How to Grow Grass in a Muddy Pasture

Excessive moisture is hard on a horse’s hooves. It softens them, making them vulnerable to bacterial invasion, causing scabs, inflammation, cracking and splitting. Wet, muddy pastures also make a horse susceptible to thrush, a fungal disease of the hooves. Good pasture management includes keeping livestock in pastures with at least 3 inches of vegetation and firm, not soggy, soil. Sometimes reseeding a muddy pasture by spreading 5 to 10 pounds of grass seed over it in the fall is sufficient. Otherwise, a complete renovation is necessary.

Tiller
Pasture harrow
Lime
Fertilizer or manure
Spreader

Instructions

- 1
  Till the old turf and weeds into the soil. Allow the soil to sit for a day or two to dry a bit.
- 2
  Drag the pasture with a pasture harrow to level it out.
- 3
  Obtain a soil test to determine the amount of lime and fertilizer required. County cooperative extension offices offer free to low-cost soil tests.
- 4
  Add lime and fertilizer and till it into the soil. In the absence of a soil test, the experts at Washington State University Extension suggest using 10 tons of manure and 20 pounds of 11-48-0 fertilizer per acre.
- 5
  Seed the pasture with perennial grass seeds. Although ryegrass is acceptable, as long as it is endophyte-free, it won’t last as long as Kentucky bluegrass or orchardgrass. Tall fescue is ideal for pastures with poor drainage, according to agronomists with Washington State University Extension. Use 12 pounds of tall fescue seed per acre in a muddy pasture.
- 6
  Cover the seeds with a ¼-inch layer of soil. You can accomplish this with hand raking or a harrow.
- 7
  Keep animals out of the pasture until the grass is at least 3 inches tall.

The Density of Sod

Oat-like Grasses

Growing Grass