Alfalfa Project

For the ones that are planting alfalfa with clover what are the rates you are using? Was thinking about adding it to the mix this fall.
 
When I first planted alfalfa in this little one acre plot it was an older clover plot overtaken by grass. I went in and cut it and then sprayed with glyphosate when the regrowth started. I then waited for the plot to die and top dressed the alfalfa. Maybe that is my problem. Anyway now I have a mostly clover plot which I guess could be a lot worse.
 
Deer Patch, I'm having a little trouble reading my scribbling but I planted after a brassica rotation year before. I seeded in about 12 # non RR alfalfa, 6# cover mix, and prob 4# chicory. It was planted with 50# WR and 50# of reclaimed oats. Spread 200# 19-19-19. My ph had been 7 fro several years. Planted in Aug 2013
 
Anyone have suggestions for a alfalfa variety that can handle wet feet in the deep south?

I've planted it a couple of times in the past with mediocre results. One was cimarron and one was some RR variety. Neither liked the wet areas and neither did as good as mixed clover stands.Higher maintenance to boot. Still hard to beat alfalfa as quality feed.
 
Ozarks-Bowhunter said:
When I first planted alfalfa in this little one acre plot it was an older clover plot overtaken by grass. I went in and cut it and then sprayed with glyphosate when the regrowth started. I then waited for the plot to die and top dressed the alfalfa. Maybe that is my problem. Anyway now I have a mostly clover plot which I guess could be a lot worse.
Click to expand...
Do you remember the rates you used?
 
Baker said:
Anyone have suggestions for a alfalfa variety that can handle wet feet in the deep south?
Click to expand...


Alfalfa is a dry-land crop and prefers it on the dryer side or at least very well drained soils after it is established. If you are looking for something that can handle wet feet you need to focus on clover. Alsike Clover is one variety that handles wet feet pretty well, not sure how it does in the deep south. Sorry Alfalfa just does not like wet feet. If you look back in my thread you will see one area where drainage was not ideal and in one area the alfalfa killed out in the field that I have just mowed with the batwing.
 
Ozarks-Bowhunter said:
I used 25 pounds of alfalfa seed on the one acre. I was after a straight alfalfa plot but didn't turn out that way.
Click to expand...

A straight alfalfa should be 18 to 25 pounds depending on how you are seeding. Drilling I usually shoot for right around the 20 pound mark but I am looking for tonnage for harvesting. There have been some studies that show seeding rates in the 15 pound range put out as much tonnage as heavier seeded rates. One thing for certain, every year the stand is there it will self thin to it's optimal plant population.

Clovers do not kill out very well with just Gly. Likely your planting into clover and spraying just made the clover do even better so it out competed the newly planted clover. 2-4-d is the smart choice to kill clover in prep for another legume crop. Disking clover is not an effective means of control either. I have shown picts at the other place of clover the following year after an aggressive disking. It came back as thick as before I disked.
 
Smallplot said:
Alfalfa is a dry-land crop and prefers it on the dryer side or at least very well drained soils after it is established. If you are looking for something that can handle wet feet you need to focus on clover. Alsike Clover is one variety that handles wet feet pretty well, not sure how it does in the deep south. Sorry Alfalfa just does not like wet feet. If you look back in my thread you will see one area where drainage was not ideal and in one area the alfalfa killed out in the field that I have just mowed with the batwing.
Click to expand...

Thanks , that is the same conclusion I have come to. Unfortunate as I understand what a great forage alfalfa is. Dry land and La. don't mix where I am.

I've never tried Alsike but I have great luck with red clover and Durana mixes for long lasting perennial fields.
 
Smallplot said:
A straight alfalfa should be 18 to 25 pounds depending on how you are seeding. Drilling I usually shoot for right around the 20 pound mark but I am looking for tonnage for harvesting. There have been some studies that show seeding rates in the 15 pound range put out as much tonnage as heavier seeded rates. One thing for certain, every year the stand is there it will self thin to it's optimal plant population.

Clovers do not kill out very well with just Gly. Likely your planting into clover and spraying just made the clover do even better so it out competed the newly planted clover. 2-4-d is the smart choice to kill clover in prep for another legume crop. Disking clover is not an effective means of control either. I have shown picts at the other place of clover the following year after an aggressive disking. It came back as thick as before I disked.
Click to expand...
I used the 25# since it was just broadcasted. I had always heard that spraying clover with a reduced rate of Gly during a wetter period would stunt clover but not kill it. I sprayed at 2 Qts per acre during the driest times we have here and it came back stronger than before. I really thought I had killed it as it was toasty brown. Oh well like I said it could be much worse than clover coming back.
 
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