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| Replacing Alfalfa | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 30 2014, 08:55 AM (820 Views) | |
| KMG Canada | Aug 30 2014, 08:55 AM Post #1 |
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My alfalfa food plot needs replacing next year. It is a little under two acres. I was thinking of putting soy in as i have a small clover plot close by 1/4 acre. Anybody ever seed soy by hand broadcasting as I don't have a seeder. Also, is it a good follow up to alfalfa? I have three food plots and really starting to think about a rotation schedule. |
| Rod Embree - KMG Canada Safaris | |
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| KMG Canada | Sep 3 2014, 04:41 PM Post #2 |
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Went out last week and mowed about half the plot of alfalfa down to close to the ground and to my surprise my seemingly dead alfalfa field came back to life! Lots of fresh shoots everywhere, perhaps I won't rotate this field after all. Anybody experience this from mowing? |
| Rod Embree - KMG Canada Safaris | |
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| Friggs | Sep 4 2014, 08:07 AM Post #3 |
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KMG, Glad to hear that your Alfalfa is bouncing back. Maybe it was lacking certain nutrients and without a soil test or tissue test its hard to know. That being said, it wouldn't hurt to throw down a bag or two of fertilizer something with a high P and K and no nitrogen, 0-10-20, 0-20-40. Also, some sulphur helps alfalfa too, I would think about fertilizing shortly before the cold weather comes and the alfalfa is shorter from mowing. If you let your alfalfa get to tall it could smother it when mowed so mow more often or bail it, that's another story. Most people plant something that uses up the leftover nitrogen from the alfalfa such as corn, brassica, etc... But if your heart is set on soya's it will work. Broadcasting soya's at 70-80 lbs/acre in late spring will work depending on the size of the mature soya. Then bury seed 1''- 1 1/2'' deep no deeper than that and when the soya's start to yellow in early fall throw down some winter rye grain 50 lbs/ac just before a good rain. Then you'll have some green deer food for fall/early winter along with your bean pods and rye again in early spring. Friggs |
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wilebski
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Sep 4 2014, 01:06 PM Post #4 |
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If you want to revitalize old alfalfa with out reseeding. Take a cultivator and rip over it lightly. Not to deep in the spring. Anytime before mother's day is a good rule of thumb. The shoots will regrow. |
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| KMG Canada | Sep 5 2014, 12:27 PM Post #5 |
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Friggs, thanks very much for the advice. Have sinced mowed the other half and the alfalfa is bouncing back as well. I will likely leave it in next year. I will plant soya in my third plot (about 1 acre) really want to try this. You mentioned the winter rye for the soya field and I will do this next year. Would broadcasting winter rye this fall into the alfalfa or clover plots be wise? Wilbeski, will try the cultivator out in the spring. How long can you use an alfalfa plot before it should be rotated, this stand has been in three years now. |
| Rod Embree - KMG Canada Safaris | |
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| Friggs | Sep 5 2014, 06:54 PM Post #6 |
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Yes, you can broadcast winter rye anytime now till mid October into your alfalfa or clover plots. The rye will stay green while the clover and alfalfa go brown and crispy from the frost and cold temps. I would broadcast about 50-60 lbs/ac just before a really good rain or the turkeys and critters will eat the seed. Then come next late May/June mow the rye just above the alfalfa/clover. Make sure the rye is 20" - 24" tall when you mow and not any taller or the clippings could smother your alfalfa/clover. I've heard people having alfalfa plots for 6-10 years, but its good to rotate every couple of years to prevent bugs, organizisms and diseases from taking over your alfalfa. Let me know how your deer herd like the rye and take a photo now and next summer to see the results. Hope this helps....Friggs KMG, Try half the plot with the rye method and the other half like Wilebski mentioned, lightly cultivated or disked. Alfalfa has a large deep root system and this won't hurt the alfalfa only help it. Friggs Edited by Friggs, Sep 5 2014, 06:59 PM.
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| KMG Canada | Sep 7 2014, 09:15 AM Post #7 |
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Friggs, thanks for the info. Tried to buy some winter rye at my local feed mill and they will have some by next weekend, so if all goes well I will try this out next weekend! |
| Rod Embree - KMG Canada Safaris | |
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| Friggs | Sep 8 2014, 09:39 PM Post #8 |
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Your welcome, remember broadcast just before a good rain. Rye should be up in about a week after planting. Friggs |
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| KMG Canada | Sep 21 2014, 08:33 AM Post #9 |
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This weekend, just ahead of the rain we went out and broadcast 50 lbs of winter rye and a couple of bags of fertilizer, we checked the trail camera and got a picture of this guy on the edge of the clover plot. Took a picture of the food plot and will post so you can see the before and after with the winter rye. [IMG][URL=http://s47.photobucket.com/user/KMGCanada/media/PICT0077_zps583e4a68.jpg.html] [/URL][/IMG]Here is a picture of the field just before we broadcast the winter rye, will post a follow up in a couple of weeks. [IMG][URL=http://s47.photobucket.com/user/KMGCanada/media/alfalfafall14_zps290ac5ff.jpg.html] [/URL][/IMG]
Edited by KMG Canada, Sep 21 2014, 06:44 PM.
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| Rod Embree - KMG Canada Safaris | |
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| KMG Canada | Dec 19 2014, 09:17 AM Post #10 |
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Went out for a walk about at the food plot and the deer are still hitting my clover plot extremely hard. It looked like they used a snow shovel to clear off the clover plot. Strangely, they only hit the alfalfa plot a little? |
| Rod Embree - KMG Canada Safaris | |
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| KMG Canada | May 24 2015, 10:03 AM Post #11 |
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Ok, so it is the time of year where one thinks about what is going in the food plots this year. Has anyone used Mapleseeds "Natures choice"? |
| Rod Embree - KMG Canada Safaris | |
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| KMG Canada | Nov 15 2015, 08:30 AM Post #12 |
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Update on the Mapleseed plot. There is a whole lot of different seeds in this mix. The deer really hit the forage turnip though eating the greens on all they could find, but leaving the turnip itself. I suspect they will back for those later. |
| Rod Embree - KMG Canada Safaris | |
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| Shadower | Nov 15 2015, 09:09 AM Post #13 |
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Hey Rod ... can you grow that stuff in Africa ? LOL Hope you're doing well Gary |
| www.thunderstockoutfitters.com | |
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| KMG Canada | Nov 17 2015, 10:18 AM Post #14 |
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Gary, little dry for that ... tough to grow rocks there sometimes ... lol See you in Toronto at the show? |
| Rod Embree - KMG Canada Safaris | |
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| Shadower | Nov 17 2015, 04:44 PM Post #15 |
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Shadower
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Very true ! Nope .. not doing the Toronto Shows this year ... not enough interest from the public to attend, so we're just going to boost our online presence. You're really going to go to the TO shows and take that abuse again ? LOL |
| www.thunderstockoutfitters.com | |
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| KMG Canada | Nov 18 2015, 01:29 PM Post #16 |
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Gary, with the change in venue back to the International center we are going to give it another go ... we did all right last year. However the zebra is definitely staying home, I was thinking maybe lion or giraffe
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| Rod Embree - KMG Canada Safaris | |
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