Content
- Which plants thrive on a fat meadow?
- What is a fat meadow?
- Typical plants of a fat meadow
- Fat meadow is often used as pasture
- Maintain fat meadow
- Tips & Tricks
Which plants thrive on a fat meadow?
Meadow is far from being the same meadow: Depending on the nature of the soil and how it is used, the different meadows are very different in terms of the plants they watch over. After all, grazing animals can not thrive in every meadow, and different care guidelines apply. What is right for a Magerwiese can be harmful for a Fettwiese.
What is a fat meadow?
A fat meadow is, as the name implies, a meadow with "fat" - ergo nutrient-rich - soil. The soil is characterized by a high nitrogen content, which allows fast-growing grasses and flowers to flourish. For this reason, on a fat meadow competitive plants are found, which displace other, more sensitive plants due to their rapid growth. Thus, the fat meadow is one of the more species-poor biotopes.This type of meadow can be found in heavily used regions - on the one hand, because the applied fertilizer through rain and groundwater also feed non-fertilized meadows and on the other hand, because many farmers use meadows as grazing land and therefore - adapted to the needs of grazing animals - specifically fertilize.
Typical plants of a fat meadow
Greasy meadows are to be recognized by three typical flowers, because on the nutrient-rich soil flourish above all daisies, dandelion and different types of clover. In early summer, these meadows can be seen from afar by their bright yellow color when the dandelion flowers. The white (and very tasty) daisies, on the other hand, thrive the better the more the lawn is mowed. In addition, fast-growing grasses such as ball grass, raygrass, ryegrass and plain and gold oats are also found. Other typical plants are:
such as
Fat meadow is often used as pasture
The high nutrient content of a fatty meadow ensures that the plants on it are very rich in protein and therefore optimal for feeding certain grazing animals - especially cattle. For this reason, fat meadows are specially fertilized to serve cattle as pasture. Dairy cows in particular benefit from this because: The richer the pasture, the more creamy the milk becomes. In addition, the meadow is mowed at least three times a year to harvest hay for the winter. However, the fat meadow is not suitable for every grazing animal. The organism of a horse, for example, completely overwhelmed with the high protein content - as steppe animals need horses rather meager meadows. Sheep, on the other hand, can graze on fat meadows, provided they receive sufficient roughage (that is, fiber-rich grass).
Maintain fat meadow
Greasy meadows must be mowed at least three times a year, as the plants they watch are very fast-growing. Alternatively, however, such a meadow can also be used as pasture land, which in turn has the simultaneous advantage of natural fertilization - cow and sheep manure ensures that the necessary nutrients are returned to the soil. Since the typical fatty grass plants are very strong and extract nutrients from the soil, fatty meadows must be fertilized regularly - otherwise the soil will be drained. Fertilization can be carried out with artificial or natural fertilizer (eg manure).
Tips & Tricks
If you discover certain pointer plants for acidic soil (such as sorrel, field lures or countless daisies), you should lime your meadow either in spring or autumn.
IJA