01-22-2013 Planning Commission Packet

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� Manure and Pasture Management for Recreational Horse Owners Page 4 of�d 0 � nutrients that are best applied in early spring (mid April to early May). You may need to add lime to acid soils to adjust the pH. Although fertilizer application should be based on a soil test, Figure 4 offers some general guidelines for the amount of fertilizer to apply to a primarily grass pasture. Most of the phosphorus and potassium consumed by horses will be returned to the pasture through their manure. Periodic soil tests on the pastures will confirm this nutrient recycling. Nitrogen will likely need to be annually applied to pastures consisting of primarily grass with few legumes. Weeds. Weeds compete with legumes and grasses for soil moisture, sunlight, and nutrients. Grazing will keep some weeds out of pastures, but cannot eliminate all weed problems. Positive identification of weed species is the first step in determining the appropriate control strategy. Horse owners should be most concerned about toxic weeds (e.g., hoary alyssum) but should strive to control other weeds in order to further improve their pasture's productivity. You can control weeds by rotational grazing, mowing, hand pulling, or chemically treating weeds when the horses are elsewhere. Rotational f;raaing Healthy forage plants are more productive if given an opportunity to regrow between grazings. You can enhance forage growth by dividing a pasture into at least four separately fenced paddocks and rotating your horses among them (Figure 5). Since grass pasture plants grow most rapidly in spring and slow down in the fall, you will need to experiment to come up with an optimum rotation length. Start with three to four weeks of rest per paddock during summer, maybe fewer in spring and more in fall. http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/naturalresources/components/7540_OS.html 1/15/2013