Late Alfalfa Planting Alternatives
The cool and wet spring we have had this year may have prevented some producers from planting alfalfa. If that is your situation, here are some late alfalfa planting alternatives.
One way to speed up the planting is to seed no-till. Crop residues of corn, milo, beans, and small grains are not a problem for most drills, but ridges along the rows can make the field too rough for comfortable hay making in some places. Weeds can be controlled post-emerge using herbicides like Poast Plus or Select for grasses and Buctril, Pursuit, Raptor, and Butyrac for broadleaves.
Mowing weeds also helps. A burndown spray using Roundup or Gramoxone before planting may be needed if weeds are already present.
If you can’t get your alfalfa planted by mid May, it often is best to wait until August rather than seed alfalfa just before hot weather.
|
