Posted: 14th March 2018 | Back to news feed
Jonathan Cox of Suregrow UK provides advice on getting your winter weathered paddocks in top form for the new season.
As we step into Spring, paddocks and fields will have suffered from their fair share of the unpredictable British weather including rainfall and snow making them nothing more than a muddy mess.
The wet weather will more than likely have made it harder to go about day to day tasks in the field such as getting stuck with the wheel barrow when poo picking and simply walking through gateways with your horse or pony will have become a more labour-intensive job.
Many paddocks will have been submerged in water which is a problem in itself where the growth of grass is concerned, that mixed with horses trampling through muddy areas which you may find particularly worse around gateways, jumps or feeding areas adds to the problem.
It is inevitable that once the ground begins to dry out there will still be an amount of work to be done before the grass is in plentiful supply.
Grassland tends to revert back to indigenous varieties overtime which is what we more commonly call ‘weed grasses’. The recent weather conditions we have experienced, speeds up the rate at which reversion will take place as the fertility in the ground will have seeped away due to continuous rainfall. This type of grass is not only invasive but is less palatable, less productive and less nutritious.
The best solution to resolve heavily poached areas such as gateways and around feeding troughs is to get them re-seeded using easily established, fast growing hard wearing grass such as Suregrow Fast Grass. This seed will germinate at lower temperatures than normal grass seed and can be spread by hand, making it an efficient and quick application process.
Before reseeding it is important harrow the area and then after reseeding to roll the area, this should take place immediately after rainfall. Ground conditions should be such that tractor wheels should just leave a mark which will then be removed by the roller.
For larger bare areas or for re-seeding use Suregrow Paddock Grass. This seed will be quickly established and will provide a steady growth throughout the season. Containing a mixture of Timothy, Meadow Grass and Fescues in addition to Ryegrass, the mix can be also be spread by hand.
Suregrow products include Suregrow Fertiliser, CSM, Meadow & Laminitics Grass Mix and Traditional Wild Flower Meadow Mix.
For more information please contact Suregrow on +44(0)1423 223045 or visit www.suregrowuk.com
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