A34-Umcast«r Farming, Saturday, July 20,1985
By Dr. John E. Baylor
Director of Market Development
Beachley-Hardy Seed Company
On Seeding
Alfalfa
What’s the best time to sow
alfalfa? This is a question still
frequently asked by many far
mers. In reality there is no ab
solute “best” time. But there are
climatic and other conditions
which in a given year may favor
one season over another.
Spring
Seedings
For example, during the past 2
decades or so we’ve seen a shift
towards spring seedings. Not
because spring is the “beat” time
to sow alfalfa but because spring is
the most practical time to sow
alfalfa in a corn-alfalfa rotation.
There are other advantages, of
course, for sowing alfalfa in the
spring. Moisture conditions are
usually favorable for seedings
made at this time of year - even
though in 1985 this was not the case
in many areas of the Northeast.
And, with spring seedings made
without a companion crop it’s
usually possible to remove 2 or 3
good cuttings the year of
establishment.
There are disadvantages, too.
Heavy spring rains can result in a
severe erosion problem, especially
if alfalfa is clear seeded without a
companion crop. And usually in
sect and weed pressures are much
more severe on seedings made in
the spring.
Late Summer
Many fanners still think oMate
summer as the “best” time to
seed. And some who had switched
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to spring are shifting back to late
summer.
Seeding on a prepared seedbed
in late summer has its advantages
and disadvantages, too. One ad
vantage, of course, is that it may
fit best into the crop sequence
involving a small grain. And as a
rule weeds and insects are much
less of a problem for seedings
made in August.
Moisture, too much or too little,
can be a major disadvantage. Hot,
dry weather in August and Sep
tember is common, either causing
delays in seeding until it’s too late
or preventing germination and
good stand establishment before
freeze up. On the other hand,
heavy thunderstorms, frequent at
this time of year, can cause severe
erosion and badly damaged or
destroyed stands.
One technique that will over
come many of the disadvantages of
late summer seedings on a
prepared seedbed is no-till seeding
in small grain stubble. Advantages
are several. This practice provides
one last opportunity for weed
control before seeding. The small
grain stubble left after grain
harvest and straw removal
provides an excellent mulch and
favorable moisture conditions for
germination. And, of course, the
erosion hazard is reduced to a
minimum in a stubble seeding.
Lynn Hoffman, Extension No-till
Specialist at Penn State, sums up
suggestions for stubble seedings
Wayne Countv:
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Seedings
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about as follows;
(1) Harvest grain as early as
1 possible and remove the straw.
1 And be sure your combine is
l properly adjusted to minimize
i grain loss. Volunteer grain is one
of the biggest weed problems in
stubble seedings, Hoffman reports.
Harvesting grain on time and early
straw removal provides more
' timely forage establishment and
decreases weed growth.
(2) Examine the stubble. If
broadleaf weeds such as dandelion
and plantan are abundant apply
Banvel or 2, 4-D according to
directions. And if either of the
above herbicides is used wait at
least 2 weeks before applying a
contact herbicide.
(3) If hard-to-kill perennial
broadleaf weeds or perennial
grasses are present glyphosate
(Round-up) can be used. Follow
directions on the label.
(4) If the above herbicides are
not used wait several days to a
week or more after grain harvest
to allow any shallow germinating
weeds to emerge, and hopefully
volunteer grain will also have
germinated. Apply a contact
herbicide such as paraquat and
sow immediately using a suitable
no-till drill.
(5) Hopefully adequate lime
based on soil test was applied prior
to establishing the small grain.
Necessary fertilizer for the alfalfa
seeding can be broadcast either
before or immediately after
seeding.
(6) Use Furadan at seeding time
with the drill to provide additional
protection to the young seedlings
against problem soil borne insects.
Most authorities are convinced
that no-till seedings in small grain
stubble provide an excellent
alternative method for summer
seedings, assuming you have
access to a suitable no-till drill.
If, on the other hand, you are
planning a summer seeding on a
prepared seedbed, consider the
following:
(1) Lime and fertilizer ac
cording to soil test.
(2) Plow as early as possible to
assure better weed control and
moisture conservation.
(3) Prepare a firm seedbed - to
assure uniform shallow seed
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placement and a good moisture
relationship in the zone of the
germinating seed.
(4) Inoculate alfalfa seed or use
properly stored pre-inoculated
seed.
(5) Sow on time - early August in
Northern areas, by late August in
Southern Pa. and for central and
southern Maryland and the
Cornell to host master gardeners
ITHACA, NY - Some 150 garden
experts known as “master gar
deners” who volunteer their time
and expertise in carrying out
horticultural programs of Cornell
Cooperative Extension throughout
New York State will be on campus
this month to learn about teaching
and research in plant sciences and
related disciplines at Cornell
University.
The 1985 “Master Gardener
Conference,” scheduled for July
22-24, is expected to draw par
ticipants from 30 counties across
the state, according to the con
ference coordinator, Robert E.
Kozlowski, a Cooperative Ex
tension associate in the Depart
ment of Floriculture and Or
namental Horticulture in the New
York State College of Agriculture
and Life Sciences at Cornell.
“The purpose is to acquaint the
master gardener volunteers with
Cornell’s research and teaching
facilities in plant sciences and
related fields and to exchange
ideas and share experiences
gained by the participants as
gardening advisers,” Kozlowski
says.
Established in 1976, the “master
gardeners” program now involves
more than 700 volunteers in New
York State, who assist Cornell
Cooperative Extension agents by
providing up-to-date information
CCC loan rate lowest since ’7B
WASHINGTON - Commodity
loans disbursed in July by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture’s
Commodity Credit Corporation
will carry a 7-7/8 percent interest
rate, according to CCC Executive
Vice President Everett Rank
Eastern Shore no later than Sept.
10.
(6) > Sow seed shallow using a
packer wheel or conventional drill
with band seeding or a cultipacker
seeder - and use sufficient seed per
acre.
Next month I’ll take a closer look
at the best time to seed other small
seeded legumes and grasses.
about all aspects of plants and
gardening and by fielding
numerous gardening questions
from the public.
The Cornell conference will
feature a series of workshops and
tours of teaching and research
facilities on and off campus.
Workshops will deal with home
lawn care, flower arranging, the
use of plants in landscape design,
and collecting and maintaining
insect and disease specimens. Also
planned is a demonstration on
beekeeping.
Tours will include the Cornell
Plantations, the ornamentals test
garden, the Urban Horticulture
Institute, the Boyce Thompson
Institute for Plant Research at
Cornell, and the Ornithology
Laboratory, the Kenneth Post
Laboratory and its greenhouse
complex where numerous
varieties of horticultural crops are
studied, vegetable field trials,
perennial and rock gardens, the
Cornell * orchard, and the Dyce
Laboratory for the studies of
honeybees.
For more information about the
program, contact Robert
Kozlowski, Department of
Floriculture and Ornamental
Horticulture, 15-F Plant Science
Building, Cornell University,
Ithaca, NY 14853-5908, or call (607>
256-4506.
The new rate, down from 8-3/4
percent, reflects the interest rate
charged CCC by the U.S. Treasury
in July, Rank said.
Rank said the 7-7/8 percent rate
is the lowest since crop year 1978.
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