Seeding My Horse Pastures
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, we're expecting some cooler weather and hopefully a bit of rain over the weekend - good conditions for the recent over-seeding we did in my pastures.
I am very fortunate to have several paddocks where my horses and donkeys can graze. Late winter to spring is the best time to over-seed these areas. Not long ago, my outdoor grounds crew tackled two large enclosures. First, we used our Land Pride aerator to properly loosen the soil and prepare it for good drainage. Then we attached a commercial sized rotary-spin broadcast spreader to our Kubota tractor and distributed our custom high grade grass seed mix from Hancock Farm & Seed Company.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- Here is a wide view of one of my horse pastures. The best day to overseed is when there is little to no wind, so the application can be done as evenly as possible. This day was perfect – no wind, mild temperatures, and a beautiful blue sky.
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- The ground was already aerated with our Land Pride tow-behind aerator. I am glad to be able to have all the farm equipment we need to care for our fields. Here I am in front of our Kubota tractor with the aerator attachment behind me.
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- Here, one can see the holes left behind by the aerating spikes.
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- Our aerator makes slits in the ground as opposed to core plugs that are removed from the soil. The main reason for any aerating is to alleviate soil compaction. Compacted soils have too many solid particles in a certain volume or space, which prevents proper circulation of air, water, and nutrients. Aerating also improves drainage.
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- Our seed is from Hancock Farm & Seed Company, a 44-year old business that grows its own seed and ships directly from its Dade City, Florida facility.
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- Among the seed varieties we are using is this custom seed blend that includes orchard grass, tall fescue, and Timothy. Good quality grass is important for horses. It helps provide proper fiber requirements and keeps their digestive systems healthy.
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- Here’s a close look at the quality grass seed we use.
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- This is a 3-point spreader, which can be attached to a variety of tractors to spread seed or fertilizer. My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring, hooks it up to the center rear of our Kubota M4-071 tractor.
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- Our spreader features an opening system with split levers that allow distribution control.
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- Chhiring fills the spreader with the first batch of seed.
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- And then he heads out to the pasture. The other end of the tractor has our trusted Kubota L1154 front loader that helps us transport so many things around the farm and cuts down plenty of time going back and forth to the Equipment Barn.
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- Chhiring starts by going around the field counter clockwise from the outer edge working inward. He also overlaps his passes, so he doesn’t miss any areas.
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- Broadcast spreaders distribute seed in a fan-like pattern in all directions and cover a wider area per pass than drop spreaders. As the tractor moves, the fan throws the seed that falls out of the bottom of the spreader.
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- Over-seeding is a process where grass seed is added to an already existing area which after germination serves to increase the density of the grass plants. This process reduces the aging process or natural decline of the turf.
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- One can see the seed level in the spreader – it holds enough for this entire enclosure.
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- Looking closely at the ground, one can see the tiny seeds.
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- Meanwhile, Cesar is in another enclosure distributing seed by hand over some bare spots in the goose yard. Everything starts from a seed. Choosing high quality varieties truly makes a difference for my grazing water fowl and equines.
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- Once Chhiring is done with this pasture, he will move onto an adjacent field that also needs some over-seeding.
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- The entire process takes a couple of hours to do, but it is well worth it to make sure my pastures are seeded with the best grass possible.
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- These particular paddocks will remain empty for a couple of weeks until the seeds germinate and grow – and then they’ll be beautiful, lush, and ready for grazing once again.
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