I figure what better place to ask about growing hay?    When I was a kid we seeded 15 lbs straight alfalfa and the quackgrass was our "grass in the mix"     I have been putting 18lbs of alfalfa a couple lbs orchard grass, since quack has been under control for years.     

 

I see in a seed catalog they recommend 12-18 alfalfa straight or 8-14 alfalfa and 1-7 grass, which seems thin to me.   They also recommend seeding straight alfalfa and then drilling in 1 or .5 lbs orchard, which seems crazy to me. With weather , hail, bugs, and maybe low germ, my thoughts are seed a little heavy for "insurance".

 

 

 

 

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Duramax wrote:

I figure what better place to ask about growing hay?    When I was a kid we seeded 15 lbs straight alfalfa and the quackgrass was our "grass in the mix"     I have been putting 18lbs of alfalfa a couple lbs orchard grass, since quack has been under control for years.        I see in a seed catalog they recommend 12-18 alfalfa straight or 8-14 alfalfa and 1-7 grass, which seems thin to me.   They also recommend seeding straight alfalfa and then drilling in 1 or .5 lbs orchard, which seems crazy to me. With weather , hail, bugs, and maybe low germ, my thoughts are seed a little heavy for "insurance".

If you are seeding in the spring, I use one bushel of cereal grass per acre  (oats, Pearl Millet, Ryegrass), 18 pounds leafhopper resistant alfalfa, and 6 pounds of orchardgrass.  Be sure to use a cultipacker and roll it in, twice. Cut the cereal crop off before it heads out, a bit high (6 inches), about 70 days after seeding.   Lately, I have been going more straight orchard grass, maybe a couple pounds of clover. It is a lot cheaper and not as needy for fertilizer.

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"Making America Great Again." "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."~~Margaret Thatcher~~ The Democrat Party is the Communist Party. "Veritas Odium Parit" Latin "Truth begets hatred"

Looks like you`re in the heavier seedings of alfalfa too.   With the long roots and nitrogen fixing I want alfalfa in the mix, potash requirements are high, but the land cost is the same and that`s the biggest expense.  I have a little area that gets standing water, I just go a head and have that seeded to Palatan Canary grass, cows like it and nothing springs back from waterlogg than Canary.

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Duramax wrote:

Looks like you`re in the heavier seedings of alfalfa too.   With the long roots and nitrogen fixing I want alfalfa in the mix, potash requirements are high, but the land cost is the same and that`s the biggest expense.  I have a little area that gets standing water, I just go a head and have that seeded to Palatan Canary grass, cows like it and nothing springs back from waterlogg than Canary.

Yes wet spots do best in canary grass. On the alfalfa, you want to have about 105 seedlings per square foot, which will be reduced by half, the first year. When it gets down to 4 or 5 crowns in year 5 or after, then it is time to tear it up, as it becomes less than profitable.

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"Making America Great Again." "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."~~Margaret Thatcher~~ The Democrat Party is the Communist Party. "Veritas Odium Parit" Latin "Truth begets hatred"