orchard grass in alfalfa

[leeallen]

I seeded some new alfalfa this year and found the horse people tend to like the orchard grass/alfalfa mix here in Indiana. How much orchardgrass should I sow to the acre to come up with a good mix? I got some good cuttings from the alfalfa this summer but it is not as marketable as the mix. thanks

 

[NorCalFarms]

We plant 10-12lbs of grass w/ alfalfa 'here'. If it is dryland I would guess less would work just as well. Guys that are overseeding into existing alfalfa sometimes use more because it is hard to get good germination planting into alfalfa crowns.

 

[preston39]

lee....,
You can check with your extension agent. You may want to add some timothy with that mix ..instead of MORE OG. Good for cows and horses. Timothy seems to offer a little more shade for the alfalfa and you could get extra height I am told. OG is good but seems to disappear faster. We get about 300 small square bales of that mix each year from a nearby farmer to grind in our feed. we like it.

 

[csangus]

you can broadcast in early spring 6-8lbs of orchard grass and mix some timothy in also.Make sure you use varieties that are mature at the same time.Get a late maturing orchard grass and if you use timothy also make sure it's a early maturing type.If you use an early maturing o.grass if the weather is cool&damp the o.grass will be over mature before the alfalfa is ready.Some guys also use a no-till drill early in the spring and drill the orchard grass in to the alfalfa.They say the 1st cutting no orchard grass but by the 2nd&3rd cutting the o.grass is coming in good.A lot of o.grass varieties will take about a year to get a good stand and be productive.