Proper management is crucial to the success and longevity of your alfalfa stand. Use these tips to maximize your alfalfa yield for everything from a new seeded crop to a mature stand.

Establishing New Alfalfa Seed

Seed bed preparation is one of the most critical ways to establish a prosperous alfalfa stand. Alfalfa is usually planted 1/4 to 3/8 inches deep, which means seed to soil contact is crucial. Be mindful to not work the soil too much, and especially not when the ground is wet. Plant into a firm seed bed to optimize planting depth and ensure proper seed to soil contact.

Alfalfa Spring Fertility

Phosphorous and potassium are two of the most important nutrients in alfalfa production. Use soil sampling to determine nutrient availability and make a fertilizer plan. Topdressing nutrients is an efficient way to get nutrients to your crop, and applying right after a cutting (especially the first cutting) before regrowth begins is the best time for application.

Alfalfa is a legume, which means it gets enough nitrogen from rhizobium bacteria and organic matter in the soil. Typically, applying nitrogen to an established stand will not increase your yield. However, a new seeding of alfalfa can benefit from small applications of nitrogen to support root mass development.

Variety Selection

LG Seeds offers several alfalfa varieties, all suitable for unique situations. For example, eXterra offers shorter, more aggressive cutting windows to optimize quality while products like HG4001 allow farmers to maintain the same cutting schedule without giving up forage quality. Whether your need is a simple conventional product, a high quality, low lignin product, or the most advanced HarvXtra, LG Seeds offers consistent Alfalfa choices for how you grow.

Browse our alfalfa choices, or get in touch with your local LG Seeds rep to make the most of your alfalfa acres. 

References
Undersander, D., Cosgrove, D., Cullen, E., Grau, C., Rice, M., Renz, M., . . . Sulc, M. (2011). Alfalfa Management Guide. University of Wisconsin-Extension; Minnesota Extension Service; Iowa State University Cooperative Extension Service.