Timing Is Everything

Settin' here trying to figure out just how to handle this one.

Darned alfalfa is startin' to show signs of stress. We missed our window of opporunity on the likelyhood of any rain and the forecast is for hot, dry, with temps in the 90s and wind for the coming week.

A guy doesn't want to cut until the last possible day to insure more growth, but in a few days I fear it is going to start going backwards; might just have to take what is there and call it good for this year.

Best tonnage on the place is going to end up being that field of alfalfa I seeded last fall (read: crap), which got outrun by the grasses. Bummer. :>(

On top of that, the darned summer fallow needs to be worked too.

Not too sure I'm all that wild about this silly dryland farming. Wonder if an extended vacation is now in order? :>)

Allan

-Rudyard Kipling

When it comes to dryland farming I'm no help.

But I was wondering how summer fallow helps when you are stirring that soil all the time?

Maybe it just drys the top 3 to 4" and helps rebuild subsoil moisture. Is this the idea?

Gary

Aw, the darned weeds are comin' like a freight train and they suck the moisture. Worst of two evils. :>(

The conventional method is to start the tillage deep in the spring and gradually work shallower with each successive pass throughout the summer until planting time in September.

Normally, a guy would work the ground after a rain on normal soils, but this stuff has a lot of clay/tiger shut, so needs to be worked dry and "just before the rain". :>)

Allan