Hay spring seeding advice

Dave from MN · Apr 12, 2014

Late springI know. I have 20 acre I need to get seeded to Alfalfa and some grass. Lighter well drained soils sandy loam, with pockets of heavier black. I am using 1-1.25 bu acre oats as a nurse crop. Do not want to use more for fear of moisture lacking and hay seedling being the losers. I see the forecasts for next week has high in the mid 30's to mid 40s. I know corn/beans need warm soil, oats like to be in early and can take some cool weather, but what about the hay seed? Could I go next week if the field is ready for working? 2nd question, what is a good mix I could run in the drill over a thinning, getting rough alfalfa field. Will be last year used, and may even toss an early corn or some soybeans in after 1st cutting. Just need to thicken up the stand to get some decent tonnage. Oats and ryegrass and some buckwheat? I want some thing I can get on there asap so it takes off when the Alfalfa takes off

Billy NY · Apr 12, 2014

Isn't there an issue with alfalfa on alfalfa, whereas the remnants of the existing stand will kill the new seedlings ?

Fordfarmer · Apr 12, 2014

Alfalfa is autotoxic - seeding it into an existing stand is wasting your time and seed.
If you're just looking for tonnage this year, and may rotate the field next year, I'd be tempted to just try oats or another small grain.

Brokenwrench · Apr 12, 2014

Last year I put in 35 acres of alfalfa on real light sandy soil. I had it air flowed on with fertilizer and oats. For the life of me I cant remember how heavy I went on the oats but I think heavier than that. Oats was in a little over 60 days then I cut it green, baled and wrapped it. Fed it all winter as an oat silage. Cows did great on it, and excellent tonnage.

One big benefit I wasn"t counting on was the amount of moisture in the green oats stems. That really established the alfalfa stand nice.

Everything around here burnt up in july and august last year, and I thought that new stand would really get hit hard. It actually came through a lot better than I was expecting.

If you plan on cutting the oats for hay, I wouldn"t be real concerned with it robbing too much moisture from the alfalfa. May be different if you are letting the oats mature.

I think ryegrass would be great as a filler. I wonder how millet would do, that would give you some good tonnage, and cut early would be decent feed value.

Dave from MN · Apr 12, 2014

Yes. This new seeding is going into ground that has not seen a hay type crop in 30+ years. The interseeding into alfalfa will have no alfalfa seed in it. Just grasses.

JMS/.MN · Apr 12, 2014

We always seeded 3 bpa oats as nurse crop for nay hay on light soil, same on the clay where I farm now. Barley was about half that rate. The hay seed will germinate when the soil warms up, but the oats should be in early. Doesn"t hurt if it gets snowed on either. BTDT.

showcrop · Apr 12, 2014

The biggest thing is to wait till Early September. I used oats as a nurse crop once, I put them on fairly heavy. It was in the spring and we got a good rain right after seeding to get it started. After that it didn't rain for six weeks. I waited until after a little rain before cutting it. I was sure that the alfalfa would be all dead but it wasn't, it was doing real well, and I have to say that it was because the oats shaded the ground. Usually when I seed in the spring I get such weeds that the first cutting is worthless.

Hay spring seeding advice

Dave from MN

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Billy NY

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Fordfarmer

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Brokenwrench

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Dave from MN

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JMS/.MN

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showcrop

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