Trying a New Fertilizer

[goodhors]

@Guilherme

Do you have any citations on this? I’d be interested.

A quick and dirty run on Google disclosed no definitive proof. Indeed, urea is unstable and volatilizes quickly. It should be used only when rain is soon expected. We’ve had two and my experiment with this material quickly mixing with water suggests I’m not running any discernible risk. That said, there ARE “slow release” urea formulas that are inappropriate for equine pastures. I don’t use them.

Without specific knowledge of the complete equine care regime it’s likely that any conclusion regarding founder and urea properly used rests on a weak foundation.

Here is one article I found of good provenance and presentation.

http://www.ezrelocate.com/esc/ask_expert/ate_fpmfh.htm

G.

Thanks for the link, interesting reading. Persons sharing the information horses died of urea poisoning had Vets attending, this was the diagnosis they were given. Not sure if they got necropsies.

I am just sharing the information so you are aware of “possibilities” in use of urea as pasture fertilizer. Husband refuses to use urea here, so we use the Ammonium Sulphate instead. Not causing reactions in horses, and another benefit is that it is not volitile, not evaporating like urea if not rained on quickly. Sometimes you just can’t get an accurate weather prediction from anyplace! Ha ha I ended up spreading grass seed today in surprise snow!

Hope your rains fall as you need them after applying the fertilizers.

[foggybok]

@goodhors

Thanks for the link, interesting reading. Persons sharing the information horses died of urea poisoning had Vets attending, this was the diagnosis they were given. Not sure if they got necropsies.

I am just sharing the information so you are aware of “possibilities” in use of urea as pasture fertilizer. Husband refuses to use urea here, so we use the Ammonium Sulphate instead. Not causing reactions in horses, and another benefit is that it is not volitile, not evaporating like urea if not rained on quickly. Sometimes you just can’t get an accurate weather prediction from anyplace! Ha ha I ended up spreading grass seed today in surprise snow!

Hope your rains fall as you need them after applying the fertilizers.

I applied fertilizer to hay field and pastures last Sunday to be ready for Monday rain… none… I watched on the weather radar as it approached us, then split around us and met up again on the other side. A little donut hole of no rain here Tonight we got a sprinkle and supposedly more is coming in the next few days. It’s crazy because April is a big rain month for us, but no, it’s not cooperating with me this year.

[Where_sMyWhite]

@Guilherme :lol: the weather knew best how to foil your plans for efficient and correct application of fertilizer

[goodhors]

I think I will get my fertilizer recipe at the plant and spread it Tuesday, if the prediction for rain is still on. Despite predictions for rain Sat and Sun, we have not gotten it HERE. Rained south of us 12 miles! Finished overseeding and dragging my disced pastures yesterday. Nicely smoothed from hoof holes and clods after discing. Still is green, grass is grazing length fot SHORT times. No grazing after fertilizing until rained in. Glad not to be a farmer for real!

And the price of seed!! Just wow! It was hard to make myself open the gates of the seeder, let all those pricy seeds spill out on the ground. It seems Birds Foot Trefoil is the popular planting right now. Three friends told me i should get some! I have planted it for years. Ha ha. It is a nice legume to add to the grazing mix, especially in clay soils where alfalfa won’t grow well in. Does well in other soils too. Reseeds, friendly to other plants, unlike Alfalfa. Horses like it.

[Guilherme]

@goodhors

Thanks for the link, interesting reading. Persons sharing the information horses died of urea poisoning had Vets attending, this was the diagnosis they were given. Not sure if they got necropsies.

I am just sharing the information so you are aware of “possibilities” in use of urea as pasture fertilizer. Husband refuses to use urea here, so we use the Ammonium Sulphate instead. Not causing reactions in horses, and another benefit is that it is not volitile, not evaporating like urea if not rained on quickly. Sometimes you just can’t get an accurate weather prediction from anyplace! Ha ha I ended up spreading grass seed today in surprise snow!

Hope your rains fall as you need them after applying the fertilizers.

I’m aware of the dangers of urea and horses. Some years back a custom feed mill in a nearby state failed to properly clean it’s system between runs of cattle and horse feed. The net result was several (maybe as many a a dozen) dead horses.

I’m told urea actually degrades very quickly, particularly with some rain. We keep stock off for a couple of rains.

Here is one professional view:

https://horses.extension.org/can-i-graze-my-pasture-after-it-is-fertilized/

G.

[tbgurl]

@goodhors

I learned that seed companies are now selling Birds Foot Trefoil instead of Festolium! So anyone buying seed may want to ask for it by the other name if seed seller doesn’t have it by the first name. Same plant, but it seems Birds Foot Trefoil is the popular name right now. Three friends told me i should get some! I have planted it for years. Ha ha My elevator changed hands, they did not have any Festolium. But they did have the other when I asked for the Birds Foot Trefoil! New office lady, so I told her they were the same seed, in case some other old customer asked for it by Festolium, so they could make the sale. It is a nice legume to add to the grazing mix, especially in clay soils alfalfa won’t grow well in. Does well in other soils too. Reseeds, friendly to other plants, unlike Alfalfa. Horses like it.

Festulolium and Birdsfoot Trefoil are definitely not the same plant. Festulolium is a grass, a cross between Italian or perennial ryegrass and meadow fescue. It is often used as a replacement for tall fescue for those who want to avoid that species in their pastures but still want green grass growing during the hot, dry part of summer.

Birdsfoot Trefoil is a legume, and is an alternative to alfalfa and clovers. Yes, it is somewhat popular for horse pastures and probably a better choice than clovers to avoid “slobbers” that can occur due to some fungi that can grow on clover. Not as popular as alfalfa, probably because it isn’t as good for hay production.

I’m not sure what seed company you talked to, but Festulolium and Birdsfoot Trefoil aren’t interchangeable products.

[goodhors]

@tbgurl

Festulolium and Birdsfoot Trefoil are definitely not the same plant. Festulolium is a grass, a cross between Italian or perennial ryegrass and meadow fescue. It is often used as a replacement for tall fescue for those who want to avoid that species in their pastures but still want green grass growing during the hot, dry part of summer.

Birdsfoot Trefoil is a legume, and is an alternative to alfalfa and clovers. Yes, it is somewhat popular for horse pastures and probably a better choice than clovers to avoid “slobbers” that can occur due to some fungi that can grow on clover. Not as popular as alfalfa, probably because it isn’t as good for hay production.

I’m not sure what seed company you talked to, but Festulolium and Birdsfoot Trefoil aren’t interchangeable products.

You are correct. I have been “educated” since this post. I am going to blame the man whom I originally purchased seed from, years ago. He used the two seeds names interchangeably, so I did too. Should have researched it better, myself!

[tbgurl]

@goodhors

You are correct. I have been “educated” since this post. I am going to blame the man whom I originally purchased seed from, years ago. He used the two seeds names interchangeably, so I did too. Should have researched it better, myself!

Ah ok, I was concerned that you might go and buy Festulolium seed to plant one day, thinking it was the same as Birdsfoot Trefoil, and be sorely disappointed when all you got was grass!

[Where_sMyWhite]

@goodhors

He used the two seeds names interchangeably, so I did too. Should have researched it better, myself!

One of my personal nits… the advantage of using the botanical/scientific/taxa for plants rather than the ‘common name’.

Common names can be confusing or ambiguous. The botanical name is what it is and wold have shown that these two plants would be, indeed, different

[goodhors]

@Where'sMyWhite

One of my personal nits… the advantage of using the botanical/scientific/taxa for plants rather than the ‘common name’.

Common names can be confusing or ambiguous. The botanical name is what it is and wold have shown that these two plants would be, indeed, different

I usually do go with Latin for flowers and shrubs. However they have recently renamed a couple shrubs I really like, wanted another. The Nurseries had no clue about finding one, with me using the older Latin name! I guess the new Latin name " better reflects the new knowledge of the species" is what i read. Sure did make it hard to find a Beauty Bush of the big, old-fashioned sort! Even Latin names are no longer permanent, after we finally get them down in our heads! Ha ha

I never thought to use the Latin for grass seeds or the other things planted in pastures. No one at the Elevator would be able to talk the Latin with me. Makes you appear to be showing off. Though perhaps their seed supplier could talk Latin with me. Latin sure would have been better in discussing the Birds Foot Trefoil and Festolium! But even the common names are getting confused. A friend called to ask how I liked the Hens Feet in pastures!! Another called it Cranesbill, wanted to get some seed. Cranesbill is a flower, not a pasture addition.

[Where_sMyWhite]

When a plant is reclassified, the plant itself doesn’t change… just its classification.

All living things have a taxa

An ‘old’ taxa should really be the same plant as the ‘new’ taxa. A change in the taxa simply means that more has been learned about the plant, sometimes including its DNA.

FWIW, there is no one single global entity responsible for the classification of a plant. There are a few (I’ve stumbled over at least 5) that have taxa for plants. Not all these entities adopt the new taxa at the same time. Once a plant has been reclassified, the trickle down reclassification may take years before the change is reflected on the name tag in a local nursery or botanical garden.

[Guilherme]

One month on grass production is OUTSTANDING!!!

Weed spraying has been much more problematical due to continued heavy rains with only short days between multi-day rain events. We are still 163% of annual rainfall and holding steady. I"m even reluctant to hook up the big tractor and batwing bushhog due to wet ground.

Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. ;(

G.

[Where_sMyWhite]

@Guilherme that’s what you get for complaining about no rain :lol:

[Guilherme]

@Where'sMyWhite

@Guilherme that’s what you get for complaining about no rain :lol:

I know. ;(

It sort of like that old saw, “You can’t win, you can’t break even, and you can’t quit!”

G.

[Guilherme]

I know. ;(

It sort of like that old saw, “You can’t win, you can’t break even, and you can’t quit!”

G.

[goodhors]

@Guilherme

I know. ;(

It sort of like that old saw, “You can’t win, you can’t break even, and you can’t quit!”

G.

That is a good one, I never heard it before!

Glad the fertilizing has had such great results. I am with you on the mowing, rain has the ground much too wet to venture out there. We got close to 4 inches over the weekend into Monday, with flooding our place for a couple hours, Then the water left us equally fast. Lots of standing water in low places. My fields drain well, add some wind for drying, so maybe Thursday I can hit the high spots of fields. Supposed to get a few dry days. We are on the high side of the river, everything is downhill from here! Haying fields grass should shoot up now with warmer temps, but no cutting until the saturated ground there dries.

Further north, the dams broke, serious flooding there. People asking for places to bring livestock because everything is under water. They got 4-7 inches of rain. Old dam, private ownership with poor upkeep, before the State recently took it over. No time to “fix it up” yet this year with everything shutdown. Kind of like the Johnstown Flood, dam just gave way to start draining a large lake. News pictures are scary. Water has covered the land, roads and bridges, took out one bridge. HOWEVER, the locals were warned well ahead, evacuated, no loss of humans that I heard of.

[jawa]

@Guilherme the weather here in central Va has been hit or miss for great grass growth. If we have moisture the temperatures have been well below normal. When we have had warm weather, we had dry soil conditions. The grass is growing, just SLOWLY. I was able to get another application of the liquid 10-10-10 on the paddocks the other day when it had basically muzzled ( a misting drizzle ) for 2 days and we were expecting a steady drizzle to light rain for the next 12 hours. 36 hours later, with warm air temperatures, perfect moisture conditions and fertilizer, the grass had a whole new hue of green. Fingers crossed that I’ll be able to get one more fertilizer application done before it gets too hot.