Fertiliser for horse sick land

TheFarrier

Evening all

Does anyone have any advise what kind of fertiliser is best suited for horse sick land??

About 20 acres at home hasn't had any fert as long as I can remember and is shook enough. should be reseeded by right but that's just not in the budget.

Thanks

Ave Sodalis

It would probably end up working out easier and cheaper to do soil testing from Teagasc. Otherwise, you'd just be fertilising and waiting, and fertilising and waiting until you get it right.

isaos

TheFarrier wrote: »

Evening all

Does anyone have any advise what kind of fertiliser is best suited for horse sick land??

About 20 acres at home hasn't had any fert as long as I can remember and is shook enough. should be reseeded by right but that's just not in the budget.

Thanks

I've been asking myself the same question for some time. We had to treat our 5 acres against ragworts and docks, which we did at the very end of fall. It worked vert well, but the field is undoubtedly quite poor, so I have asked my neighbour to spread a bit of slurry, last week, and he will put some heifers to graze before I put the horses back in, hopefully beginning of May.

It seems the safest option, and a lot of farmers are happy o get rid of some slurry at this stage! You should probably also spread lime, as it is a non agressive fertilizer that will also help to avoid the spreading of buttercups. And it isn't too costly either!
Just one thing: if and when you reseed, go for mixed grass for horses, pure raygrass is lovely but doesn't wear that well - assuming you are still using your field for horses.
Good luck

Ave Sodalis

isaos wrote: »

he will put some heifers to graze before I put the horses back in, hopefully beginning of May.

If you can get your hands on sheep for a short while, they trim down ragwort shoots and don't poach the land as much as cattle which might help recovering land better.

isaos

Ave Sodalis wrote: »

If you can get your hands on sheep for a short while, they trim down ragwort shoots and don't poach the land as much as cattle which might help recovering land better.

I tried that. but then you have to make sure that your fencing is sheep proof.. I kept a couple hoping that they would get along with my horses... my alpha one went bonkers, poor sheeps had a lucky escape! :pac: It's my first time trying slurry, I just hope it will work, but as far as I can see we got rid of all the ragwort. Fingers crossed tightly...

isaos

It would be nice if the people starting threads would get back to us having tried helping with a feedback, or even an acknowledgment.. but I guess no one can oblige them to do so :rolleyes:

TheFarrier

isaos wrote: »

It would be nice if the people starting threads would get back to us having tried helping with a feedback, or even an acknowledgment.. but I guess no one can oblige them to do so :rolleyes:

Sorry about that, slight family emergency the last few days has kept me busy. All responses much appreciated I'm waiting on a reply from the lab re soil testing.

isaos

OH SORRY TheFarrier!!!! I didn't mean to send that to you, I thought I was commenting on "Hi everyone, we'd like your input into how the Feedback forum should work. Have your say" at the very start of each thread! It relates to all the threads that we sometimes follow with great interest and never get to know whether our inputs have been of any use.

No doubt you can't give us any feedback so fast... in fact I will be the one having to give a feedback if any thing re the effectiveness of slurry, hoping that it will work! have a lovely (dry?) day

isaos

isaos wrote: »

It would be nice if the people starting threads would get back to us having tried helping with a feedback, or even an acknowledgment.. but I guess no one can oblige them to do so :rolleyes: