diamond hunter
Well-Known Member
Im going to plant alfalfa this spring. Im spending serious effort on liming Monday. Any further advice about alfalfa? Ill have about 3 full acres.
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Food Plots Going to try alfalfa
- Thread starter diamond hunter
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megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Better be some fine soil
ADR
Well-Known Member
Strongly suggest round-up ready variety. Usually try to plant it in the fall but, understandably, this was not a good year for fall planting.
No advice but I wish you better luck than I had. That's one plant I never have been able to get going.
It's like dating a super model . High risk, high reward and extremely high maintenance .
Soil test and amend 1st. Round up ready seed or dont. Dont waste your money on a spring planting! IT WILL NOT SURVIVE SUMMER!
Fall or not at all! Plant with wheat to protect the young alfalfa and retard weeds, mow the wheat once it ripens and fertilize per your 2nd soil samples. Be prepaired to spray for weavels, dont wait for them to show up, be ready! Walk in it often and look for weavels and other common problems and react quickly! Plan to mow it 2 or 3 times a year and spray for weeds twice. Alfalfa can be a wonderful thing and it can be one very high maintenance date! Understand that alfalfa has a self defeating characteristic that prevents its own seed from germinating and if you do real good after 5 years you will kill whats left and plant something else for 3 years then start all over again.
Alfalfa can and has been a wonderful plot but it will cost you plenty in cash and heartache as well. Been there, Done that...
Not likely to do it again.
Fall or not at all! Plant with wheat to protect the young alfalfa and retard weeds, mow the wheat once it ripens and fertilize per your 2nd soil samples. Be prepaired to spray for weavels, dont wait for them to show up, be ready! Walk in it often and look for weavels and other common problems and react quickly! Plan to mow it 2 or 3 times a year and spray for weeds twice. Alfalfa can be a wonderful thing and it can be one very high maintenance date! Understand that alfalfa has a self defeating characteristic that prevents its own seed from germinating and if you do real good after 5 years you will kill whats left and plant something else for 3 years then start all over again.
Alfalfa can and has been a wonderful plot but it will cost you plenty in cash and heartache as well. Been there, Done that...
Not likely to do it again.
BSK
Well-Known Member
Highest maintenance plant I've ever worked with. But deer go crazy over it.
backyardtndeer
Well-Known Member
Trefoil may be an easier to grow and better option.
tellico4x4
Well-Known Member
Better to travel to NE or KS and pay to hunt someone's pivots 
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
Best advice is don't. But if your set in doing it don't plant in the spring as said above. Do your research talk to farmers that grow it. Crazy maintenance.
Success with alfalfa is being stressed out because the deer mowed it like a golf course at night and were sleeping it off while you are on stand!
And then it ceased to exist. Pretty much exactly my experience with it. I don't think it made it an inch out of the ground before the deer had it gone. It's the only thing I've seen deer gobble up faster than peas and beans.
diamond hunter
Well-Known Member
OK,Ill grow something else.
diamond hunter
Well-Known Member
Might grow whitetail edge
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
It's still the same issues. Except with some chicory which is either hot or cold in our experience. What are you wanting to accomplish with your plot? Because clover seems to be an obvious great choice.
I had good luck growing alfalfa…in Southern Indiana.
backyardtndeer
Well-Known Member
Birdsfoot trefoil may be a good alternative you may want to check into. Much easier to grow and maintain.
I totally agree with everything said here. WAIT FOR FALL! Summer will kill it out with the roots being shallow. One thing I will add is if you can keep the clippings off it after cutting it will last longer. Whether you bale it or whatever removing the clippings helped us tremendously. Like Popcorn said we did it once but won't likely do it again.
