A32-Lancaster Firming, Saturday, February 22, 1992
By Dr. John E. Baylor
Forage Specialist (Retired)
Penn State University
SEEDING OPTIONS
FOR FORAGES
Starting soon, weather permit
ting. fanners will be in die field
sowing small seeded legumes and
grasses. Red clover and timothy
broadcast in winter grains are usu
ally the first to be sown. But other
species using a number of seeding
techniques will be seeded in rapid
order as the season progresses.
Here's another look at several of
the seeding options available to
you with a judgment as to how
successful each technique might
be.
Over-Seeding in
Winter Grains
The term "seeding on the
honey-comb” is frequently used.
This refers to seeding a legume or
legume/grass mix in an already
established crop, usually a winter
small grain, in late February or
early March during the time when
we normally have conditions of
alternate freezing and thawing.
The common seeding is one of red
clover with or without timothy. Of
the legumes, you will normally
have most success with red and
alsike clovers. Seedings of alfalfa
in a winter grain are normally
marginal at best, and the success
rate with birdsfoot trefoil is even
less.
Occasionally a fanner will wait
until the small grain has started to
grow, and soil conditions are
favorable, and then sow alfalfa
using a grass drill with coulters
mounted in front to open the soil
slightly. This has resulted in satis
factory stands, especially in more
northern areas, but for most situa
tions I'd still consider sowing
alfalfa in a winter grain as some-
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what risky.
Spring Scedings
with Spring Grains
Where oats or other spring
grains are used, if possible, choose
a grain variety that is short, early
maturing, stifT-strawed, and non
lodging, then reduce its seeding
rate by one half. Many growers
have returned to using a small
grain companion crop for pur
poses of weed control and soil
conservation, even though small
grains compete with young seed
lings for light, moisture, and
nutrients.
For best results where a spring
grain is used, remove it as green
chop, silage or hay just as heads
emerge from the boot. Of the
legumes, the clovers are the least
risk when seeded this way. But
with careful management alfalfa
can also readily be established
successfully. Because of its low
seedling vigor and lack of shade
tolerance, birdsfoot trefoil is more
of a risk. Most cool season grasses
can also be sown at this time,
although late summer is the "i
-deal" seeding time for most cool
season grasses.
Again in areas of northern
Pennsylvania and New York scod
ings of alfalfa made with mixtures
of either oats or spring triticale
and peas have been satisfactory.
But as you move south, this
becomes more risky.
Spring Seedings on
a Prepared Seedbed
Making a spring seeding on a
prepared seedbed without a com
panion grain crop, broadcast or
band seeded, and weeds con
trolled chemically, continues to be
a popular and generally low risk
• Effective refrigeration with-
method of establishing alfalfa. In
the Pennsylvania Alfalfa Growers
Program, for example, top yields
were generally from such secd
ings. And seeding year yields of
up to 5 tons of hay per acre have
been obtained. A firm seedbed and
good soil to seed contact is a must
Your success with grasses seeded
with alfalfa depends, of course, on
your herbicide program for weed
control.
No-TUI Seedings
Gaining Favor
Seeding alfalfa or other
legumes the no-till way. either in
small grain or com stubble, or in
sod, continues to gain in
popularity.
A good time to have gotten
ready for a spring no-till seeding
in sod, according to Virginia
workers, was last fall with control
of existing vegetation using
appropriate herbicides. But
regardless, both Virginia and
Pennsylvania workers agree there
are several requirements for suc
cessful no-till establishment
including:
• Competition from other plants
must be eliminated or minimized.
• Heavy thatch and plant
growth tall enough to shade the
soil surface must be removed.
• Seedlings must be protected
from insects, especially when
seeding in sod. Futadan in the row
can still be used.
* Soil fertility must be medium
to high with pH above 6.5.
As regards the latter Virginia
workers have found that for seed
ings made in sod, surface applica
tions of lime on soils needing lime
are beneficial. Ideally the lime
should be applied 6 months or
more before planting.
Fluid Seedings
Fluid or suspension seeding.
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usually by a custom applicator or
your fertilizer dealer, is another
effective way to broadcast legume
seeds uniformly over large
acreages in a short time. Except
for timothy, fluid seedings have
not been satisfactory for most
grasses.
Cultipacking before and after
seeding, along with other good
seedbed preparation to assure
adequate soil/seed contact, is a
must with this kind of sealing.
Studies show that if seeding
occurs immediately after the ino
culated seeds are added to the sus
pension, there's no injury to the
rhizobia. Likewise, recent studies
indicate that with metalaxyl
(Apron) treated seed, 1/3 or more
of the Apron applied to alfalfa
seed appears to be absorbed into
the seed and is still available after
being placed in the fertilizer
Franklin
Board Reorganizes
CHAMBERSBURG (Franklin
Co.) Linda Bender, Chambers
burg, was re-elected president of
the board of directors of the Frank
lin County Cooperative Extension
Association at die recent re- orga
nizational meeting of the board.
This will be Bender’s second
term as president Other elected
members of the executive commit
tee include vice-president - Clif
ford Hawbaker, Chambersburg;
secretary - Fran Horst Onrsfown;
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solution.
Speaking of the systemic fungi,
cide metalaxyl (Apron), studies
indicate this material provides
good protection against present
strains of Phythium and Phytoph
thora seed and toot rot organisms
with initial stands from treated
seed lots frequently 20-40% better
than untreated controls where
these organisms are present The
use of Ridomil (1 pint/acre) at
seeding, in addition to Apron
treatment, provides additional
protection, especially in fields
known to have a problem with the
above diseases.
One final word. Many new
seedings have been damaged from
herbicide residues, particularly
triazines. Thus, plan your herbi
cide program for all crops in the
rotation, not just the immediate
planting.
and directors - Joe Middour, Way
nesboro and Diana Meyers, Green
village. John Hart, chief clerk of
the Franklin County Board of
Commissioners, serves as
treasurer.
Jeffrey Grove, Shippensburg,
was re-elected to serve as delegate
to the Capital Region Cooperative
Extension Executive Board. Shir
ley Gividen, Waynesboro, was re
elected alternate delegate to the
regional board.