Alfafa is excellent for swine, alfalfa is also used for sheep and cattle; mixed stands reduce the hazard of bloat, but even such pasturage is best supplemented with grain rations for improved stock energy. Rotational grazing of alfalfa pastures is best.

Alfalfa is usually planted with a nurse crop. It can be broadcast seeded in winter wheat or similar crops early in spring, but best results are obtained by drilling seed with oats or other spring-planted grains.

Use 10 to 12 pounds of seed per acre when seeded with a single grass, 5 to 6 pounds per acre in other mixtures.

The nurse crop will control most weeds and although the alfalfa stand will not be quite as heavy as it would be if it is planted alone, the grain crop will make up for the loss.

Alfalfa does best on well-drained, deep loams with porous subsoils. It does not thrive on either acid or highly alkaline soils, preferring a pH of 6.5 to 7. Areas east of the Mississippi generally need lime for best results.

Alfafa draw nitrogen from the air and rhizobia bacteria in nodules on the plant roots change the nitrogen into a form the plant can use Nitrogen-fixing abilities are greatly enhanced by inoculation before planting; the USDA estimates that alfalfa fixes between 100 and 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre, depending on conditions

When bloom is delayed or spotty, cutting may be gauged by the amount of new growth at the crown. However, a cutting should not be made in the fall later than four weeks before the average date of the first killing frost. This will permit considerable top growth so that the roots can store enough food for winter.

Alfalfa is also excellent pasture. When grazed, it is usually mixed with timothy, orchard grass or smooth brome grass.

Growing Alfafa is a post from: The Grow Garden