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planting alfalfa

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Gary in Neb.

08-17-2009 06:10:42




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Hi all, heard something over the weekend that i'm unsure about. for years, i have planted alfalfa with a john deere B drill with drag chains behind it. at a family gathering yesterday a cousin told me that he heard your suppose to pack the field before you plant it and dont drag it afterwards. said he went to some seminar that the guy talking said it's packed good enough if you can bounce a basketbal off of it. have i been doing this wrong all these years by dragging and packing after i drill?

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NEsota

08-17-2009 16:26:56




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 Re: planting alfalfa in reply to Gary in Neb., 08-17-2009 06:10:42  
In my neighborhood, the alfalfa seeding equipment that gets the most respect is Brillion, in soil that has been worked. It has two sets of culti-packers. The seed is spread after the first set and before the second. Uniform seed distribution in or onto firm soil should give the best return on the seed. With the price of seed today you can afford to spend more on getting the best seed position and placement.

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Don-WI

08-17-2009 14:33:55




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 Re: planting alfalfa in reply to Gary in Neb., 08-17-2009 06:10:42  
We work our field with a feild cultivator and have a drag we pull behind it to smooth out the field, and then we pull a pair of packers behind our drill so it's all planted and packed in 1 pass. We get a pretty good stand so it works for us.

Donovan from Wisconsin



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MN Bob

08-17-2009 13:02:15




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 Re: planting alfalfa in reply to Gary in Neb., 08-17-2009 06:10:42  
When I planted last I had a lot of advice to use a Brillion seeder/packer. Had most of the field done when it broke down. Broadcast the rest and packed with a old cult i packer (sp). Broadcast had the best stand and still is today. Of course, I may have put it on heavier than the Brillion did. Good luck-- Bob



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tjdub

08-17-2009 11:44:34




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 Re: planting alfalfa in reply to Gary in Neb., 08-17-2009 06:10:42  
The seedbed should be firm before seeding. That means you should drag/pack it before seeding. Seeding into a fluffy seedbed could allow the alfalfa seed to get buried too deep when dragging it after seeding, or just prevent good soil to seed contact.

As for dragging/packing after seeding, you should do that too. Drag chains on your drill may be enough, but the idea is to get seed to soil contact earlier, keep the birds from swiping your seeds, and prevent a big downpour from floating all the seeds into rafts. I drag mine with a spike harrow with the teeth turned almost all the way flat. It barely moves any soil, but incorporates the seeds pretty well.

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Dick L

08-17-2009 07:48:18




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 Re: planting alfalfa in reply to Gary in Neb., 08-17-2009 06:10:42  
I like to take in all the different opinions and that is why the last alfalfa I planted I seeded with my Oliver without drag chains and packed half and did nothing to the rest. Weather may always be a factor but I could not see a difference. We had a coupla August rains within a coupla weeks of seeding.



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Gary in Neb.

08-17-2009 07:52:56




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 Re: planting alfalfa in reply to Dick L, 08-17-2009 07:48:18  
kinda what i was wondering also. for years my dad broadcast seeded and i got to harrow the field. we always had good stands. so it's probably whatever works works.



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Dick L

08-17-2009 09:06:25




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 Re: planting alfalfa in reply to Gary in Neb., 08-17-2009 07:52:56  
When I was growing up Dad used alfalfa as a rotation crop to follow wheat. He, and me after I was old enough to help, broadcast in early spring into the fall planted wheat. Broadcasting was done by whipping it on with what Dad called a horn. Had to march in time with him at the proper distance. (:^D We clipped the straw stubble and baled the straw for beding. Never a large percentage of green in the straw but always had a good first year of alfalfa. Three years of alfalfa and then back to corn. Back then we broadcast big clover into the fall wheat in the early spring the other two years for the next springs green plow down for corn.

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Don Pine

08-17-2009 06:38:22




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 Re: planting alfalfa in reply to Gary in Neb., 08-17-2009 06:10:42  
I've gone to packing before and after (with no dragging). I've heard the point of packing before is to aid in more uniform seed placement. But if you've gotten good stands for the years before, I wouldn't change your method.

Don



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