PLOWING UP OLD STANDS

It's nearly always hard to know when to plow up a stand of alfalfa if it has been good for several years. There is no single clear-cut guide. Stands usually get weedy as the alfalfa dies out and the fertility level gets low.  

During late spring and early summer, if a stand has 30 alfalfa stems/sq.ft. or more, there are enough plants to occupy the area and few weeds can compete. When the stem count drops to less than 20/sq. ft, forage yield is reduced. When the average stem counts drops to 10/sq.ft., weeds will probably take over because the alfalfa plants do not occupy the area. Such stands should be plowed.  

Decisions on plowing up stands should be made during May and June. It is hard to evaluate stands before first harvest. When alfalfa growth is suppressed by dry weather during late July and August, plants frequently go into a dormant state, and it is difficult to tell what it will do the next year.