# Grazing orchard Grass after 10 degree weather



## umpire52 (Oct 26, 2011)

Orchard grass is not that common around here. The pasture at the house was pretty low from the wifes horses so we worked a deal out down the road with some city people that bought 20 acres as a investment(the entire property can flood during heavy rains not an investment I would have made) anyway it already had up 5 strand electric fence and is cross fenced. Had the horses in one half during nice weather. Now its time to move them but dont want to hurt the grass. if it was fescue id turn them in as stockpiled fescue.

So what im wondering is does OG have same tolerance as fescue thats stockpiled over winter. I figure there is between 60 and 90 days grazing on the next field.

Jeff


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Don't let the horses graze the Orchard too closely as you can damage the crowns with horses....when it gets down to about 4-6 " you need to take them off fairly soon.....horses can and will eat it down to the ground and kill the grass by eating the crowns of Orchard....Fescue is much more hardier and tolerant of close grazing because of lower crowns.

Regards, Mike


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

It depends:

I sometimes let my pastures go to seed in the spring, then graze it short in the fall. My thinking is that it will re-seed itself and grazing it short allows the seeds to get a better start in the spring.

This is a variation of what used to be called "trample" seeding.

Ralph


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

Vol said:


> Don't let the horses graze the Orchard too closely as you can damage the crowns with horses....when it gets down to about 4-6 " you need to take them off fairly soon.....horses can and will eat it down to the ground and kill the grass by eating the crowns of Orchard....Fescue is much more hardier and tolerant of close grazing because of lower crowns.
> 
> Regards, Mike


Yep Amish neighbor grazes his cattle and horses on his hayfields in the fall like we do except he let's them graze to dirt....then complains about how poorly they grow the following year.

Cows will graze to the stubble height of when it was cut and only graze the good "sweet" top part of the plants unless they are starving.

Just something I read somewhere and have come to the conclusion that its true


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## umpire52 (Oct 26, 2011)

Thanks for the replys I will not overgraze at all just wanted to make sure that it would not hurt stand after hard frost. Pature has just been bushhogged the last couple years so its gone to seed. The pasture was clipped about July so it went to seed this year also. Horses are turned in on the new pasture and its to the top of my boots so should last awhile. Suppose to get down to 10 tonight sure is turning cold quick this is normally Febuary weather.

Jeff


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