Alfalfa question

[LuckyIL]

I have some levees planted in a mixture of fescue red top alfalfa etc.
what I'm wondering is when I read about growing alfalfa they say its high maintainance and needs to be mowed and bailed. I'm not allowed to bail per my easement and I've never really understood why this was necessary to bail it?

Is it just the duff that maybe shades the fresh cut alfalfa?

 

[wiscwhip]

It sounds like you are just using the alfalfa for erosion control, which is an interesting choice. Not a bad choice by any means, it has an amazing root system and most likely provides N for your grasses. Mowing alfalfa is more to harvest fresh growth for livestock food and promote succulent new growth to be subsequently mowed for more livestock feed. The frequent mowing is because alfalfa will become stemmy and rank very quickly once it starts to get too tall. The baling is so the farmer can get the food to his livestock, and also because the alfalfa clippings will have a detrimental affect on the growing plants beneath it, due to smothering and harboring alfalfa loving insect pests. It also releases an autotoxic chemical that is harmful to itself. In the event that one would have a dairy pasture, one may not have to mow his alfalfa ever, if it is grazed properly. In your situation, if you do not care if it becomes stemmy and rank and are just using it for bank erosion control, you could let it grow without any maintenance. The only thing this might affect is how long the stand will last, you may find that the plants will start thinning out sooner than if you were to mow it. I hope that helped and didn't confuse the situation?

 

[LuckyIL]

That makes sense it was kinda what I thought about smothering but wouldn't have ever considered bugs or the chemist.
I find myself visiting this forum opposed to across the street more and more.

What's rfv

 

[wiscwhip]

That makes sense it was kinda what I thought about smothering but wouldn't have ever considered bugs or the chemist.
I find myself visiting this forum opposed to across the street more and more.

What's rfv

RFV=relative feed value

I knew that question was going to come up. LOL