first time planting alfalfa

I planted ~3 acres of alfalfa just for something to do with my two cylinders over the summer and as practice for possibly planting our 40 acre field next summer. I planted using a broadcast spreader, covered it up using a landscape rake, and top dressed with 200lbs per acre of 5 15 40. I planted a little too heavy but the seeds emerged and are looking promising, I expect it to be ready to cut by August. when should I top dress with fertilizer again and what type of herbicide won't break the bank? any general wisdom you can share would be great too, I am new to this.

If you have a thick stand weeds should not be to bad if you mow it to bale in a timely manner. Sprays are not normally need on fields with good stands.

I would fertilize once a year with the mix you mentioned after the first cutting of the year.

Gary

Watch closely for disease and insect control too. Headline fungicide at 6 oz after cutting 6-8 inches regrowth.
SILENCER at 3.2 ozs when insects are present. Don't wait for high damage. 2-3 dollars per acre is all it takes. Look into BIO-FORGE applications.
Nothing prettier than a full field of alfalfa so thick and tall you can't see your Lab in it. One that yields 4.5T for the season. (Dryland) And your neighbor can find his beagle in his. LOL

I have a small triangular area, maybe 1/4-1/3 acre that I have thought of seeding to alfalfa. Currently, it is a mix of clover, timothy and vetch. I'd like to take advantage of all that nitrogen next spring and plant corn, then follow up with alfalfa. Any suggestions?

Larry

I'm with Ia Gary on the weed control. 'Too late for a preemerge. "IF" you have a broadleaf problem develop, you can use "Velpar" at not more than 3 pts per acre on new seedlings. You will want to use it either when the alfalfa is dormant or immediately after cutting. If you have a grass problem, use "Clethodim". Absolutely wonderful grass control.

For fertilizer, every ton of dry matter removed on Alfalfa removes 15 pounds of phosphorus and 50-60 pounds of potash. So use whatever yield goal you want and apply accordingly. Also apply 1 pound of elemental Boron and 10 pounds of sulfur per acre per year. I too like to apply all my fertilizer after the first cutting. Early spring applications tend to make the first cutting too rank and it will usually fall over. Plus, alfalfa tends to have what they call "luxury consumption" of potash IF it is available. You can make a case for "multiple" fertilizer applications because of this. For me, it's too much trouble.

For harvesting, you decide if you want "quality" or "quantity". For "quality" use a 28-30 day cutting schedule. For "quantity" use a 35-40 day cutting schedule. Recent research has indicated that "after the first cutting" the 35-40 day schedule tends to have a RFV (relative feed value) equal to the earlier cuttings and your yield per cutting goes up. The biggest benefit to the longer cutting interval is stand life, often resultinbg in stands that continue to produce well up into the 7-8th year. The 28-30 day cutting schedule is really hard on stand life. It's your choice.