# Ok to Roll Alfalfa/Orchard after germination?



## Galloway (May 22, 2015)

Hello all,

I recently had our local cons. district drill in 15lbs of Alfalfa and 5lbs of Orchard. Due to a week of off and on rains I haven't been able to get in behind with my cultipacker. I checked this morning and I've found the alfalfa has of course germinated and is now up above the dirt (two leaflets). Things have dried out enough so I can get back in the field.

Can I still go in and cultipack it or should I stay off it ? I don't want to kill anything off with the price of this seed!

Thanks.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

I would leave it alone. The rain probably buried it deep enough that you will be OK.

Ralph


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

DON'T roll it. The rain you had made up for the lack of rolling.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Leave it alone.

Here one reason to roll is the stones,rocks,and any ridges get leveled off sure makes cutting nicer.I'd be tempted too roll it after you take first cutting off using the large smooth rollers.

I actualy had a hair brained salesman tell me to roll after every cutting every yr to increase yields.


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## Galloway (May 22, 2015)

OK...would rolling kill the new seedlings? I wasn't so much concerned about seed to soil contact as I understand the effects of the rain. The seed bed was disced cornstalks and a little clumpy and rough. I hoped to roll more to knock out the clumps, level the field and push a few rocks down more than anything else.


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## Galloway (May 22, 2015)

10 days


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I'd be worried more about the wheel tracks from the tractor.I drove my Ranger across new seeded field about 1" tall and it killed some plants if tires lipped at all.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

From the looks of that I'd leave it be... Think you'll do more harm than good...

Seedlings that size are pretty brittle... snap off, they're done. Maybe 2-3 inches tall might be okay.

From the pic you posted, I wouldn't see it getting much smoother. Any hay mower or moco should be able to handle that just fine... course the pic only shows about 1 square foot or so of area, so that might not be entirely representative of the field... Still, they're made to handle SOME undulations/roughness to the ground...

Besides, if the rain has settled the soil in well (which appears to be the case from the looks of the ground in the photo) then I don't think rolling with a cultipacker is really going to do much at all to smooth it out any further... not substantially anyway, certainly not worth the stand damage and fuel and time cost to do it anyway... at least not from the one photo we have here...

Best of luck! OL JR


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