The latest farm toy
- Thread starter Baker
- Start date
Good tip, we planted 13 acres a few years ago...round up ready...and one day they looked terrible. Hooded alfalfa hoppers or something like that had infested the whole field. It is the only time I have ever sprayed insecticide on the farm. They looked like some sort of fighter jet.
I normally stick with clover combo's which IMO cover all the bases here but the experimental side of me is itching to try alfalfa again.
Legumes are good for the soil in mixed plant communities. However when planting, most emphasis should be placed on legume diversity (both specie and variety) so a wide and deep base of rhizobia bacteria is built into the soil microbiology. Just because soil has a lot of rhizobia does not mean they are of the right specie for the seed you plant....so may not get favorable N capture. ABM microbials now has a 'cover crop inoculant' which contains many rhizobia species.....graphite base (lubricates drill feeds too).....no-brainer purchase IMO.
Berseem, Persian and birdsfoot trefoil should accompany several alfalfa varieties in a plot...IMO.....less pest issues, similar growth habit and maturity, and good insurance policy against alfalfa stand loss. Persian was doing extremely well on a ranch I visited in AL in June.....Petcher wants more for the seed than I am willing to pay for an annual. Trying to source it out of Oregon for next year at less cost.
I like and have grown alfalfa....still have sparse survivors....but I dislike the degree of additional management to keep the stand persistent and pure. Now, I just supply diverse seed and let nature sort out the winners! I like easy keeper plants just as well as easy keeper cows! Simple works...free native legumes work too!
Berseem, Persian and birdsfoot trefoil should accompany several alfalfa varieties in a plot...IMO.....less pest issues, similar growth habit and maturity, and good insurance policy against alfalfa stand loss. Persian was doing extremely well on a ranch I visited in AL in June.....Petcher wants more for the seed than I am willing to pay for an annual. Trying to source it out of Oregon for next year at less cost.
I like and have grown alfalfa....still have sparse survivors....but I dislike the degree of additional management to keep the stand persistent and pure. Now, I just supply diverse seed and let nature sort out the winners! I like easy keeper plants just as well as easy keeper cows! Simple works...free native legumes work too!
