The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Michelle.L. on October 28, 2021, 04:23:23 pm
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Hello again,
Skye is currently drenched in rain and the moss in our large garden where our two pet sheep are grazing is exploding. We have scarified half the area this year but the second half is now ankle deep and our machine is not able to tackle that.
A local farmer here told me iron sulphate is not poisenous to sheep and there would be no issue using it without taking the sheep off the grass. I find that hard to believe. Sure, iron per se is not poisenous but I simply can't imagine it's healthy either? Google has surprisingly little to offer on this topic so I'm hoping someone here might know more?
The pH of our soil is normal, it's just quite wet here and the previous owner hasn't done anything in years.
I have a field available that the sheep can go into while we treat our lawns, but would like to know how long they should be kept off the treated areas.
Thank you! :-)
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Found this (advert):
Ferrous Sulphate for Green Grass and Blackening Moss (lawnsmith.co.uk) (https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/green-up-soluble-ferrous-sulphate)
It says grazing pets can go on after '3 cuts' - this is for lawn use, but the implication is that you would not use it while animals were actually grazing the area, or eating the grass which has been in contact with the ferrous sulphate. (the advert also gives usage rates for 'getting rid of worm casts' ie killing earthworms, which is anathema to me so I wouldn't use it on principle). Were it me I would put the sheep on the other grass that you have then physically remove the moss (and compost it). As well as being wet, is it also shaded as that wouldn't help?
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I know its the wrong time of year but the best scarifier for moss I have found is a broody hen! One buff orpington alone scratched out armfuls of moss on a daily basis when I put her on our back lawn with a few chicks.
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We get a lot of moss too being in a valley in Wales and north-facing. Have used it on the fields but never with the sheep in there. We never raked it up though.