Thanks for the support mark, glad you are enjoying the videos! Yes alfalfa can be grown in sandy soils, it will do best when it’s not pure sand. Alfalfa is actually pretty drought tolerant once it’s established. Thanks for watching
What are your thoughts on planting Alfalfa with a winter grain like Winter Rye or Winter Wheat in the fall? We also have access to a drill, so what are your recommendations for this process if you are going to no till drill?
I’ve never planted my alfalfa with a nurse crop, I always plant it as a stand alone. It’s important that you don’t spray or clip it the first fall. I’ve got several alfalfa videos that show the entire process. To write it all on here, I’d forget an important step, and also it would be a book by the time I got done. Alfalfa needs to be done perfect, it’s a management intense crop that is very expensive, but deadly if done correctly. Thanks for watching and good luck with the plots
Great video, and again really good details. Are you suggesting RU ready Alfalfa...it is REALLY expensive, but may be worth the cost as it is much easier to keep free of weeds etc.. We usually try to share a bag with a friend. We have found that working the ground up with our rototiller turns it into a powder. We usually cultipack after rototilling and then seed followed again by cultipacking it, otherwise we have found the seed to be buried too deep. One negative on Alfalfa is it does require multiple mowing opposed to clovers, and will frost a little earlier than clover...but a great a attractant!!! thanks, Bob SWWI
Yeah I hate how expensive it is, but the RU varieties make growing alfalfa so much easier than the non RU varieties. I really like alfalfa, the protein level and how attractiveness puts it high on my food plot list for sure. The clippings multiple times is the thing that bothered me the most about, on a good rainy growing season seems like I was clipping once a month. Yes sir, alfalfa is super susceptible to be seeded to deep, really something you gotta watch closely. Thanks for your kind words, and comments! I really appreciate them!!
Jim thanks for watching and commenting! Yes sir, I’ve got a video planned on buck forage oats, going to release it as it gets closer to time to plant. Thanks!
Thank you for your reply. Since I’ve never done a soil test, and the weeds are in maximum green stage growth, I need to waif to do the right. As I said earlier, I’ve already failed twice. I want to do it step-by-step properly to have success.
Yes sir! If you never have pulled a soil test, definitely need to that first before going ahead! Your on your way to having a awesome plot! Good luck, let me know if I can help in anyway way!
At what point do you fertilize, and what are you suggesting for fertilizer? I thought i heard u mention u fertilized early on before seeding. I always assumed u fertrilize when u seed.
I follow the soil test recommendations for p and k….i wasn’t both of these levels in the high range b4 planting, along with the ph. I try for 6 months to 1 year before planting to put fertilizer and lime
Very detail instructions. I’ve already failed twice and now I know why. I only have a 3 foot disc behind an atv and a dream! It sounds like I should wait until next Feb-March to begin since it’s late June. Is that right?
Thanks for watching and commenting, I really appreciate it! I only recommend planting alfalfa in the late summer. I’m still about 2 months out from Planting right now , and that is right on the edge of having enough time to get my lime and fertilizer down to start changing the pH and fertility to be in a good shape when I do sew. It’s still possible to do this year…but you need to be getting on with it now, lime takes times to start changing the pH. If you can’t get your lime and fertilizer down immediately your best bet is going to be use the next year or so to get your lime down in the perfect range and fertility as well and wait until next years planting windows.
Hey Lee, I would absolutely wait until late summer to plant it. It needs to have the fertility to be perfect and also the ph has to be perfect. In my opinion this isn’t a crop like clover where you can take a chance of spring planting, best to wait till late summer. Thanks for watching, really appreciate it!
A roundup ready alfalfa. In my opinion the seed is crazy expensive up front but being able to keep weeds and grasses controlled with roundup is so much easier. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@DIYfoodplotpro can I rototill land . I don't have a disk. When I till it gets soft. So if I spread the seed in soft ground then pack it won't it gets buried too deep
yeah you can till it….you gotta be really careful not to pack that tiny seed to deep. I like to work the ground, then pack it, then seed it, then pack it again….right b4 a good rain event.
Hey Bill, thanks for watching the channel and commenting! If clover is working for you and your able to get the results hunting over your plot that your looking for, then keep on rolling with the clover! 👍
