Can alfalfa be hand broadcasted?

Judith · #1 07/18/08, 01:24 PM

We acquired a 40 acre chunk that has OK soil. Not the jet black river delta stuff I am used to here on the coast. I wont be moving there for a couple years. Could I hand cast alfalfa to bring up the soil quality? I really dont want to till up 40 acres by hand LOL

rambler · #2 07/18/08, 01:31 PM

Alfalfa likes to be 1/4 - 1/2 inch deep in firm soil, with lots of light rain on it & no early competition from weeds or grass.

So, yes you can hand toss it, but it won't, for example, grow real well if you are just tossing it on sod or tall weeds or not dragging it into the soil a little bit. Spring or fall is often the bet time to seed it.

Wow, you'll get a good arm by the time you toss & rake 40 acres....

What will you work the land with in a few years?

--->Paul

Judith · #3 07/18/08, 01:36 PM

I am hoping to have the pennies saved up for a newer compact tractor. I currently have a ford 9N but she is an old gal and in need of a retirement home where they can paint her and take her to antique shows

I milk cows for a living so raking 40 acres should be no problem at all! ( Please note sarcasm LOL)

Hmm might be smarter to hire a farmer to do it for me....

Wisconsin Ann · #4 07/18/08, 01:42 PM

I was wondering about hiring a local farmer. doesn't take long to seed 40acres for someone who has the equipment and cash is always appreciated by farmers

Maura · #5 07/18/08, 01:59 PM

Hiring someone would be a nice way of getting to know your neighbor. We had a neighbor disc our pasture, 4.5 acres. He only charged us for gas, which was very nice of him.

Judith · #6 07/18/08, 02:08 PM

I wouldnt have a neighbor who could do it. It is a very isolated chunk with crown land on all four sides. It is wonderful!!!! But I could pay someone to do it. Then the alfalfa would have a couple years to improve the soil

michiganfarmer · #7 07/18/08, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judith

I am hoping to have the pennies saved up for a newer compact tractor. I currently have a ford 9N but she is an old gal and in need of a retirement home where they can paint her and take her to antique shows

I milk cows for a living so raking 40 acres should be no problem at all! ( Please note sarcasm LOL)

Hmm might be smarter to hire a farmer to do it for me....

I sure hate to see people spent the $20,000 that most compact tractors cost when you can get double or triple the horse power for half the price or less if you buy an older field tractor.

michiganfarmer · #8 07/18/08, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Can alfalfa be hand broadcasted?

Yes, but it really does much better when it is just pressed into tilled soil.

palani · #9 07/18/08, 04:41 PM

Alfalfa is too expensive to experiment with. Get a local farmer to drill it in with a cover crop such as oats. He might even be willing to harvest the oat crop and bale the straw if you need it.

Also might not be a bad time to see if any soil amendments are needed (lime, sulfur, ... ).

minnikin1 · #10 07/18/08, 05:11 PM

Where are you? You could try frost seeding it.
I know frost seeding works great with clovers.

big rockpile · #11 07/18/08, 05:32 PM

I would go with Clover.

big rockpile

DaleK · #12 07/18/08, 06:59 PM

If you aren't going to be baling it, just use some cheap clover seed for a cover crop. It would be better seeded properly, if you can at least harrow it with an ATV or something it's better than nothing but keep the seed as cheap as possible because you'll be throwing most of it away. Particularly with Crown land on 4 sides, the wildlife will get most of what grows anyway.

woodsrunner · #13 07/18/08, 08:20 PM

Get yourself a little spike tooth harrow for your 9N. Hand broadcast it then run the harrow over it. I've done it, though it wouldn't be so easy for me at 44 as it was at 16. You would probably want to mix some timothy in with it, if it's going to be hay. If I recall we mixed Alfalfa 20%, Red Clover 15%, Sweet yellow clover 15%, trefoil 20% and timothy 30%. Legumes can be picky about the soil they like. The sweet yellow clover would come up fast and nurse the rest along. After a couple years our hay mostly alfalfa or clover/ timothy mix. Though we would have real strong stands of trefoil in certain spots of the field.

And that's how I misspent my high school years! Working on a hay farm.

The farmer had a perfectly good modern grain drill in the barn. But, it was set up for oats or wheat. It couldn't handle the fine legume seeds and he wouldn't spend the money for the attachment.

I wish somebody had a camera when he handed me what looked like a feed bag with a crank sticking out of it's side. That look would probably be priceless.

haypoint · #14 07/18/08, 11:04 PM

Alfalfa is a fantastic plant. It does well within fairly narrow parameters. The tiny seed doesn't germinate well unless well placed, broadcasting is a waste of expensive seed. It doesn't compete with weeds when just left to grow. If you mowed it 2 or 3 times a season, Alfalfa would jump back up, outdistancing the weeds. Left to grow among the other plants, it often dies. Alfalfa doesn't like heavy clay soils or soils that stay wet in the spring.
Helpful when you disclose the area, soil type, annual rainfall, etc

Up North · #15 07/19/08, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodsrunner

I wish somebody had a camera when he handed me what looked like a feed bag with a crank sticking out of it's side. That look would probably be priceless.

I was there with my camera! NOT! HA HA!
Click here to view:
http://tinyfarmblog.com/2007/09/13/trying-fall-rye/

Up North · #16 07/19/08, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judith

It is a very isolated chunk with crown land on all four sides.

Please define "crown land" ??

BetsyK in Mich · #17 07/19/08, 04:58 AM

Summer before last i put in alfalfa on five acres. Had a bad case of Virginia Creeper in the field so had the field chisel plowed in the spring and then worked it up a couple times with a disk. I broadcasted the alfalfa and then the timothy (tiny little seed) with a tractor mounted seeder and went over it with a field cultipacker. I really didn't expect to good a stand of alfalfa, was suppose to be a pasture, but it is a beautiful field today. Have a few places the alfalfa is light, corners and such but the stand is good enough, and with the price of hay, I've cut it for the last two years. Surprised the old neighbor that it came up so good.

DaleK · #18 07/19/08, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Up North

Please define "crown land" ??

Government-owned in Canada. Used to be literally owned by the "crown", ie King or Queen, I can't remember the whole details now. Generally left more or less to grow wild, logged every once in a while in some areas or some of the crown land in Western Canada is grazed.

DavidUnderwood · #19 07/19/08, 09:32 AM

If it is for soil improvement, its hard to
beat soybeans. They make more bio-mass
to return to the soil than clover or alfalfa.
The seeds are not as finicky to work with,
and soybeans are a legume also. They can
be mowed for hay if you wish. (Better for
cattle than horses or goats.) But beans do
have to be planted every year.
Just a thought.

agmantoo · #20 07/19/08, 09:40 AM

I am to unfamiliar with your area to make a seed recommendation but I suggest buying one of these for the broadcasting of fine seed. It would not take very long to do 40 acres and the distribution of the seed would be much more uniform than using your hand.
http://www.lehmans.com/jump.jsp?item...CT&itemID=3044
Do a bit of research and determine if Alice white clover is suitable to your area. The rate per acre is low and the seed are moderately priced.