dbltree
Super Moderator
Alfalfa loves sun and it doesn't do well even along field edges that are shaded, I'm thinking it wouldn't be the answer to any shade situation
Alfalfa loves sun and it doesn't do well even along field edges that are shaded, I'm thinking it wouldn't be the answer to any shade situation
dbltree
Super Moderator
Our early April oat/alfalfa seeding is/has been ready to be cut and baled but steady rains have made cutting impossible!
Hopefully the weather will moderate some and drier weather will allow them to get some haying done, but these pics give you an idea of what a spring seeding of alfalfa with an oat nurse crop will look like by late June.
The oats help hold down and weeds and you can see there are few weeds or annula grasses in this field
Cutting and baling removes the whole lot, weeds and all and will leave behind a lush second cutting of tender new alfalfa!
This field is right outside our kitchen window and deer travel daily to feed on this high protien food source...
Hopefully the weather will moderate some and drier weather will allow them to get some haying done, but these pics give you an idea of what a spring seeding of alfalfa with an oat nurse crop will look like by late June.
The oats help hold down and weeds and you can see there are few weeds or annula grasses in this field
Cutting and baling removes the whole lot, weeds and all and will leave behind a lush second cutting of tender new alfalfa!
This field is right outside our kitchen window and deer travel daily to feed on this high protien food source...
hillrunner
PMA Member
gotta love the smell of fresh cut alfalfa! 5 days of dry weather forecasted, and 2nd cutting alfalfa just starting to bloom, the timing should be perfect.
dbltree
Super Moderator
Looks like you have a great helper there hillrunner! :way:
Late June update on the Siberian Falcata alfalfa...lookin' good!
My goal is to avoid cutting this alfalfa until I have to, if I have to?
This is falcatca and red clover mixed and they are hammering both pretty hard! The flower is red clover, falcata has yellow flowers I believe...
I should have put up an exclusion cage but it appears they are keeping it well "trimmed" to perhaps 12" or so. In an area with few deer or lots of other grazing options perhaps they maight not hit it so hard?
This is conventional alfalfa that is blooming now in the same field and be grazed well also
The regular alfalfa is a little taller and I will need to clip it soon. Our established alfalfa was nearly 2 feet high before wind and rain leveled it.
It finally got mowed yesterday, nearly a month overdue but it's finally haying weather...
Current Iowa Hay Markets
Late June update on the Siberian Falcata alfalfa...lookin' good!
My goal is to avoid cutting this alfalfa until I have to, if I have to?
This is falcatca and red clover mixed and they are hammering both pretty hard! The flower is red clover, falcata has yellow flowers I believe...
I should have put up an exclusion cage but it appears they are keeping it well "trimmed" to perhaps 12" or so. In an area with few deer or lots of other grazing options perhaps they maight not hit it so hard?
This is conventional alfalfa that is blooming now in the same field and be grazed well also
The regular alfalfa is a little taller and I will need to clip it soon. Our established alfalfa was nearly 2 feet high before wind and rain leveled it.
It finally got mowed yesterday, nearly a month overdue but it's finally haying weather...
Current Iowa Hay Markets
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dbltree
Super Moderator
The new alfalfa/oats seeding got baled during a break in the rains a few weeks back.
Nice thing about baling is everythig is gone, slick as a whistle, no weeds no muss no fuss and the regrowth is coming on strong.
Always nice when we can get paid to feed and attract deer...
My Falcata alfalfa is looking fine and most of it I'm not going to cut until I see a reason too but one side had a few weeds and a few spots of foxtail coming up.
So I clipped about 1/2 way across as you can see in this pic showing the clipped on the left looking slightly lighter then the right.
It didn't hurt it by any means but it's not very "enticing" afterwords as the stems are shattered and dry at the top where the mower hit them.
The uncut looks a whole lot tastier...
Just another little "test" but the whole point is that this alfalfa is so far not putting on the kind of heavy excessive growth that conventional alfalfa does (at least mine isn't) and is about the height of my red clover.
I thought I saw one or two yellow flowers the other day so I'm watching to see when it flowers and exactly when I will need to mow it.
The other side is a combination or red clover and falcata and it has almost zero weeds and man they are sucking that stuff down like it's candy! :way:
Nice thing about baling is everythig is gone, slick as a whistle, no weeds no muss no fuss and the regrowth is coming on strong.
Always nice when we can get paid to feed and attract deer...
My Falcata alfalfa is looking fine and most of it I'm not going to cut until I see a reason too but one side had a few weeds and a few spots of foxtail coming up.
So I clipped about 1/2 way across as you can see in this pic showing the clipped on the left looking slightly lighter then the right.
It didn't hurt it by any means but it's not very "enticing" afterwords as the stems are shattered and dry at the top where the mower hit them.
The uncut looks a whole lot tastier...
Just another little "test" but the whole point is that this alfalfa is so far not putting on the kind of heavy excessive growth that conventional alfalfa does (at least mine isn't) and is about the height of my red clover.
I thought I saw one or two yellow flowers the other day so I'm watching to see when it flowers and exactly when I will need to mow it.
The other side is a combination or red clover and falcata and it has almost zero weeds and man they are sucking that stuff down like it's candy! :way:
HannibalBowhunter
New Member
Could you/would you overseed alfalfa in the fall with a winter rye or brassica? Not sure if it would be needed, but wondering if it would help or hurt. I was just thinking of a late season food source.
dbltree
Super Moderator
Alfafa needs to be well established 6-8 weeks before you killing frost or it wil not survive the winter and it dosen't amount to much in 6 weeks of growth.
In otherwords it isn't capable of providing any type of food source established in the fall, one needs to have it planted in late July before it would get tall enough to provide a fall foods source.
Commercially a clear seeding of alfalfa in July is oneod the most common methods of establishing alfalfa but that is not a time frame conducive to adding rye and brassicas are too aggressive and will dominate and out compete the tiny alfalfa seedlings.
Alfalfa needs plenty of time to put down roots and store reserves before winter so cutting established alfalfa after Sept 1st or planting it at that time often ends up in severe winter kill.
HannibalBowhunter
New Member
Thanks for the reply. I guess my question is: If you have an established alfalfa field, can you overseed it in early September with a cereal rye. If so, is it beneficial or is the alfalfa alone enough of a late November/ early December draw?
dbltree
Super Moderator
I find that alfalfa regrowth in the fall provides a tremendous draw well into December and often into January.
If there is enough exposed soil surface in the alfalfa stubble after mowing inlate August it may be possible to over seed some rye into it ahead of a good rain.
Rye is cheap so wouldn't take much to give it a try....
OHIOshedder
New Member
Alfalfa mowing
After several applications of Shadow (clethodim) I have the grasses under control and a recent applicatino of Butyrac 200 hopefully will have everything else under control. I have 2 questions:
1) There is a lot of alfalfa in my field, but its a bit spindly and each plant is spaced several inches apart and doesn't appear to be filling in very well. I haven't mowed yet. Does mowing encourage alfalfa to spread? I'm hoping the field will fill in a bit before fall.
2) I have a lot of one kind of weed that looks like alfalfa, but has little yellow flowers. I think its buttercup, but need to look it up in a weed book. Anyone know for sure what it might be and what chemical would be good for its control? I haven't been back to see if the Butyrac killed it.
Thanks.
After several applications of Shadow (clethodim) I have the grasses under control and a recent applicatino of Butyrac 200 hopefully will have everything else under control. I have 2 questions:
1) There is a lot of alfalfa in my field, but its a bit spindly and each plant is spaced several inches apart and doesn't appear to be filling in very well. I haven't mowed yet. Does mowing encourage alfalfa to spread? I'm hoping the field will fill in a bit before fall.
2) I have a lot of one kind of weed that looks like alfalfa, but has little yellow flowers. I think its buttercup, but need to look it up in a weed book. Anyone know for sure what it might be and what chemical would be good for its control? I haven't been back to see if the Butyrac killed it.
Thanks.
Nontypcl1
Member
covering alfalfa seed
I'm getting ready to put in a couple acres of falcata alfalfa and oats this weekend and have been contemplating buying a cultipacker to use for covering the seed but haven't been able to find an older (cheaper) one. I also haven't quite convinced myself that I need to drop $700 on a new flip over style to pull behind my 4-wheeler.
Any suggestions on what I could use to ensure good seed soil contact without breaking the bank. I do have a drag harrow that I use to cover rye, oats, wheat, etc. but was concerned that it might bury the alfalfa seed too deep
any thoughts?
I'm getting ready to put in a couple acres of falcata alfalfa and oats this weekend and have been contemplating buying a cultipacker to use for covering the seed but haven't been able to find an older (cheaper) one. I also haven't quite convinced myself that I need to drop $700 on a new flip over style to pull behind my 4-wheeler.
Any suggestions on what I could use to ensure good seed soil contact without breaking the bank. I do have a drag harrow that I use to cover rye, oats, wheat, etc. but was concerned that it might bury the alfalfa seed too deep
any thoughts?
I usually just use the 4 wheeler and run back and forth, tire track to tire track to cover the seed unless you are sowing 40 acres! It's the "poormans" version but it will do the trick and works real well.
Plant your larger seeds as you normally would and drag to cover, broadcast the legume seed and pack with the ATV.. dbltree
Plant your larger seeds as you normally would and drag to cover, broadcast the legume seed and pack with the ATV.. dbltree
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OHIOshedder
New Member
Visited my alfalfa plot yesterday and it looks like the Butyrac did almost nothing. The Shadow does a great job on grasses though. Still have quite a few broadleaves. I found that my mystery weed is Yellow Wood Sorrel and I have tons of it. I need to do some research and see if there is an herbicide that is safe on alfalfa, but kills Yellow Wood Sorrel.
dbltree
Super Moderator
We have a new alfalfa seeding along our driveway that has been baled once this year and the second cutting is ready to be baled again.
I walked out one morning to find a couple whopper bucks grazing in it and last night there was at least a dozen deer in 5 acre field. Only a few yards away is an 80 acre field of beautiful soybeans yet they are choosing the alfalfa...:way:
Alfalfa can be a great option for those with large enough fields to rent it out to a local farmer....cash rent, no mowing or spraying and a super attractant for whitetails to boot!
I walked out one morning to find a couple whopper bucks grazing in it and last night there was at least a dozen deer in 5 acre field. Only a few yards away is an 80 acre field of beautiful soybeans yet they are choosing the alfalfa...:way:
Alfalfa can be a great option for those with large enough fields to rent it out to a local farmer....cash rent, no mowing or spraying and a super attractant for whitetails to boot!
hillrunner
PMA Member
thought I'd mention that were finding on my dads farm by planting alfalfa back by the trees the damage done to the corn becomes almost non existent. The DNR came out to give some depredation tags and said a lot of farmers are figuring out the same thing.