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I'm thinking of getting 100 pounds of alfalfa seed this year and planting it to most of my pasture with a broadcast seeder.
When is the best time to plant?
When is the best time to plant?
I can't remember, but I think you live up here in the north somewhere.Paul Wheaton said:Went to the local seed store and talked to them about varieties, cost, etc. They said that alfalfa would not grow well on our pasture without lots of fertilizers and stuff (which they also sell). Too dry. Too high. Should stick with grass.
Soil ananlisys shows a pH of about 6.7. Lots of P and K, but almost zero N. As for micronutrients, boron seemed to be the big issue, but I laid some down since the soil test.
There are alfalfa plants growing all over the place like weeds, just in small numbers.
The seed store guys know the guy that owned the property before me. They say that that guy tried to grow alfalfa, but it never took.
My research on growing grass in the area is that guys spend thousands per year on fertilizers to get hay worth about the same as the fertilizer. It seems cheaper and easier to just go buy hay. And then there are guys at lower elevations that grow alfalfa and don't put anything on their fields.
I'm tempted to just go get a sack of alfalfa seed and broadcast it on some of my pastures. Just see if it takes or not.
Any advice?