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Fall seeding of alfalfaBy David G. Hallauer District Extension Agent Crops & Soils/Horticulture If 2007 didn't frustrate you to the point of giving up on alfalfa, well, you're either resilient or really like alfalfa! With the alfalfa crop this year, if it wasn't one thing, it was more than likely three, repeated, repeatedly! The past four months may mean that your stands are looking a little less than productive, and that may mean you are preparing for additional plantings. Fall is typically the best time for alfalfa establishment - at least it is in years where you've had adequate rainfall. The stand seeded in the fall is typically more productive during the first growing season than a spring-seeded crop, even though yield levels tend to match spring seedings after the first season. Fall seeding may also give you a jump on weed control rather than fighting all those winter annuals next spring. Here in Northeast Kansas, the time to plant is now through early September. Later plantings MAY work, so long as we have three to five trifoliate leaves before the first frost. While it can be a pretty large investment (see next week's column for more details), alfalfa can more than return what it takes to establish IF growers will take care to get a stand and then maintain it. That means: --Planting in to well drained soils with a pH in the 6.5-7.5 range. If a previous soil test has indicated lower pH levels, add lime before planting. If that delays you until spring, a little yield loss in year one may more than make up for the reduced life of a stand. --Planting certified, inoculated seed. If you don't, the seedlings may not fix soil nitrogen needed for optimum production. --Planting in to firm, moist soil to ensure good seed-soil contact. Use of a press wheel with the drill to firm the soil over the planted seed is suggested. No-till planting in to small-grains stubble can be another successful alternative. --Planting one-fourth to one-half-inch deep on medium- and fine-textured soils and three-fourths-inch deep on sandy soils. Never plant deeper than 10 times the seed diameter. --Using a seeding rate of 12 to 15 pounds per acre in irrigated medium- to fine-textured soils and dryland soils here in NEK. If you have some irrigated sandy soils, increase seeding rates to 15 to 20 pounds per acre. Growers should also: Make sure to check for herbicide carryover on previous crops and choose varieties with resistance to phytophthora root rot, bacterial wilt, fusarium wilt, verticillium wilt, anthracnose, the pea aphid, and the spotted alfalfa aphid at the very least. Next week, a few 'statistics on alfalfa plantings. Heat stops tomatoes' fruit set First my tomatoes were producing too much, and now, not at all--what gives? What you've been given is temperatures at night above 75 degrees with days over 95. Not good for man, beast, or tomato production! Poor fruit set is the result of these temperature levels--particularly when combined with hot, dry winds. These factors interfere with pollen viability and can also lead to excessive growth in the tomato flower's pollen-producing stamen, extending it beyond where the pollen's needed to produce fruit. Plant anatomy aside, what can we do? Wait: Cooler temperatures will allow plants' future flowers to resume setting fruit. Noticing the heat's effects usually takes about three weeks--the time tomato flowers require to develop into fruit large enough to examine - or count among the missing. So, if you're low on fruit now, hope for better weather to stimulate production once again! Date: 8/23/07
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