Frost-seeding Alfalfa Zone 5 & 6

Bowsnbucks

5 year old buck +
Anyone have experience with frost-seeding alfalfa in the above zones?? If so - must the plot be clean of debris?
 
Bowsnbucks, I don't really frost seed anything because every time I tried it, it failed. But I do TnM alfalfa often in both the spring and fall. I always have some plant in my plots. Due to TnM practices I never have clean plots to work with, in fact I suspect I trend to more debris than most. With that said I have no clue what my success rate would be. I go very diverse mixes so knowing if it worked, worked well, or just kind of worked isn't even on my radar. But to the point, I can get alfalfa to grow in debris. I suspect to get a great stand of it you'd be well off to have a nice clean seed bed.
 
I’ve had great success frost seeding clover onto the previous falls’ brassicas and I include a few pounds of alfalfa in the mix every year. I can’t say it’s a rousing success, but there is always a smattering of alfalfa in my clover and I know the only way it got there is frost seeding.

I’m thinking of starting over on one of my clover fields this year and trying an alfalfa monoculture. I know it’s not easy and it takes regular mowing, but good lord do the deer love alfalfa fields in my area (Z3 WI)!
 
I have frostseeded alfalfa (grazing varieties) a few times and results were just fair. I always broadcast it on frozen ground, and included it with clovers, which performed much better. One interesting thing I noted was that although the alfalfa was but a component in the mix, if we had an extended summer drought, the alfalfa become much more common and visible within the plots, owing to its generally superior drought tolerance. I once frostseeded alfalfa with my clovers, and was a bit disappointed in how little clover showed up in those plots - but in year three we had a very dry summer, and the alfalfa seemed to show up and shine that year, and that was pretty cool.

Meanwhile, I've frostseeded clover pretty much every March for over two decades and success rate has been 100%. Very very effective tactic on my dirt.

Alfalfa likes well-drained conditions. The places where it grew on my greasy clay and silt loams were all on slopes, never flat spots.
 
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Does anyone know of an alfalfa variety that might be considered the best for food plotters? I usually just buy whatever is in the bin at my local feed n seed.

Also, FYi, at Home Depot yesterday I bought bags of 33-0-0 fertilizer for $3 each! I might go back today and buy a full pallet
 
I’m thinking of starting over on one of my clover fields this year and trying an alfalfa monoculture. I know it’s not easy and it takes regular mowing, but good lord do the deer love alfalfa fields in my area (Z3 WI)!
There is no denying alfalfa's strong preference to the local deer herd. If it weren't for the fact that you need to hay it to sustain it I'd certainly give it more of a shot.

A downside of alfalfa is it going into dormancy so early when the weather gets cold, and it appears to become unattractive to deer when that happens. I am no alfalfa hay expert, but I have noted from dairy farms in my vicinity that some varieties must be more "cold hardy" than others, and maintain their green appearance well into November, several weeks after other alfalfa stands have gone dormant.
 
Does anyone know of an alfalfa variety that might be considered the best for food plotters? I usually just buy whatever is in the bin at my local feed n seed.
Look for grazing varieties as opposed to the more common "haying" varieties. Lower, more prostrate growth habit, designed for livestock grazing. May (not sure here) not be as dependent upon haying (mowing AND removing hay) and could persist a while from the deer heavily chowing and defacating on it.
 
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The one BOB clover mix I just bought has alfalfa in it. I just frost seeded it but I'm not sure I'll be able to spot it unless it's abundant. On a personal note my local farm store now only sells BOB stuff, which is kind of annoying.
 
I’ve bought lots of BOB seed when it’s on sale. It’s fine seed, just way too expensive imo.
 
Bowsnbucks, I don't really frost seed anything because every time I tried it, it failed. But I do TnM alfalfa often in both the spring and fall. I always have some plant in my plots. Due to TnM practices I never have clean plots to work with, in fact I suspect I trend to more debris than most. With that said I have no clue what my success rate would be. I go very diverse mixes so knowing if it worked, worked well, or just kind of worked isn't even on my radar. But to the point, I can get alfalfa to grow in debris. I suspect to get a great stand of it you'd be well off to have a nice clean seed bed.
I'll have to try some alfalfa in a throw & roll this year, just to see what shakes out. Probably do it sometime in August with a little red clover at the same time. The plot that drew the most deer for us before was a plot of alfalfa and Starfire red clover. Deer were in it like flies on a roadkill. We started that plot with a clean seed bed, though. I'll see what a T&R does. Thanks for the info!
 
Thanks for the info so far, gents! Keep 'em coming. Looking for any / all info.
 
IME, alfalfa doesn't do well when frostseeded. Alfalfa prefers to be seeded deeper than clover. It may do ok when frostseeded into heavier ground that really heaves with deep frost.
 
IME, alfalfa doesn't do well when frostseeded. Alfalfa prefers to be seeded deeper than clover. It may do ok when frostseeded into heavier ground that really heaves with deep frost.

I have no problem believing this. I have mostly heavy dirt, usually frostseed in March, my average last frost date is around May 6; I get plenty of freezing and thawing, and the alfalfa still doesn't do nearly as well as my frostseeded clover which kicks ass every damn time.
 
Cat, where did you order your red clover from?
 
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