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Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK |
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Oklahoma Alfalfa |
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Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK |
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Oklahoma Alfalfa |
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| Producers' Question:
"I wanted to
plant some more alfalfa, but the weather messed me up. Can I still plant or just wait till
spring?"
October is too late now to get a reliable stand, so don't plant this late. Spring planting alfalfa is a possibility, but most producers don't usually have good luck in spring. What are alternatives to waiting until next fall or planting wheat? If you don't need hay, try soybeans. Most of the good alfalfa land will produce good soybeans. A quick maturing variety, planted early can be harvested in time to plant alfalfa next fall. Spring sown alfalfa does not normally make much hay the first year. If you need hay next summer, there are several possibilities. Try spring oats. Plant in February and graze or hay early, and you can have all summer to get ready for alfalfa next fall. Sorghum-sudangrass can be sown next spring and produce good yields. Watch out for drying out the soil too much. You should probably take the last cutting in early August and plow it up quickly. If you don't plow it up, it will regrow and use a lot of water, making planting alfalfa in September difficult. A shorter season crop to consider is German millet. It can
be cut in August, and you can plant alfalfa in the stubble if the field is smooth enough
and you have taken care of the fertilizer and lime needs before planting the millet.
Millet does not regrow as much as sorghum-sudangrass and does not use as much water. The
fine stems will help reduce soil erosion and do not interfere with germinating alfalfa.
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| John Caddel, Forage
Agronomist Department of Plant and Soil Sciences Oklahoma State University Jim Stritzke |
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