How soon after planting can I graze alfalfa or cut it for hay? 

Young alfalfa plants need time to develop extensive root systems. Producers should not abuse young stands by harvesting or grazing too soon after planting. 

EXPLANATION: Being a deep-rooted plant, alfalfa has an advantage of tapping moisture supplies not available to most other forages. Harvesting new stands too early slows development of the root system. 

In fall it may be tempting to graze or cut "rabbit hay" from a new stand. Either practice can decrease long-term productivity of alfalfa. Most productive stands of alfalfa are generally sown in fall and harvested about May 1 the following year.

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Is heaving a problem that should concern us in Oklahoma? 

EXPLANATION: Heaving of alfalfa plants can occur in old stands and seedling stands. In Oklahoma the most frequently observed form of heaving occurs in late-sown seedling stands during the first winter. When soils are wet and undergo a series of freezing and thawing, seedlings are pushed up, breaking roots with moving wet soil. 

Heaving of seedling plants during late November or December is frequently blamed on too much water because it normally occurs in low areas of fields where water stands. Heaving can be avoided by growing alfalfa on well-drained sites (internal and surface) and planting early to allow plants time to develop good root systems. 

Heaving can also occur and can be devastating to older plants. This normally happens in areas of the Mid-west near the latitude of northern Missouri and Iowa. In that area roots of well established plants can be broken and the crown pushed above the soil surface. At first cutting, crowns may be cut off with the mower sickle. These conditions can occur in northern Oklahoma but are rare. 

One exception to this generalization would be grazing weedy fields after a killing freeze (lower than 20F). This facilitates removal of weedy grasses that harm alfalfa by shading. If weeds are not controlled in fall and are "out-growing" or shading alfalfa plants, grazing during the winter is an effective way to remove them. In these situations, grazing is less damaging than shading by weeds. 

The first flush of spring growth on first-year plants does not normally bloom. Harvest should be timed to precede new growth initiated from crowns. If a severe infestation of weeds exists, then first harvest should be taken when weeds become tall enough to shade alfalfa seedlings (normally in mid-April, with cheat). After the first cutting, alfalfa can be managed as a mature stand. 

New spring-sown alfalfa stands are normally ready to cut about 8 to 10 weeks after emergence. Harvesting at the first sign of crown bud growth or appearance of the first flowers is recommended. Cutting earlier than this may reduce alfalfa plant vigor, making them more susceptible to dry weather and weed competition during the first summer.

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