Moss Out and pasture

[Trenna]

Has anyone used moss out on their miniatures pasture?

Our paddocks have a lot of moss and would love to change it into grass. I don't need to put them on it immediately, but wondered how long.

It seems it's only iron oxide of some sort, so sounds like it's safe.

 

[AngC]

Not sure what part of the country you're located?

I've been casting my eye towards the moss growing in our pastures (Pacific Northwest.) I think I'm going to use a rake to scoop/rake the moss for now.

I don't know whether iron oxide is safe for horses. A couple years ago my husband went nuts with a generic iron oxide product; he got a smidge close to some small conifers and killed off three of the five that I had planted (planned to have them hide a propane tank.) I'm glad he killed some trees and not a horse.

So, without any reasonable, scientific basis... I'm not experimenting with iron oxide products on our pastures.

 

[candycar]

I've read that horses don't metabolize excess iron well and it can lead to toxicity. If they eat around the iron oxide, they may ingest too much. I would really read the label, and maybe call your county extension office for alternatives for pasture.

 

[Trenna]

Thank you, I think digging it up makes sense, my area is not that large.

 

[amysue]

I just asked my seed and spray dealer about moss eradication and he suggested harrowing it up to kill the moss (does not have deep roots) then applying lime. He said sprays for lawns are not recommend for pastures due to residual metals and he added, spraying is just a band-aid as the moss will come back if the siol conditions, sunlight and drainage aren't remedied. He said that if you lime to change the ph, cut any trees overshading if you can (moss hates sun) and fix any standing water issues, the moss will not be able to survive. He suggested of course re seeding with pasture grass seed to grow grass (he is a seed dealer after all). Good luck.

 

[Trenna]

Thanks, have my answer about moss out.

My moss in the pasture is in direct sunlight but being minis they get every last morsel of grass so moss and dandelions have a good chance to prevail

 

[AngC]

We have several types of moss here. The stuff in the pastures (primarily in sunlight) is a bright--almost fluorescent--green which rakes up easily. The dark green stuff is a lot more persistent and really difficult to get rid of.

We have a John Deere tow-behind spikey implement for dethatching; it doesn't work at all well. Instead we use a disk harrow with the blades set at a straight angle and set to dig in about a half inch or so. After raking, criss-crossing with the disk harrow loosens up the soil and allows the grass to grow in better or allow overseeding to be more successful.