[hott4mybeau]

I have a question... I have been hearing diff. answers from diff people and im not sure what the true anwser is...so tell me what u guys think..

Does the grass have more sugar at night or during the daytime??

I have heard at night and i have heard during the day????

I am starting to put a muzzle on my horse and idk what time of the day to put it on him! he has never had it on before.. and i just got him???

[hott4mybeau]

come on u guys... u have to have SOME ideas??????! PLEASE!!!

[Appysrule]

Lower at dawn...here is the link.
http://www.safergrass.org/articles/sugarinhay.html

[hott4mybeau]

ok thanks : )

[walktrotcanter]

Interesting question...I had never heard it was different at different times of the day! Just different times of the year.

[JBandRio]

Originally Posted by walktrotcanter

Interesting question...I had never heard it was different at different times of the day! Just different times of the year.

Go read the website

The basics of it are this:

Warm sunny days cause the grass to accumulate sugar for growth (growing season) and maintenance (non-growing season). Nights are when the sugars are used for that growth/maintenance.


The warmer the day with a warm night following, the more the grass will try to grow, so sugars will be used at night for that. You can see how it follows that towards the end of the night, the sugars will be low. All else equal, this is between about 3am and 10am. Once the sun comes up, the sugars start accumulating again.

What can be troublesome is a warm sunny day (lots of sugar production) followed by a cool/cold night (Spring, Fall) which means little sugar use, which means the next day, the sugars are still high. Get into a typical Spring/Fall pattern like that - lots of warm sunny days with cool/cold nights, and the sugar levels rise and rise.

[walktrotcanter]

Originally Posted by JBandRio

Go read the website

The basics of it are this:

Warm sunny days cause the grass to accumulate sugar for growth (growing season) and maintenance (non-growing season). Nights are when the sugars are used for that growth/maintenance.


The warmer the day with a warm night following, the more the grass will try to grow, so sugars will be used at night for that. You can see how it follows that towards the end of the night, the sugars will be low. All else equal, this is between about 3am and 10am. Once the sun comes up, the sugars start accumulating again.

What can be troublesome is a warm sunny day (lots of sugar production) followed by a cool/cold night (Spring, Fall) which means little sugar use, which means the next day, the sugars are still high. Get into a typical Spring/Fall pattern like that - lots of warm sunny days with cool/cold nights, and the sugar levels rise and rise.

Ah-hah! Thanks for the info. Glad I know that now...definitely helpful.

[hott4mybeau]

okay thanks everyone!! thats a lot of help! : )

[JessD]

yep lower at night..higher during the day..at the peak sunlight hours especially..late afternoon-early evening... grazing at night is best for horses with metabolic issues...and muzzling a horse who must be out in the pasture is really a must...