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Alfalfa foodplot

Thinkin Rut

Thinkin Rut

PMA Member
I'm planning on putting an alfalfa plot in this spring. Soil sample on its way and silt loam and loam soils. I killed it twice and plan on spraying again before planting. I can't remember there ever being crop in this area in over 20 years. I'm sure I'll need to add lime and I'm planning on broadcasting and possibly using oats as a nurse crop. I was wondering how deep I should disc(i'd guess no hard panning) and if all alfalfa is roundup ready these days? TIA
 
I would consider waiting until fall, especially if you have inadequate PH. Alfalfa thrives in higher PH soils and benefits from proper micros. Are you going to bale it? If not, I would recommend a grazing variety. Not all alfalfa is RR but it is certainly available but more expensive. Alfalfa doesn’t need to be planted deep and you will want a firm seed bed.
 
Fertilize & lime asap. Both are critical. & even the micros like boron, etc. All pretty easy to fix.
Alfalfa is one where i personally like to work the dirt a bit. I’ll fertilize & lime anytime now. April when dry I’ll disc, cultipack, seed (I just let it drop out of the small box on drill on top) & cultipack again. In spring I will add oats.
I personally never get RR alfalfa for 3 reasons: 1) it’s twice the $. 2) varieties are not as diverse. 3) by the time u do your first clipping or even a spray with cleth, crop oil & butyrac if needed- it’s clean as can be. & if u keep it baled, sprayed or clipped Right- weeds are just so minor. Again- if weeds become an issue - so easy to deal with - with other spray.
U could drill it too. Just keep it pretty shallow & exactly like above says - firm seed bed. Not too deep. In a world where I had unlimited time & equipment - if i just drilled it - I’d still like to roll over it with a cultipacker after to really press a perfect soil to seed contact with it.
***don’t forget to do a little portion in all clovers too. U will enjoy watching how deer use one or the other at certain times of the year. Do it & thank me later. ;)
 
Sligh1 said:
I’ll fertilize & lime anytime now
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Skip...are you saying to fertilize, lime and disc right now?

pH of 5.7 with a buffer of 6.6. VL on P and low on K. Probably not even a possibility in the spring, fall might even be a stretch. I would definitely get a jump on it right now if I can and do another sample in the fall. I'd guess a ton+ of lime and 12-15 bags of
6-24-24 per acre. They were to do the micros also but failed, I'll need another sample anyways. Let me know your thoughts if you would Skip. Thanks to all.
 
Thinkin Rut said:
Skip...are you saying to fertilize, lime and disc right now?

pH of 5.7 with a buffer of 6.6. VL on P and low on K. Probably not even a possibility in the spring, fall might even be a stretch. I would definitely get a jump on it right now if I can and do another sample in the fall. I'd guess a ton+ of lime and 12-15 bags of
6-24-24 per acre. They were to do the micros also but failed, I'll need another sample anyways. Let me know your thoughts if you would Skip. Thanks to all.
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Fertilize & lime now. I like doing it now because by the time spring is here - it’ll be broke down & available to the plants. Disc, seed & pack all at one time - a dry day in April. So fertilizing/lime done now- one big thing u don’t need to do later. If equipment is right there- a few hours & u will be DONE in spring. Clip, bale or spray & u r home free. I personally clip mine most the time instead of baling cause I don’t need a lot of hay & don’t need to pull out extra nutrients. I just run the batwing at a high rpm & clip it around 6-8” tall. Does just fine. I’ve got a stand I’ve clipped for 6-7 years now that’s still doing absolutely perfect.
 
Sligh1 said:
I just run the batwing at a high rpm & clip it around 6-8” tall. Does just fine. I’ve got a stand I’ve clipped for 6-7 years now that’s still doing absolutely perfect.
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Skip, how often do you batwing it in a season? I do mine in late July and then again in late August. (I don';t cut mine earlier than July for fear of killing fawns and turkey nests) The stand is very lush and full. It is two years old. To me, it looks as good if not better than the neighbor's alfalfa he cuts for hay.
 
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