with or without oats cover crop

ric · Apr 10, 2010

going to plant a alfalfa mix hay crop should i go with or without a oats cover crop.

RICK

Adirondack case guy · Apr 10, 2010

Read down the page. Lots of posts on the subject .

paul · Apr 10, 2010

Depends on where you are, flat or hilly ground, etc.

In my conditions on my hills I prefer with oats, but I realize it holds back the alfalfa some. If I were in dry flat ground where alfalfa comands top price, I'd do it different.

--->Paul

RayP(MI) · Apr 10, 2010

Donno what conditioons are where you are, but I routinely plant oats as a nursecrop. Planted early, the oats keep the weeds down substantially. Makes it possible for the alfalfa to get a good start. Will be planting later this week. Finished preparing the field today.

Anonymous-0 · Apr 10, 2010

In SWND we always plant either oats or barley as a cover crop. We cut the oats or barley as hay. It supresses weads and allows the alfalfa to grow. It could be all different where you live.

Don-Wi · Apr 10, 2010

We're partial to oats as a cover here, but lots of the big farms just plant straight alfalfa, no cover,and I've seen then get 2 crops off it the 1st year. 1st crop looks really weedy though. They chop it so it's not so bad, but if it were baled it'd be pretty poor quality.

Donovan from Wisconsin

fixerupper · Apr 10, 2010

A few years ago a neighbor sprayed his alfalfa on with water and Treflan. He took out the screens and used big nozzles. It came up fine and looked good from the road and he claimed it did well. But he never did it again, sooooo? Jim

with or without oats cover crop

ric

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Adirondack case guy

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paul

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RayP(MI)

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Anonymous-0

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Don-Wi

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fixerupper

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