Not all meadows are the same: Depending on the nature of the soil and its use, the different meadows differ greatly in terms of the plants that grow on them. After all, grazing animals cannot thrive in every meadow, and different care guidelines apply. What is right for a poor meadow can be harmful for a fat meadow.
What is a fat meadow and what plants grow on it?
A fat meadow is characterized by nutrient-rich soil with a high nitrogen content, on which competitive plants such as daisies, dandelions and clovers grow. It is often used as pasture for livestock and needs to be mowed or fertilized regularly to maintain the nutrient supply.
What is a fat meadow?
A fat meadow is, as the name suggests, a meadow with “fat” – i.e. nutrient-rich – soil. The soil is characterized by a high nitrogen content, which allows fast-growing grasses and flowers to thrive. For this reason, there are competitive plants in a meadow that, due to their rapid growth, displace other, more sensitive plants. This makes the fat meadow one of the biotopes that is rather poor in species. This type of meadow can be found in heavily used landscape regions - on the one hand, because the fertilizers applied via precipitation and groundwater also feed non-fertilized meadows and, on the other hand, because many farmers use meadows as pasture areas and therefore fertilize them in a targeted manner - adapted to the needs of the grazing animals.
Typical plants of a fat meadow
Fat meadows can be recognized by three typical flowers, as daisies, dandelions and various types of clover thrive in the nutrient-rich soil. In early summer, these meadows can be recognized from afar by their bright yellow color when the dandelions are in bloom. The white (and by the way very tasty) daisies, on the other hand, thrive better the more often the meadow is mowed. Furthermore, fast-growing grasses such as ball grass, ryegrass, ryegrass as well as smooth and golden oats can be found. Other typical plants are:
- Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
- Field chamomile (Anthemis arvensis)
- Meadow bluebell (Campanula patula)
- Common knapweed (Centaurea jacea)
- Meadow daisy (Leucanthemum ircutianum)
- Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
- Great sorrel (Rumex acetosa)
and
- Common bluegrass (Alopecurus)
- Common Ruchgrass (Anthoxanthum odoratum)
- and the meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis).
Fat meadow is often used as pasture for cattle
The high nutrient content of a fat meadow ensures that the plants growing on it are very protein-rich and therefore ideal for feeding certain grazing animals - especially cattle. For this reason, fat meadows are specially fertilized to serve as pasture for cattle. Dairy cows in particular benefit from this because: the fatter the pasture, the creamier the milk. The meadow is also mown at least three times a year to make hay for the winter. However, the fat meadow is not suitable for every grazing animal. A horse's organism, for example, is completely overwhelmed by the high protein content - as steppe animals, horses tend to need lean meadows. Sheep, on the other hand, can graze on fat meadows, provided they receive sufficient roughage (i.e. fibrous grass).
Maintain fat meadow
Fat meadows must be mown at least three times a year because the plants growing on them are very fast-growing. Alternatively, such a meadow can also be used as pasture, 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 fat meadow plants are very depleting and remove nutrients from the soil, fat meadows have to be fertilized regularly - otherwise the soil becomes emaciated. Fertilization can be carried out with artificial or natural fertilizer (€56.00 on Amazon) (e.g. manure).
Tips & Tricks
If you discover certain indicator plants for acidic soil (such as sorrel, field sparrows or countless daisies), you should lime your meadow either in spring or autumn.