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planting Alfalfa?

R

ryanwheelock

Member
I have a hay field that I planted a few years ago and was on a tight budget at the time so the field was planted with mostly timothy, brome, clover and a bit of alfalfa. Alfalfa was the most expensive so not much was planted. The grasses are coming up real good and so is the bit of clover but want to add more alfalfa if it is possible. Can it be top seeded? If so what is the best way to go about it? Should it be done in the spring or the fall? Trying to stay away from plowing under the whole field and starting over.
Thanks guys
Ryan in northern michigan
 
I have heard that alfalfa produces a toxin that prevents over seeding. I think you have to change crops for a year to kill it.
 
You can"t interseeed medicago sativa into an established stand as it is auto toxic to itself. You could interseed medicago falcata (yellow alfalfa) but it doesn"t do well with multiple cuttings.
 
probably won't work. take a drive down to west burt lake road and when you get to the south end, look at the conservancy land. they don't allow plowing, so the operator seeded trefoil and clover, some was by frost seeding.
 
Nope, you did it backward. Plant all the alfalfa you can at first, it dies out over time and easy to interested other things later.

Any living plant over 6 months old puts out a toxic ring perhaps 2 feet around it, that rarely lets any new alfalfa seed grow.

Now if you try, this might be the one in 25 years that through the quirks of nature, it does end up working, because once in a long while it does. But the odds are seriously against you....

Paul
 

Yes it is auto toxic but you can judge how much that will hurt you by how much you have. If there is a plant only here and there, it should be worth while. You should be able to rent an over seeder and go to it.
 
If the current stand of Alfalfa is as thin as yo say then you MAY get new alfalfa to thicken the stand up. I would just "frost" seed it in the spring. Just as soon as you can get on the field (Late Feb to early March) just broad cast seed the new alfalfa in to the current stand. The spring freezing and thawing will allow the seed to germinate. You would only be out the cost of some alfalfa seed.
 
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