field prep for alfalfa?

   / field prep for alfalfa? #31  
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....
 
   / field prep for alfalfa? #32  
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). :)
 

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