If you haven't had your soil tested (and you have less than 25% clover in your pasture), apply 50 lbs. N per acre.  Pastures with 25% or more clover will not need additional N fertilizer because of the nitrogen-fixing capabilities of clover.  Your P and K can be spread later in the season, based on soil test results.

If you plan to overseed a thinning pasture we suggest the following seed mixture for the typical small-acreage, high stocking rate horse pasture:

KY 31 Tall Fescue is the most aggressive, resilient, drought tolerant forage for our area.  If you want to keep your seeding program simple and economical, you may choose to apply just Fescue at the rate of 25 lbs. (or more) per acre.

To stay within your farming budget, avoid bagged "pasture mixes".  These mixes a generally are much more costly because they include such forage species as alfalfa and timothy, which just won't survive in a grazing situation.

For more information on spring seeding, including seeding mixtures for shaded, wet, or broodmare pastures, or hayland, contact the District at (703) 594-3621 or katenorris@pwswcd.org.