Getting Ready for Your Next Alfalfa Seeding
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Warren C. Thompson |
I wish I had a quarter for every time I have had to try to bail farmers out or failing with a new alfalfa seeding when they have waited until the last minute to even make up their mind that they were going to plant a crop. I am going to list in order, a set of priorities that can take some of the ‘guess work’ out of being ready at the right time so that success is better assured.
1. Alfalfa grows best on soils that are well drained internally. Soils that tend to hold water for long periods or have an impervious hardpan that restricts tap roots from penetrating deeply are not good alfalfa soils.
On these soils, yields will be low and stand-survival short. What you want is a soil that will allow root penetration over a long period. If you are looking for color of a soil, brown to red soils are ideal as well as the black/prairie types. Even well drained river-bottom soils are often quite productive. Your best bet is to obtain a soils map for your farm. If you do not already have one or need some help to understand it, go to your County Agent and ask him to help.
2. Soil pH should be 6.5 and above at seeding for good establishment and high-consistent production. If the pH is lower than this level it will take some time to elevate the level. For instance, should your soil tests show a pH of 5.6-5.8, you can count on at a year to 18 months for high quality ag-lime to bring it to the ideal alfalfa establishment-production level even on the lighter soils. So if you are planning to make a seeding next season, pull soil samples at least a year in advance. Yes there are some shortcuts in some few cases but it isn’t cheap. Finely ground dolomite or similar products can replace regular agricultural limestone on a 1 for 2 bases. That is, 1000 pounds of the finely ground products will substitute for 2000 pounds of the ‘regular agricultural-lime’. The costs are higher but the time span for amending the pH can be shortened.
3. Soil tests will also report the phosphate and potash needs. These materials can be applied prior to seeding, at seeding, or soon after seeding. Follow-up fertilizer top-dressing should be scheduled based on up-dated soil tests and recommendations. Another tip, when seeding on a newly prepared seedbed, 25 to 40 pounds of nitrogen will help to get the new seedlings off to a great start. But on no-till plantings in established sods, forget it. The nitrogen will stimulate the resident vegetation and cause severe competition with the new alfalfa planting.
4. Order your seed early. That way, you can be sure to get the varieties you want instead of having to plant whatever your seed supplier has ‘left-over’ at the end of the sales season. In the Midwest and upper South, the per-acre seeding rates are 15-20 pounds. In the deep southern states, and the irrigated far west, the rates are much higher.
5. Plan to seed at the ideal time. In the spring, be ready to seed as soon as the frost is out of the ground. Later plantings are more prone to weed invasion and drought problems. Fall plantings should have at least 5-6 weeks to get established prior to the historic freeze dates. Otherwise the seedlings are more prone to winterkill and are more subject to such diseases as Sclerotonia root and crown rot.
6. If you are going to seed no-till, go to our website on the subject “Seeding Alfalfa No-Till” and study it thoroughly. Why not go ahead and print a copy for your personal use and follow the directions. For goodness sakes, don’t try shortcuts and expect success.
7. I see innumerable alfalfa stand failures caused by seeding too late or too early in the season and by burying the seed. Time and experience has established the ‘ground rules for these two conditions so you better follow them’ if you expect good stands every time.
8. In a nutshell, timing and following the basic priorities are not everything when it comes to success with new alfalfa plantings but they are clues to a great way to get started.
