Nitrogen has been a stable in pasture maintenance and fertilization but application rates and timing can prove confusing even tricky. The fall goals is to grow amazing spring pastures but how do you get there?   I’m Susan Allen stay tuned on today’s American Rancher, I’ll return with some information on greener pastures. Talk about the grass being greener on the other side of the fence and you’re talking Kentucky! There is no where better to test nitrogen rates on horse pastures. On Kentucky turf researchers have spent several years studying how best to apply fall fertilizers suing four well maintained horse pastures as test plots and control. Their goal was to determine if a couple of nitrogen applications were better than just one  The fields were treated at the rates of 30 or 60 pounds of nitrogen per acre starting initially in 2006 and then again in 2008. The best growth was obtained using a fall-split application, applying nitrogen in September and again in November, rather than a one time shot in either of the two months. The conclusion was that cool season horse pastures can certainly be improved using nitrogen but the best bang for your fertilizing buck s to split applications and hit pastures twice in the fall using 30 pounds per acres in September and again in November. If that isn’t practical a one time shot in late September to early November still vastly improves spring grasses.