back to alfalfa

[borrowed time]

Have not been here for awhile, thought I'd check in with a few thoughts. Dry last year in northern wi and I did not get to put in as much as I wanted. It seems a lot of the candy crops do not last long once the deer start to hit them. I planted forage peas, which lasted a while as the deer kept rolling them over for the peas, which tasted fairly good, I might add.
  I am thinking of going back to alfalfa, as it lasts all growing season and goes 3 or 4 years. Maybe mix a little clover with it, and mow once in a while. Any thoughts?

[Land_Owner]

I have never tried alfalfa. 

I have tried a lot of crops that don't "work' in the heat below the "No Frost" zone.  Since a lot of crops demand a freeze or frost to stimulate the plant to produce sugar, and we get none in E. Central FL, the sugar never rises and the deer don't eat the plants.  Or, the heat withers and kills them.

You are right, the "candy" crop of I&C peas is dead by the time it germinates because the deer won't get off of it long enough to let it grow.  Even Oats, Wheat, and clover have been inefective.

[borrowed time]

Does alfalfa grow in Florida? About 15 or 16 years ago when the skidding was done in an area where logging was done, I seeded the area down with pure alfalfa, no cover crop. This was after a rainy period around the first part of August. By the end of September the deer would be in the patch during the day. The first day of gun season my son missed a large buck that the neighbor ended up shooting leaving the alfalfa patch, 213 pound 9 points. Full of alfalfa.
  The problem up north is freezeouts, but if you plant every year, so what. Lime it good. If you have the only alfalfa within 6 or 7 miles I would sure try it.

[Land_Owner]

According to the University of Florida IFAS link http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AG192 it does...with difficulty, added expense, and more than likely crop failure compared to the "cheaper" method of shipping it into the state for livestock food.

Our sandy and acidic pH soils are detremental to alfalfa growth.

Back to the drawing board for me.  Still have not found that plant mix with the needed result.  More experimentation then.  The drought is on and nothing is currently planted.

[borrowed time]

Have you ever tried Alsike clover? (think I spelled it right) About the cheapest clover seed there is available. The price went up a few years ago because of a drought in Texas, I believe. Must be good in heat and sand. I use it in edge and road areas. Maybe not as desirable as other clovers, but beats weeds.

I seeded my biggest plot with alfalfa on Thursday, with clover on edges for grouse. On one end at planted Rape and purple top beets or rutabagas, can't remember which it was now. (too much stuff in my seed bin)

[Land_Owner]

It is good to be "finished" with the tilling and planting I bet.  I am still faced with a full array of "chores".  Fortunately, there are three or four young men that want a piece of the action and are willing to donate a chunk of their free time in assisting the plot preparation and seeding.  I have made the single minded effort time and time in the past, all in a single day, and as the summer heats up it is tougher on this old dog to work that hard in the heat across a single day.

[gdolby]

I work here in NM on a alfalfa farm and we have a customer that moved here from FL. has told us that he bought alfalfa hay there. I am not sure what area he came from tho. We use a type of alfalfa type named " cimarron". After planting in the fall it needs to hit the 3 leaf stage and then it is rooted good enuff to survive a winter and be established. Once established a field is good for 10 to 15 years. We get 4 cuttings and a clipping on a normal year of growth. About 9 inches of water is applied in between cutting and cutting averages every 28 days. Once the alfalfa blooms it stops growing so may not be as eatable to animals plus is lower in protein when it has more than 10% bloom. For a few years we planted "pink eyed peas". they didnt take a lot of water and the deer sure seemed to like them. We have also planted "Pearl Millet". Didnt notice a lot of deer eating it but they really liked it to bed down in cause it got around 7 or 8 feet tall. I am also betting that if left uncut to cure on the stem would make a good winter feed. I am not familiar with all types of alfalfa but have never known of one that needed to be replanted every year.
You guys that get moisture the normal way have a lot of advantges over us desert dwellers. Hope my ramblings may have helped or at least provided food for thought. Have a good'n........Bill

[hunt-m-up]

Have not been here for awhile, thought I'd check in with a few thoughts. Dry last year in northern wi and I did not get to put in as much as I wanted. It seems a lot of the candy crops do not last long once the deer start to hit them. I planted forage peas, which lasted a while as the deer kept rolling them over for the peas, which tasted fairly good, I might add.
  I am thinking of going back to alfalfa, as it lasts all growing season and goes 3 or 4 years. Maybe mix a little clover with it, and mow once in a while. Any thoughts?

Alfalfa, clover mix wouldn't be all that appealing around here because it's all over the place along with corn and beans. Assuming in Northern WI it's not so common, I think it's an excellent choice. You could try some red clover in with it and maybe a perennial grass such as Timothy. That's sort of an old farmers' pasture/hay mix and all three mixed would make the plot more appealing and a lot more durable/lower maint. than other plots.

[borrowed time]

We learned a few years ago to stay away from any grass or hay seed. It takes over because the deer eat everything else. If eroison is not a problem I would not plant a grass-type that was not an annual.

[hunt-m-up]

I understand what you mean about the grasses.If they thin the legumes the grasses will definitely fill in the blanks and take over. Yellow clover in the mix would take more abuse than alfalfa and if you clip it as you said, it would stay tender and not get woody.