Hi im new here. I have Two miniature horses and one thoroughbred ex racehorse. I have to find a fertalizer to put on my paddock that i can keep the grass growing during winter. We have put urea on in spring and now we are currently putting lime on to sweeten the grass. we are new to farming we have got only 1.5 acre paddock that i have split into 3 for all horses so that the miniatures have one part of the paddock and my tb has 2 parts of the paddock so that he will eat one down while the other side grows. I was told that just a general garden fertalizer that you would by for you garden would work but i dont think so. Some one told me that lawn fertlizer would be great as it makes grass grow. but i want to find one that is good for horse paddocks.
I wouldn't use garden fertiliser, talk to your local rural supplies store, PGG Wrightsons, RD1 or Farmlands, they should be able to offer some advice. But - grass growth requires moisture and a soil temperature of about 8C. If we could make grass grow through winter just by fertilising then we'd all do it [}]
You should plan on how you will feed your horses if you have no grass - you can buy in hay, baleage and/or a feed mix. You have a responsibility to make sure your horses have appropriate levels of feed...although with miniatures your biggest worry is probably not letting them get too fat...
I was told by a horse expert (???) that horses don't need much clover in their diet. If that is correct (check with someone who knows) then you want a fertiliser that has no sulphate in it, because that encourages clover growth.
I was told by a fertiliser expert that fertiliser acts as an antifreeze, so a high fertility place will grow grass at a colder temperature than a low fertility soil. Certainly higher fertility starts growing soon and stops later.
If horses don't need clover, then I would be fertilising with DAP or MAP (di- or mono- ammonium phosphate) at about 50kg per hectare. Both parts of this fertiliser help grass to grow. Do not fertilise in a drought situation.
With the lime, to change the acidity by 0.1 pH unit you need 1 tonne of Ag lime per hectare. Ag lime dissolves gradually so I apply it every 3 years or so, at about 3 or 4 tonnes per hectare. Do not do when the animals are in late pregnancy.
It's not the fertilizer acting as an antifreeze, it's the microbial life and the active microfauna. Chemical fertilizers kill all that by disrupting the balance of the soil, a good natural microbial and microfaunal population helps with fertility much more than applying straight chemical fertilizer.
That's why *properly managed* organic pastures, after production slumping for a while as the artificial chemical boosters are reduced and before the natural life levels recover, then reach equal or better fertility than chemically fertilised pastures.
Hi miranda and welcome to another Levin person!
You will not go wrong putting lime on around here as the soil does tend to be acidic.
If you are prepared to get a soil test done if you go into Farmlands they can give you the details on how to go about it and lend you the tool to take the soil samples. I'm not sure how much it costs these days but that will give you an indication on what the soil needs. They may even advise what you need when the results come back.
Which area are you in, I live near Ohau?
It is ground temperature as much as anything which controls grass growth in winter. From now until mid May it will grow OK so if you can cut off an area now to graze during July or August will help until it starts to grow again, which will be around the end of August-depending on how hard a winter we have.
Managing the grass you have and keeping it weed free might be all you need just now.
Sue
Labrador lover for yonks, breeder of pedigree Murray Grey cattle for almost as long, and passionate poultry person for more years than I care to count.
thank you all im going to go talk to farmlands and see what they suggest. and see how much a soil sample test costs. Sue i live in bristol st near york st. but the paddock is down roslyn rd and fairfeld rd on the corner. you can't miss seeing the two minis and at the moment jazz is in the other paddock on the far side.
Sue
Labrador lover for yonks, breeder of pedigree Murray Grey cattle for almost as long, and passionate poultry person for more years than I care to count.
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