field prep for alfalfa?

[Turbys_1700]

Remember that a seed should only be covered one and a half times the length of the seed. Check out an alfalfa seed for an idea of how shallow that is.

Two years ago I seeded 37 acres of mixed seed including alfalfa. I used a drill with wheat as a cover plant. The alfalfa was dropped with only the drill row pack wheel following. So basically dropping it on top of the ground. Got an admirable stand.

That is great advise. We never raised Alfalfa. Only drilled wheat, soybeans, oats, and planted corn. Much easier to get a stand.

 

[ovrszd]

That is great advise. We never raised Alfalfa. Only drilled wheat, soybeans, oats, and planted corn. Much easier to get a stand.

Yep. Most stand failures are because the seed is buried too deep.

 

[flusher]

hey, so im starting my own hay business, I have 8 acres of field. it use to be half alfalfa half grass. hasn't been done in years. im curious about ground prep and planting. by ground prep in talking about ploughing/cultivating. what do I do to the field and in what order? and I keep seeing lots of stuff about how to plant alfalfa but it's all for small household gardens. after ground prep how do you plant the alfalfa? what kind of seeder?

First you need to decide how you are going to water the field(alfalfa is a thirsty crop). If you don't get at least 30 inches of rainfall per year, irrigation will be necessary. Here in Northern CA where we only get about 20 inches of rainfall per year between Oct and March, alfalfa growers use flood irrigation or sprinklers of various types. If you choose flood irrigation, you have to laser-level the field and tilt it to get the necessary flow and drainage.

Then you need to dig a trench with your backhoe at least 4 feet deep and check for hardpan. Alfalfa is deep rooted so if you have a hardpan problem like we do here in the Central Valley of CA, you need to rip the soil to break up the hardpan. Otherwise you'll have irrigation problems (perched water table) due to poor drainage (not good for the roots).

Then plow and disc as usual.

Alfalfa seed is very tiny like grass seed, so you use something like a Brillion Sure Stand seeder. Alfalfa is a perennial (like a lawn) so you only seed every 4 or 5 years. Here in northern CA the first cutting is in late April or early May and then the field is cut and baled every 5 or 6 weeks until late August or early Sep.

Good luck

 

[DaveOmak]

I put in a new alfalfa field in ~2013... Granted, it was small... 3/4 acre.. but that's all the room I had.. The soil was horrible.. I got manure from my neighbor.. added nutrients based on soil analysis... and planted Piper Sudan Grass the first year... Organic matter, in the soil was 0.4%...
Piper Sudangrass is warm season annual that requires a frost free growing season. It can be used for multi-cut green chop or hay, summer pasture, or as competative cover crop (to provide large amounts of organic matter, cycle nutriets, suppress weeds, and loosen soil -with its deep penetrating root system).
I mowed it every 2 weeks with a brush hog to chop it... It grew about 1.5" per day... At the end of the 3 month growing season, estimates are it added 10 tons of organic matter to the soil.. It fully suppressed all weed growth... Then disc the soil... many times... Then spike tooth harrow to flatten/level and compact the soil...
Stock Photo..

My organic matter rose to 3%...
View attachment Soil Analysis Aug-2013 2.bmp...
My alfalfa field after the first year of growth... Mowing with my CCM drum mower...
...

It's a lot of work to prepare soil for years of reward.. I conditioned the soil with a spike tooth harrow... it helped to compact the soil... soil needs to be compacted for the small seed to have contact with the soil.. The seed was sowed in the fall .. above recommended rate.. then spike tooth harrow was ran over it to bury the seed and compact the soil again... fall rains grew the seed to the second and third trifoliate which helps it to overwinter prior to freeze.. alfalfa will grow at about 35 degrees, seems like, so overwintering is not a problem ...
The field has produced well...

 

[ovrszd]

Dave, nice work on your Alfalfa field. Very good advice offered as well. Soil definitely needs compacted prior to dropping seed. Then minimal tillage to bury it.

 

[redman135]

A healthy looking stand, and dense too. Well grown.

 

[DaveOmak]

Thank you for the compliments... Dave

 

[flusher]

Always enjoy your posts. Especially mowing with that drum mower and a vintage Ford Jubilee tractor. A nice mix of the new and the old. Super cool:thumbsup:

 

[DaveOmak]

Thanks... I enjoy this forum... I learn alot... Dave

 

[bkrgi]

I would focus on a cover crop the first yr like oats, barley, spring wheat, with alfalfa broadcasted into the stand.
Mostly since your new at it check with your local Ag office and get all the advice you can get out of them for your area/spot on how to proceed then use what has been suggested on here to back up their thoughts ideas.
And if your selling the hay make sure you understand your buyers and what they want cause that may change your plans as stated

 

[DaveOmak]

One more thing I forgot.... You DO need a cover crop for 1 year... Alfalfa produce some enzyme or something like that, that will prevent seed germination and kill off neighboring alfalfa plants... It's "autotoxic"....
http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Foragebeef/frgebeef.nsf/all/frg85/$FILE/zone.pdf ...
It's just one of those things you need to know... In 5 years, my field production has dropped about 10%... Not a big deal yet... I expect it to drop more over the next several years... I irrigate weekly and refertilize annually... 15-15-15 + sulpher....

 

[BrokenTrack]

What I have found works good in revitalizing a field is to first use a turning plow and plow the entire field as deeply as possible. I then added lime and fertilizer to my field as a soil test indicated. In this case I went with 2 tons of 05-13-41 which is a great fertilizer for establishing sod, and you will probably need something fairly high on the phosphorus (the middle number). You don't want much nitrogen (the first number) because it will just produce weeds.

Then I find a log that is as big and long as I can drag with the equipment that I have, and drag it sideways across the field so that it is smooth. The longer the log the better because that will really make a smooth field. It takes several passes, but really makes the field smooth and firm.

Sometimes I have to pick rocks a few times, but mostly the weight and shape of the log presses the rocks into the loosened soil making rock picking much easier. years ago we were silly and disced the field, picked rocks, disked the field and picked rocks...rinse and repeat. It was stupid. Some have said that frost action would push the rocks back up, but I have not found that to be a problem.

After that I spread seed. Here in Maine where alfalfa is prone to winter kill from the cold, the percentage in the sward is dependent upon snow cover. Myself I like 10% alfalfa, then 45% clover and 45% timothy, with 50 pounds of oats used as a cover crop at time of seeding to keep weeds at bay.

I broadcast this over my fields, then drag that same smoothing log back over my fields to help cover the seed with soil.

I found this method is the fastest, requires the least equipment, and gets the hay fields that I want.

Here are some photos of me land plowing a field last summer of a 10 acre field I was crop-rotating from corn into hay, then smoothing the field with a log, then the resulting field after, and even a homemade broadcaster I made up. Revitalizing a field does NOT have to be complicated or expensive (even if you put the rubber side up on your tractor while plowing).