suggestions for reseeding

[robren]

Hi folks

We are having a 24x30 ft barn built and the ground work has trashed the area!! The ground is mostly gravel, not much topsoil. The "grass" that was there was pretty sparse and had a lot of wild strawberry runners and moss.

I have a small tractor with a york rake so I should be able to get most of the larger rocks. My question is what should I use for seed. Some have suggested "pasture mix" or a winter rye. I've heard the winter rye is pretty hearty but will ANYTHING be able to grow with low topsoil?? The area is appox 200 x 150 ft

We currently have 1 horse that is boarded. We will be getting a donkey from the local rescue when the barn is complete as his companion.

What do you suggest to get this area back in shape??

 

[goodhors]

Have you planned drainage for your new barn? Does it have eavestroughing or French
drains around the outside? Have to say any barn puts a LOT of water around the edges
when it gets rained on, so that water needs to be directed someplace to prevent the
water leaking into the barn or making a mucky mess around the outside, especially if you
fence beside the barn for your barnyard or paddocks to keep animals in.

It will be best to do your drainage, backfill, BEFORE you make the ground around the
barn nice again. No fence to get in the way of a backhoe for trenching in drain tile or
the big sewer drains.

Not sure what kind of pasture, acreage you have for the animals, but I don't plant the
paddock/barnyard areas beside the barn. Those are my "dry lot" places to turn out
where the hard surface like gravel prevents animals standing in deep mud, over eating
24 hours a day. Horses and donkeys have sharp hooves, which easily cut up nice
pasture dirt, so they turn a good looking area into muck when the wet season comes,
really quickly. MOST equines do NOT NEED grazing 24 hours a day, they get obese and
have hoof problems with laminitus when over weight. So having the dry lot for partial
turn out is preventing them over eating.

Our paddock/barnyard areas are thick gravel, with green stuff mowed off or removed.
Horses have pastures for grazing, but are often closed off the pastures to prevent
them tearing up soft ground, when the grass comes in heavily in spring and they are
not used to grazing after a winter on hay. Better to let them graze for SHORT times,
than deal with sickness from an over load of new grass. Mine have FINALLY just gotten
back on all night grazing, with longer times grazing daily since April. Way too easy to
founder any horse with uncontrolled grazing. It has been short times grazing, then back
to the dry lot for the rest of their turnout times. Had hay to make up the food they
needed, as stomach got adjusted to grass again.

You don't mention your location, for what seed could work in your pastures. Do NOT
use lawn grass seed, which is very high in sugars when the sun shines. Sugars are
hard on those "easy-keeper" kind of horses. No Alsike Clover which causes problems
for horses, though other clovers might not. You want perennial grass seed, which
returns yearly. But without a location, can't recommend specifics.

 

[robren]

Thank you for the reply. My location is NH. The barn is in the process of being built. The excavator that leveled the area and placed footings really trashed the area. A trench was dug from the house to the barn (approx 125ft) across our lawn for water and electric.The barn will have a paddock of dirt/gravel. They will be turned out to an area of about 2 acres. This area also has some deep tracks from the equipment. I don't believe drainage will be an issue. The barn is on an elevated area and as I said the ground is mostly gravel with very poor (if any) topsoil. Barn is no where near complete.

I'm wondering what type of grass would grow for me. I went to a local farm that sells supplies and he said he uses an oat type of seed (can't remember what he called it) instead of the winter rye that was suggested to me. It is another type of cover crop. The topsoil is so bad I don't want to waste money on seed that won't grow -- so expensive. Thanks again for your thoughts