# How to plant Alfalfa....by hand



## YODA (Oct 24, 2013)

I know some of you are probably rolling your eyes, but let me digress to times past. When I first bought my place some 6 years back, the pastures/hay field had been severely overgrazed (more dirt weeds that grass), and had a lousy dirt ditch irrigation system with little water (HOA had shortchanged the owner). I solved the water problem (installed gated pipe), and had the agg service come out to tell me what to do. First was the basic soil test, fertilizer, over-seed with a recommended mix that had 1% alfalfa (irrigated type)., etc and see what came back. The fields did well, grasses, clover, alfalfa about every 5 feet or so, just like the natural state of the field had been historically. Unfortunately about 50% of the field was broad leaf weeds.

Agg folks had me spray with a generic 2,4,D to kill the weeds which worked, unfortunately it took out the clover and alfalfa (they knew the clover would go, but not the alfalfa which they thought would survive). I got the clovers to come back by broadcast seeding, along with new pasture grasses, broadcast, than ran a chain harrow over a couple of times in the fall after frost, but I cant get any alfalfa to do the same.

Original field was mix grasses (timothy, various brooms, white and red clover, orchard grass, and crested wheat grass which I would like to keep as most is native to this area ( when I say native, what was planted historically and has adapted to the climate and watering)

The field is small enough that I can do spots by hand. This year the COOP sold me a Ranger mix (dry land type) and said to just cover the seeds by raking a spot, drop some seed, rake in to cover then firm up with foot. I have been doing this now as we are just now getting our spring rains.

Will this work? I want my hay to have just a bit of alfalfa in it, and the older fields around me seem to do better with the alfalfa in it. Horses seem to like it too.

Thoughts?

Thanks Keith


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Could you rent a no till drill to plant the alfalfa?


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## YODA (Oct 24, 2013)

Thats a possibility, but for the small amount not viable. Am I correct I just need to cover the seed, or does it need to be deeper?


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

Don't harrow alfalfa in. It will get buried too deep. In your case I would use a little hand held lawn grass spreader to put a little alfalfa where you want it, then use a cultipacker roller to incorporate it. And yes, 2,4-D will smoke alfalfa.

We use a roller vaguely similar to this. Prep the soil, roll, broadcast alfalfa, roll again.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=oLUa9c0FHOlqrM&tbnid=N-4K3Wdc7XC2HM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tractorbynet.com%2Fforums%2Fattachments%2F183000-used-brillion-cultipacker-combo-hitch.html&ei=j7ZSU6LCK8u2yASr1ICYBA&bvm=bv.65058239,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNGKhIoJci2x-Xw3oBMVNVovLpgkWA&ust=1398015828186884


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I've done exactly as they told you to do with a rake in spots that I missed with the drill or just didn't come up and it worked fine.


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## YODA (Oct 24, 2013)

Thanks folks - appreciate the help.


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