggestions for a forage for my location, sandy/loamy soil, and having to mow to maintain.
Weeds are typical : buttercups, some spring onions, etc.
of course each scenario differs. But this is mine. thanks to anyone who does have any applicable suggestions.
Its perfectly fine
I apologize for going overboard with larger property suggestions. I see now why your county extension office is not willing to help. In DIY mode you can get by with a box store riding mower, a couple of 100 foot hoses hoses and sprinklers, a push type broadcast spreader, and do your weed control with 2,4-D in a pump up sprayer, or maybe even do it by hand if you like outdoor work and have time. Or, a yard crew can knock your place out in an hour a week with a little extra every month or so for things like fertilizing and you won’t even need any equipment of your own.
Even an acre is worth getting a soil test done, though. Cheaper even than buying a test kit at Lowes, and you will have specific guidance on what fertilizer and how much and when if you want to apply it yourself. As I am in a different climate zone, I have no specific product advice.
If Bermuda or Bahia will grow in your zone they are pretty drought resistant and take a lower mowing height which might suit your equipment needs. Pasture Bermuda is harder to get in seed IME but Bahia does well started from seed. You might be a bit far north for those though. If you don’t get a ton of snow you may be able to over seed in winter with rye grass which helps control weeds and extends your grazing season.
I apply granular lime from tractor supply with a push spreader and a local pellet fertilizer that is straight nitrogen 32/0/0 from local ag supply.
thank you! one year I bought a very nice bermuda (expensive, sure) and you’re right the ‘seeding’ of it was difficult, and it did not take well. I was hoping for some of it to take, but it was the generating for sure that failed. very specific soil depth —I appreciate knowing your lime/fertilizer routine too. in your use of the high nitrogen pellet…how long did you keep horses off?
so…I’m gonna check this out too…to see if my well/water pressure can operate it ok…my ‘turnouts’ are full frontage of land parcel, with a driveway in between. this should pull down drive way for applications for either side if pressure and hoses / length/circumference can be worked out for good water flow…https://www.amleo.com/commercial-grade-big-sprinkler-impact/p/1000F?mkwid=|dc&pcrid=&pkw=&pmt=&plc=&kc=&prd=1000F&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=cpc&slid=&prd=1000F&pgrid=&ptaid=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4-Hso-7v_AIVCY3ICh0qIAWXEAQYASABEgITAPD_BwE
I keep horses off until it’s rained good (at least half of an inch) or I’ve done equivalent irrigation at least. More often I do lime, fertilizer, seed etc one paddock at a time at the beginning of that paddock’s rest times in rotation especially for seeding.
I had one good spot that Bermuda seed germinated well and it’s still growing good there. That area though had been a big burn pile previously and we cleaned the debris and box bladed the area to level. So it was a clean seed bed. I just broadcast the seed.
I’m going to try some Bahaia Overseeding this year and see how that does for me.
I would like to try tractor supply’s pasture pro product to knock out more weeds but I don’t know if I’ll get to it this year. I’d need a sprayer bigger than my little hand pump ones.
Even though you’re a small operation you should still be able to get some advice from the extension office. They should at least be able to tell you what grows well in your area for your intended use. If you have a conservation department they might have some suggestions as well. Sometimes you just have to be persistent.
In general, a pasture with mixed cool and warm season grasses, legumes, and forbs should provide good grazing for most of the year. A variety of plants is overall healthier than a single crop, and it’s good for the environment.
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I use pasture pro in a 2g sprayer on my little 1.5ish fences acres. I spray from my old jd riding mower. When it runs out I just go back to the hose and bottle of pp, refill and get back on the mower. It isnt perfect, and if I use the blue dye stuff, I can tell where I have sprayed better. OP you may be better off putting some lime down now and let the rains coming rain it in, memorial day or sooner depending on the temps spray for weeds and fertilize, then wait till the weeds are dead and temps cool back down a little to overseed in the fall. In the meantime, mow mow mow. Mowing keeps the weeds at bay too, thickens your grass, a small 4x4 chain harrow from rural king is 100s less than tcs and you can spread your manure piles with it thru the hot months, adding nutrients to your soil to prep for a fall overseed. Good luck!
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Since you don’t have broodmares, the easiest/probably cheapest variety of grass to seed would be Kentucky 31 tall fescue. It is drought, pest, and high traffic/high grazing pressure resistant. You can seed in the spring, but it would be best to wait and seed in the fall, then keep your horses off the pasture until after the grass has reach grazing height (8" tall) in the spring.
A general broadleaf herbicide like 2,4-D is a good first step in weed control. Be sure your lawn care guy understands that pastures should be sprayed EARLY in the gazing season. By the time you see the weeds (especially the yellow buttercup flowers), you’ve waited too long.
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I have found the best way to combat weeds is to just mow, and mow, and mow. During my 10 years on this property I haven’t done anything to my pasture other than spread manure, rotate and mow regularly. It took about 3 years to get the weeds down to a low level. I was told that most ride-on mowers don’t have the suspension intended to bump over rough pasture. So I bought an old beater of a mower, figuring I can drive it into the ground, and buy a couple more before I will have paid for a new one.
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A couple years ago I switched from picking my pastures to harrowing them during the warm season. It made life so much easier and did not lead to parasite problems. Wish I had started doing that years ago!
Not to hijack the thread but I’ve always been curious: growing up in the UK surrounded by sheep and beef cattle grazed land that was occasionally hayed and had horse boarding on it too, the farmers never applied herbicides, artificial fertilizer or mowed that I recall. And the place was green as can be all year round. I’m wondering why so many chemical applications are needed to grow grazing grass in the US?
I’m guessing it was partially the rotational grazing supplying nutrients? A lower stocking density? More tolerance for some weeds? 
or just different weather and soil? The grass grown was obviously sufficiently nutrient dense to raise lambs and beef cattle commercially, and feed horses.
Does anyone compost their manure and apply to the fields instead of chemical fertilizer? Or are the soils so depleted that they need additional fertilizer to sustain grass growth?
In the uk there are certainly noxious weeds that have to be controlled but some weeds are considered good for grazing animals and the environment, and the government even gives grants to encourage farmers to leave wildflower areas for pollinators.
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the government here in my city will fine you if the grasses get too high, do not pay fine then they take you to court
A person commits an offense if the person owns, occupies or controls any real developed property upon which any weeds or grass exceed eight inches in height.
