Branch Rooted Alfalfa ?

[Stocker Steve]

Do you have any growing or overwintering experience with branch rooted alfalfa, that is often sold for planting in wetter soils?

 

[AllForage]

Are you talking about what is sold as "grazing alfalfa"?

 

[Nesikep]

I've seen it for sale.. with 12" of rain per year I'm not going to try it. the variety I saw was called "Spyder", and was more tolerant to wetness and heavy traffic

 

[Stocker Steve]

Are you talking about what is sold as "grazing alfalfa"?

No. Grazing alfalfa usually has "low crown" or "high traffic" traits.
Branched root has multiple branchs instead of a main tap root.

 

[AllForage]

If it's for wet soils then I need to look into it.

 

[Aaron]

Creeping root alfalfa. Neighbor planted it on 100 acres of low clay land a few years ago. He loves it. Winters very well, but time will tell.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Creeping root alfalfa. Neighbor planted it on 100 acres of low clay land a few years ago. He loves it. Winters very well, but time will tell.

I am not as gung ho on renovating paddocks as I was, but I an seeding down some new ground each year. Some leased and some new breaking.
I expect to have long (7 to 10 year) rotations and then go back with more lime and legumes.

 

[Aaron]

Creeping root alfalfa. Neighbor planted it on 100 acres of low clay land a few years ago. He loves it. Winters very well, but time will tell.

I am not as gung ho on renovating paddocks as I was, but I an seeding down some new ground each year. Some leased and some new breaking.
I expect to have long (7 to 10 year) rotations and then go back with more lime and legumes.

Sounds like a good plan. Turning over ground continually can chew through cash in a hurry.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Trying a BFT and branched root alfalfa legume mix on about 80 acres. Most of it is meadow that the previous owner tried to crop farm, but there have not been enough drought years to make that pay. It should be fenced for cattle... Knolls look good but lower spots drowned out in the floods. Some spots came back to clover or reed canary, others spots just have ragweed.

Had one high field of RC "cover crop" that never dried out this spring. Stuff got up to become a waist high mat. Had to shift down with the disc bine and hire a warper in July.

 

[Louthelivestockguy]

I have used it on a 10 acre patch of crawfish clay ground that drains to a pond. It does form a dense low mat. The tonnage is not the same as even a vernal type, but doesn't winter heave as much either. I would say a nice 50-50 mix of conventional and branch root would be good on heavier wet ground, but conventional would be my choice on better drainage fields due to greater output

 

[Stocker Steve]

I would say a nice 50-50 mix of conventional and branch root would be good on heavier wet ground, but conventional would be my choice on better drainage fields due to greater output

I have not blended alfalfa s yet, but it makes more sense than adding red clover to the mix.