The first harvest can be made before flowers begin to appear, but waiting for the alfalfa to flower will ensure greater energy reserves in the roots. Alfalfa will generally reach this stage of development between 60 and 70 days after emergence .
Does alfalfa grow after blooming?
Alfalfa started growing like gangbusters this spring, is almost knee high in some places, and could be ready to cut soon. Many growers cut soon after the first blooms appear; however, weather can cause long delays and sometimes alfalfa doesn’t bloom very aggressively during spring .
How many years does alfalfa last?
Alfalfa can remain productive in stands from four to ten years or more , but as plant population declines renovation eventually becomes necessary.
How many times can you harvest alfalfa in a year?
Producers can generally meet two of the three with a chosen harvest schedule, but not all three. So, there are usually some compromises when harvesting. In general, more frequent harvests produce forage of higher nutritive quality at an acceptable yield level, but at a sacrifice in stand vigor or longevity.
What do alfalfa blooms look like?
Alfalfa can grow quite tall and has a deep root system, sometimes stretching more than 15 metres. This makes it very resilient, especially to droughts. Stems are round lower down, more or less angular towards the top, and usually smooth. The flowers resemble the clover in appearance .
Will alfalfa reseed itself?
Alfalfa is a crop that naturally tends to lessen its density over time because alfalfa doesn’t reseed itself . ... If population density is very low then a grower could consider planting a new field or interseeding with other species/grasses to improve the current crop.
What happens if you don’t cut alfalfa?
If it stays dry those new shoots could die off. Once your alfalfa does receive enough rain for regrowth it might regrow a little faster if it’s cut, but it also will regrow following sufficient rain without cutting. In most cases, it’s not worth the cost and time involved to shred, clip, or harvest low-yielding hay.
Does alfalfa need to be replanted every year?
This is unlike summer-grown annual crops that need to be replanted each year (water use efficacy is low during this time). ... Very High Yields —Alfalfa is a very high yielding crop, and can grow 365 days a year in warm regions (such as the Imperial Valley of California and southern Arizona).
What’s the best fertilizer for alfalfa?
Newly seeded alfalfa can benefit from 10-15 lb of nitrogen fertilizer per acre to ensure a good start, particularly on sandy or low organic matter sites and with early spring plantings into cold soils.
What is the best time of year to plant alfalfa?
In years with adequate rainfall, late summer or fall is typically the best time to establish alfalfa. Yields from late summer seeding are generally higher than yields from spring seeded alfalfa in the establishment year.
When should you not cut alfalfa?
Last-cut timing
“The thumb-rule is that alfalfa fields in the upper Midwest and Northeast should not be harvested between September 1 and October 15 ,” Newell shares. This period allows build-up of carbohydrate reserves in the roots. This helps maintain the stand’s health and productivity into the following spring.
How short should you cut alfalfa?
Alfalfa or Clover
2′′ minimum . Some literature shows a cutting height of 1′′ will not reduce stand longevity, but remember the increased ash content issue. Also, keep in mind that frequent cutting at early maturity will continue to deplete carbohydrate reserves.
How often should you cut alfalfa?
Quality. Most dairy producers in our region are harvesting on about a 28-day schedule. When we cut alfalfa every 35 days versus every 28 days, yield increased by half a ton per acre (8.5 percent), NDF increased 2.7 units, and NDFD declined 3.5 units.
Should you let alfalfa flower?
There are differences of opinion as to whether farmers should allow their established alfalfa to bloom at least once each summer. A Midwestern university agronomist recommends at least one cutting each year be allowed to reach the early bloom stage – the suggestion is 10 percent bloom .
Does alfalfa stop growing when it blooms?
In the northern states, alfalfa planted in spring will grow and establish during the summer and die back in winter . The next spring it regrows and reliably produces its first flush of blossoms anytime from May to July, depending on location in the United States.
