how thick to drill oats with alfalfa??

redforlife · Feb 16, 2017

Wanting to plant alfalfa this spring. Also wanting to interseed oats in with it. This is in north east Kansas. Probly put on about 10 lbs of alfalfa seed per acre. The idea is to put it up for hay when oats are in the milk stage. Then will just have alfalfa after that. The oats will hopefully hold weeds back and make the first cutting of hay amount to something. I just don't know how much oat seed to put on. Has anyone done this before. How thick did you drill the oats??

centash · Feb 16, 2017

At least a bushel per acre.In northern areas, the earlier you can sow it the better. Go in with some embutox to take out the broadleaves. Dry hay will be tough to do, better off as an ensiled crop or wrapped bales. Maybe things are different in Kansas. Ben

JMS/.MN · Feb 16, 2017

Always used 3 bpa of oats, but later switched to barley because the thinner stand let the sun through better so alfalfa grew better. With barley I seeded 1 1/2 bpa. Always used a steel packer, like a Brillion- otherwise the alfalfa would need to be 15-18 pounds per acre. 8-10 with the packer gave a great stand.

paul · Feb 16, 2017

Normal oats planting is 3 bu an acre. Some cut back to 2 bu an acre to give the alfalfa a better start, but that also helps the weeds out too.

That's here in the north, Minnesota. Never know what applies in a more southern climate.

Paul

coonie minnie · Feb 17, 2017

I'm thinking on the lighter end... 1-1.5 bu per acre. 3 bu in my neighborhood is for oats only. If the main goal is a successful stand of alfalfa, go light on the cover crop- you don't want it to be a smother crop.

You CAN also direct seed alfalfa with no oats... I burn down any weeds with roundup, and then no-till in alfafla. It works great. There may be a weed or two in 1st cutting (usually end of June), but usually not much at all.

Nick m · Feb 17, 2017

Not sure on the oats, but 10lbs/acre of alfalfa seems lite. The normal in our area (central lower michigan) is 18-20lbs.

4020 electrician · Feb 17, 2017

What are you going to do with the oats? What is the germination on your alfalfa seed? Germination percentage would determine lbs of seed per acre. I have good luck with a 90% germination seed at 16lbs per acre. That is seeded with a brillion seeder though.

rrlund · Feb 17, 2017

I go about two and a half bushel here in Michigan. I do it every spring and cut them for grain and straw then clip them right down short to let the sun get to the alfalfa and take out whatever weeds came on.

JMS/.MN · Feb 17, 2017

With a Brillion/steel type packer you could cut that to half rate and get just as good a stand, saving half your seed costs.Do a test strip some time. I went to an alfalfa seminar once but can"t remember how many seeds per pound in alfalfa, but only a slight percentage gives a good stand of 15-20 plants per square foot. Most seeds are wasted due to poor seedbed and seed to soil contact, or seeding too deep. Quarter inch is a good depth. With my 10 foot drill, I pulled two steel packers behind, each cost about $200. When I bought the 13 foot JD I made a rubber tire packer for under $300. Doesn"t take much seed saving to pay for that.

Brown Swiss · Feb 17, 2017

You said going to make hay so I would do 3 bushels per acre, if you were to combine it is best to go 2 or 2.5, that way less of a chance to lodge. Also depends on the verity, like Morton oats will be your taller oats and better for hay, where Don or Jerry is shorter and better for grain harvest. If it were me I would bump up the alfalfa seed rate a bit to 12 to 15 pounds, but I am not in your area.

farmerwithmutt · Feb 17, 2017

Depending on fertilizer if you're following after corn your fertilizer might be high causing oats to grow tall and lodge. If you're cutting hay that cuts the risk . I always ran about 3 bushels eventually went to barley for better standing abilty.
An old guy told me 3 oats in a horses foot print and it would stool out now how many would know that today.

MikeinKy · Feb 18, 2017

I sow about a 50 lb. bag. Much more and I have choked my alfalfa out. That is enough to nurse the alfalfa and make decent hay. I also 15 to 20 lbs of alfalfa.

dmiller · Feb 18, 2017

I like that design. What is the center in the tires, looks like concrete?

JMS/.MN · Feb 19, 2017

Center is 20 inch gas pipe, from an industrial wrecker. Two "cookies" on each end, made of half inch plate steel. Large shafts (2 7/16 inch) about 3 feet long, with bearings, came from salvage yard...old county ski lift hardware. Cookies on each end are about 2 feet apart, welded inside gas pipe, with half-moon cutouts on inner cookie...cuz it is watertight, and I can fill entire pipe with water. Semi tires (22.5 inch) were free- truckers/dealers like to get rid of them rather than pay disposal fees.

To fill gap between pipe OD and tire ID, I welded 4 half inch pipe lengthways along gas pipe, every 90 degrees. Hitch braces should be longer, and main frame should be a bit stronger. Angle braces on one end are removeable, to switch tires if ever needed. Other end, braces are welded solid.

Get enough tires first, I started with 20 inch, which would fit over pipe, but couldn"t find enough, so went to 22.5, and came up with the half inch pipe idea to fill the gap.

dmiller · Feb 19, 2017

Thanks

donjr · Mar 9, 2017

I know that I'm in Maryland, but I have planted a lot of alfalfa over the years. For sprong planting, we normally use about 15-18 pounds of alfalfa and cover it with about 1-1/2 bu of oats, and cut the oats at milk for hay. Too much oats and the alfalfa will have too much competition, and too little alfalfa seed will result in a lighter stand that won't produce a heavier crop of hay.

how thick to drill oats with alfalfa??

redforlife

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centash

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JMS/.MN

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paul

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coonie minnie

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Nick m

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4020 electrician

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rrlund

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JMS/.MN

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Brown Swiss

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farmerwithmutt

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MikeinKy

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dmiller

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JMS/.MN

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dmiller

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donjr

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