Strong roots, developed by sound pasture management, reduce the impact of traffic on this pasture, providing better footing and more grazing. | Photo: Courtesy Krista Lea

By all measures the early spring of 2018 in many areas of the U.S. was uncharacteristically wet, and significant damage occurred in many horse pastures. This damage will heal in time, but prevention is best accomplished by growing healthy pastures supported by strong roots.

How Grasses Grow

Grass growth isn’t overly complicated, but it’s a concept that’s important to understand when you’re managing horse pastures. So, here’s a very basic refresher course from the experts.

Grasses absorb sunlight in their leaves and produce energy from photosynthesis. This energy is then used for growth or stored in the roots as carbohydrates. When grass is grazed (or mowed), leaves are removed, reducing the amount of light the plant can absorb and energy it can produce. To recover, grasses use carbohydrates from the roots to regrow their leaves. But this comes at a price: Roots will physically shrink as these carbohydrate reserves are used up. Once the leaves are able to absorb adequate sunlight for photosynthesis, the root reserves are replenished. This is a normal process and allows grasses to recover from grazing and thrive