planting some pasture grass???

Hey folks, just picked up a piece of pasture that is about 1/4 acre (pretty good find for this area) that is a small orchard. At the moment it has some grass that is supplemented by nettle, briars, a few berries, and some other junk. Soil is pretty much composted fruit/leaves/twigs and branches from at least 20 years of neglect. Only interesting because it joins another pasture and the trees are more dense for bad weather protection. Horses will eat the nettle and other junk after it is cut and lays a day or so. leaving the briars. Idea is to let them clean it off (went over it with a scythe today and will fence it tomorrow) then chain harrow it and let it rest until we get some rain to start it growing again.
Wanted to scatter some seed before (between) harrowing, but there won't be any sun on it. Think stuff will still grow, or should what is there spread itself back out as I keep the briars/nettle/junk cut/ate back?

Nettle isn't such a bad thing as it is a good herb for the horses to eat and tastes better than spinache if you get it at the right stage and prepare it, but would like the place to have more grass to suck up moisture when it decides to rain.

Dave

Fine fescues (not tall fescue) grow well in the shade, make sure you get the non-endophyte types.

Nettles have dense solid spreading root mass - not ideal for pasturing livestock. Did not know a well fed horse would eat nettles. Cattle will not. Not a horse person so that is my 2 cents. 1/4 acre around 11,000 sq feet can be hand seeded before a big rain. Good size garden plotz for Germany.

They won't touch it unless it is cut and lays a day or so.......I'll see what I can get then and put it out (have a small broadcaster). Should I do it before or after the harrow?

What I already have on hand is a mix of
30% KY Bluegrass
18% Fescue
15% each of perrinial ryegrass and orchardgrass
10% timothy
4% red clover
and 8% white clover

Think that tis will take hold in a shady area?

Thanks, Dave

Fescues will grow well in shade, BUT YOU MUST BE CAREFUL OF THE VARIETY!!!!! If you get one of the older strains with the wrong endophyte it can cause serious problems with the foals in pregnant mares.

It can cause the placenta to be too thick, still births and even natural abortions.

Some of the new varieties are ok. Just be very careful if you do choose a fescue. Make sure it specifies its ok for pasture for pregnant mares.

Fine fescues, Kentucky bluegrass, & perennial ryegrass are shade tolerant grasses. Red/white clovers will also tolerate some shade at least in wetter soils. Your only concern might be if the fescue you have is Ky 31 fescue, most horseowners around here do not like it for reasons mentioned above.

What I did when I had horses - I cleaned out the stall every day. That gave me me a wheelbarrow full of crap. Then I wheeled it out to the pasture, spread the manue around in a area about 4x4. Then I put some pasture mix seed on it, and mixed it in. After a few years the pasture, about 5 acres, had a decent stand on it. I never used any herbacides.

Around here we would be putting about 750 lbs. of lime on it first.

(quoted from post at 04:46:55 04/27/11) Around here we would be putting about 750 lbs. of lime on it first.

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for what purpose?