Alfalfa seeding rate in a mix

[Stubborn1VT]

I respect the experience of others on this site, so I'm looking for your thoughts on putting together a fall mix. I use tillage every 3 years or so to rotate crops in the strips in my plot. I want to plant a clover/alfalfa/chicory strip using rye and maybe oats for a nurse crop. I wouldn't be against including a small amount of brassicas.

What would you recommend for a seed rate and mix? The strip is currently grassy, but it also has red and alsike clover, trefoil, plantain, queen anne's lace and asters. The ground can be damp, but not wet, in the spring. It's the driest ground in the plot. pH is 7. NPK are all decent.

I would like to leave this for another 3-4 years if possible.

 

[jsasker007]

I broadcast seed in my plots so I usually go about double the rate to allow for issues. Also I try to do about 3 to 1 ratio with clover and chicory being heavy on the chicory because the clover will eventually take over but going with less clover to start you get a few more years before that happens. jmo

 

[omicron1792]

Alfalfa is picky. Haven’t had much luck with it in a mix.

 

[Stubborn1VT]

The farm I used to work for always included it in a mix, but it wouldn't persist more than a year or two. I'm not sure how much they focused on pH though.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I have played around quite a bit with alfalfa/chicory/clover rates and planting method and timing. I am still a fan of this mixture but I would just make sure your site isn't too wet. If it is, you will mostly get clover, and then you will eventually get grasses to move in. Being too dry isn't really much of an issue because the alfalfa and chicory tend to be very drought tolerant. The mixture works well because sometimes you have wetter parts of a field or you might have a drier year than others.

For our soils in Northern MO, this is the best seeding rate:
40% alfalfa
40% chicory
20% white clover

Specifically, 40% VNS alfalfa, 40% Oasis chicory, 5% VNS Ladino clover, 5% Med red clover at 9 lbs/acre drilled is the default perennial plot mix.

I also tried a 70/20/10 mix but with 70% Flex Pro alfalfa, 20% chicory, 10% alsike clover for one site that was a little wetter (this was just drilled in this spring and is too early to tell).

I would be weary of including too much clover in the mix. You can always cheaply overseed it to fill in bare areas after the fact.

 

[bigboreblr]

alfalfa does not like competition. If desired, I would hit it hard with like 15lbs acre.

I'd still put some lime in if your pH is 7, especially if doing tillage.

Same experiences here, not alot of luck with alfalfa living long.

Before I boght a solo 421, I had trouble getting a good even spread of small seeds like clover. I'd have to mix with the larger seed before that.

 

[matinc]

Bigbore check out this clover dewault seeder. SD uses a cut out tank on a leaf blower for another idea.

 

[matinc]

Per SD advice I will be planting a blend of 5 seeds, 15 pounds per acre each 20% ysc medium red chickory Alfalfa and balsana this year along with tritacle at 4 bushel per acre.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Our camp planted a mix of Persist red clover and Supreme 2020 alfalfa from Welter's a few years ago that lasted for a good 3 years before the alfalfa started to get thin. It was on our highest, gently sloping field in full sun. Good soil drainage. We went with about a 50/50 ratio - - which I'd now change to 2/3 alfalfa to 1/3 red clover. jsasker007 and Hoytvectrix above pointed out that eventually the alfalfa will be overtaken by the clover, and/or grass. That alfalfa & red clover mix was the best deer magnet we ever planted. Cam pics with 10 nice bucks in it feeding about every evening. We did not have chicory in that mix.

Hoytvectrix also pointed out that alfalfa does fine on drier ground, which we found out first-hand at camp. Our alfalfa didn't do as well on wetter ground, which we found out in a subsequent planting in a different, lower field. FWIW. Good luck with your mixed plot.