Pony graizing

[russjohn]

Hi,

I have 4 rai of paddock in which I graize 6 ponies. I am trying to get rid of weeds etc so that the ponies have a better supply of grass. Obviously the ponies select grass species and ultimately the weeds take over. I have been using 2, 4 D (obviously when ponies are not in the paddocks) but it seems to kill off the grass as well. Recently I have tried mowing but with a hand mower it is hard work. Any tips eg what other chemicals could be used to kill weeds only, fertilizing to encourage grass growth.

Thanks loads for any help.

[kickstart]

As you said ponies are selective grazers, which is a problem.

A lot of the problem I think is the grass ,what type of grass is it,or is it natural grass ,and the land,does it sit in water after rain,land not draining ,also 6 ponies on 4 rie is a bit overstocked,any quality grass would struggle to grow only poorer local grasses ie yar con in Thai, or Parar grass,likes wet and,will soon outgrow the quality grasses, and not a high quality grass.

You could try spray round up, and plough the land sow new seed,and apply some urea fertilizer, 300 units /rie/year should do ,that will encourage the new grass to grow and the poorer grass varieties will not grow, should get crowded out.

Or look at what you have got if they are any good grass varieties they some urea fertilizer would do some good, encourage the better grasses to grow.

But a lot of the problem is you are over stocked,any dry periods and the better grasses will not grow only poorer grasses,same in the rainy season.

[russjohn]

Thanks kickstart- some really valuable advice. The ponies get fed twice daily with bran/cattle pellets and to prevent overgraizing, they are only let into the paddocks a couple of times per week. My real problem is killing off the weeds to allow grass to flourish.

Thanks again and best wishes.

[kickstart]

Thanks kickstart- some really valuable advice. The ponies get fed twice daily with bran/cattle pellets and to prevent overgraizing, they are only let into the paddocks a couple of times per week. My real problem is killing off the weeds to allow grass to flourish.

Thanks again and best wishes.

Just thought for topping the field ask a local farmer with a grass topper on a tractor he would soon top 4 rie should be no more than 150 bart /rie, and may be a bottle of whisky as well.

Have you thought of making the 4 rie field in to 1 rie paddocks and rotating the paddocks,you could use an electric fence,if it is practicable the ponies would not be so selective with the grazing.

Beware in feeding cow pellets as most contain urea ,should be no more than 2%, if I remember right horses can not digest ures, you can get proper horse feed in LOS,try google, in to Thai google ,something should come up.

[russjohn]

Thanks again Kickstart. I will look into the” topper” option. I already split the paddocks and rotate to prevent overgraizing. As I say the main problem is that the weeds flourish and outcompete the grass species.

Best wishes

[NeverSure]

Russjohn I use an awesome product in the US called Weedmaster. I also use it on my lawn. It will kill anything broad leaf but won't hurt grass. I takes just 1 ounce of concentrate per gallon of water mix, and it's really cheap. The USA gov't says you can put stock back in the pasture the next day, even with beef cattle.

Here is a link to the .PDF which gives the ingredients and concentration that I use in hopes that you can find an equivalent. LINK

Once the weeds are dead the grass can stool out and thicken up. Unlike Roundup this has a lasting affect even killing seeds that sprout for at least 6 months or more. If you can find this your troubles are over.

Cheers

[NeverSure]

Russjohn, Looking at the .PDF, when they say spray 5 - 40 gallons of water per acre (about 2.5 rai) they are saying to do the math and have the correct concentration of Weedmaster in each gallon to deliver the right amount of product to that area. In second gear compound low and at 2500 RPM for my tractor with a boom sprayer, the ground speed is such that I put 1 oz per gallon and use about 6 gallons of water meaning 6 oz. of product per acre. As always I'm wetting just to the point of runoff.

I buy this in 2.5 gallon jugs which is 300 ounces for $US70.00 so it's cheap.

Another thing you can do for smaller areas or another way to calculate is mix one ounce per gallon of water and spray just to the point of runoff as you would Roundup. Either way. The Roundup I buy costs $80. for 300 ounces and takes 3 ounces per gallon so it costs 3x as much to spray Roundup, just FYI.

PS Be sure to shake the jug of product really well before mixing. It doesn't say that but it does seem to go out of suspension with weaker product at the top.

Edited May 22, 2015 by NeverSure

[FireMedic]

Listen....get a goat or two. If you can, ask a local to borrow a couple to fight back the weeds. Those weeds will be gone in no time.