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You are here: Horses > Horse pasture / forage > Growing your own hay |
Easy Tips on Growing Orchardgrass
Orchardgrass is the kind of forage that is very palatable to horses both as
fresh feed and also as hay after harvest. Mature fields of orchardgrass provide
hay that may contain levels of protein from 13 to 18 percent. Furthermore, since
it makes such a healthy feed, the incidents of colic are lessened.
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Some growers of this crop have found that many horse
owners will switch over from alfalfa and even timothy
because the horses prefer it, and the owners notice positive
changes in their animals’ demeanor. Add to this the fact
that alfalfa is not only very expensive, but also off
balance with respect to the calcium to phosphorus ration,
and you can easily discern why orchardgrass is taking the
country by storm.
The cost of orchardgrass seed has come down considerably and
if you are looking out at your fescue riddled pasture, now
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the time to reseed! While there is no magic to growing a high quality orchardgrass pasture, there are some simple
tips that will help you to maximize your crops.
 First and
foremost, purchase seeds that belong to an improved variety. Secondly, before
seeding, test your soil and get the test results. Then provide the additives to
your soil that the tests have indicated it might be lacking. If you are planning
to cut your orchard grass for hay, make sure you cut it early enough. Do not
fall into the trap of thinking that taller grass will provide a higher yield.
While you might have more in the sense of size, the quality of the hay actually
goes down if the grass is too stemmy or goes to seed. Some hay producers report
that they first cutting is done as early as the middle of May, while the
beginning of October sees the fourth cutting.
 Obviously
the cutting will stimulate the plant to re-grow itself and thus an early cutting
will actually provide you will more hay to cut later on. After cutting,
replenish the nitrogen in your pasture which will not only help the grass grow
more quickly but also influence the protein level. Preparation of the areas
where the orchard grass is grown is vital when it comes to reaping a bountiful
and healthy harvest, and while this may be a bit costly at the onset, you will
be rewarded with sellable hay as well as high quality feed for your horses.
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Read the next horse pasture article on How to Buy the Best Hay. |
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