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Implement Alley Discussion Forum

Alfalfa seeding - what to use?

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Tip

04-18-2005 06:13:01




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I am planting 6 acres of alfalfa with a cover crop of oats. I have a grain drill to seed the oats but nothing for the alfalfa. Most folks have suggested a seeder with a roller - I may be able to borrow one, but would love to be able to do it with the drill. Any suggestions?

Regards, Tip




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wolfmantractor

04-18-2005 18:11:03




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 Re: Alfalfa seeding - what to use? in reply to Tip, 04-18-2005 06:13:01  
I'd drill the oats. Wait til the ground is sticky (like morning of a frost or possibly right after a light rain) & broadcast the alfalfa with a seeder that straps over your sholder-spin seeder. Works great & not really that much walking because alfalfa seed throws about 10 feet; so you only make a pass every 20 feet. Can plant 6 acres quite quickly on foot. With soil a little wet, the seed sticks where it hits & you get a good stand.

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wolfmantractor

04-18-2005 18:06:08




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 Re: Alfalfa seeding - what to use? in reply to Tip, 04-18-2005 06:13:01  
I'd drill the oats. Wait til the ground is sticky (like morning of a frost or possibly right after a light rain) & broadcast the alfalfa with a seeder that straps over your sholder-spin seeder. Works great & not really that much walking because alfalfa seed throws about 10 feet; so you only make a pass every 20 feet. Can plant 6 acres quite quickly on foot. With soil a little wet, the seed sticks where it hits & you get a good stand.

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Tip

04-18-2005 18:05:38




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 Thanks and followup in reply to Tip, 04-18-2005 06:13:01  
A neighbor has an old Oliver Superior that he isn't using. I am going to check it out tomorrow and will probably buy it from him. I may try the mixing thing - see how it works out. I got the final stumps dug out out of the field today and began plowing. I will finish plowing in the morning, then start picking rocks. This field is in pretty rough shape from neglect, but the ground isn't too bad underneath.

Regards and thanks for the suggestions!

Tip

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JMS/MN

04-18-2005 07:57:14




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 Re: Alfalfa seeding - what to use? in reply to Tip, 04-18-2005 06:13:01  
What kind of drill do you have? Dad had a Minneapolis Moline, bought new in '55- didn't buy the $50 extra grass seeder. It had drive gears that you could interchange for high and low rate, and the low let you seed alfalfa. Not extra gears- you just unbolted two gears on each side, and replaced them on the opposite shaft. Check the seeding chart in the lid- is there a low and high listing? Other drills may have used the same system.

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Joe in IN

04-18-2005 06:28:47




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 Re: Alfalfa seeding - what to use? in reply to Tip, 04-18-2005 06:13:01  
Why not use the drill for the alfalfa? I have an old Melroe 201, no grass seed attchment, and it worked just fine, did it this time last year and I have a beutiful stand of 80% alfalfa and 20% timothy. Obviously you might have to adjust the seeding rate down on the drill as more seed might be dropped than normal. the little seed wheels on the drill will turn and push the seed down the tubes same as any other?

I actually had mine too light but made a total of 3 passes(perpendicular to first pass and then corner to corner). Made for a nice thick stand. Ended up with about 20 lbs an acre.

I realize useing a drill sans grass seeder is not the official way to seed alfalfa, but it worked darn well for me....

I'm not a broadcast fan, at all, the lack of seed soil contact just doesn't make me sleep well at night... But I'm no expert.....

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JMS/MN

04-18-2005 22:46:43




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 Re: Alfalfa seeding - what to use? in reply to Joe in IN, 04-18-2005 06:28:47  
If you seeded 20 lbs of alfalfa per acre you used 25-50% more seed than you needed to. Don't lose any sleep regarding seed to soil contact regarding seeding with a grain drill. They do not put the grass seed into the ground. A grass seeder on a grain drill dribbles the seed on top of the ground, and relies on drag chains or anything else behind the drill- like a packer- to make contact between the seed and the soil.

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Joe in IN

04-19-2005 06:15:53




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 Re: Alfalfa seeding - what to use? in reply to JMS/MN, 04-18-2005 22:46:43  
20lbs was of actual seed, once you take germination rate and inert matter, that 20 lbs is a little less. But to answer you point, yes it was probably seeded a little heavy....I call that insurance, with my luck at this farming thing, I need it...(We had 12 inches of rain in 5 days about 4 weeks after I planted, half the field turned yellow and about did it in. It came through it though.....



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ChrisL

04-18-2005 06:16:24




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 Re: Alfalfa seeding - what to use? in reply to Tip, 04-18-2005 06:13:01  
plant the oats with the drill then broadcast the alfalfa seed with a spinner type fertilizer or grass seeder - then just drag it with a drag to cover the alfalfa and smooth the field - used to do it that way all the time.



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Allan in NE

04-18-2005 06:15:35




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 Re: Alfalfa seeding - what to use? in reply to Tip, 04-18-2005 06:13:01  
Mornin' Tip,

I agree with ya on that one. It would be nice if your grain drill had a seeder on it and you could do it all in one pass.

Allan



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Bobg

04-18-2005 08:45:15




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 Re: Alfalfa seeding - what to use? in reply to Allan in NE, 04-18-2005 06:15:35  
My Dad didn't have a drill with a grass seed on his old Van Brunt. We used barley as a cover crop and he would put the barley and alfafa seed into to the old grinder mixer (not through the hammer mill) and mix it up good. He then used it to fill the drill we always had a very good stand of alfalfa. He would have preferred to use an alfalfa seeder, but there was none available to borrow in our area.

Bobg

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