ALFALFA

Legend Seeds offers seven alfalfa choices to support your goals and operation needs.

These varieties range from high quality traited alfalfa packages to conventional blend options.

HarvXtra® Alfalfa contains industry leading genetic enhancements that reduce the lignin content and increase forage quality. This allows flexibility to harvest at the regular interval and get very high quality forage or delay harvest to increase yield and get similar quality as a conventional alfalfa at an earlier growth stage. Research shows that cutting HarvXtra® 7 to 10 days later than conventional alfalfa provides similar quality.

Roundup Ready® Alfalfa - What if you could harvest new seeding alfalfa with no herbicide stunting and get dairy quality forage? That is the reality this technology offers - easy weed control management, excellent crop safety, and higher-percentage of pure alfalfa hay.

Alfalfa Key:

Regrowth Winter Hardiness Fall Dormancy
1 = Superior 1 = Excellent 1 = Very Dormant
5 = Average 3 = Average 10 = Very Non-Dormant
10 = Poor 5 = Poor  
     
     
Product DRI Regrowth Fall
Dormancy
Winter Hardiness Anthracnose Aphanomyces
Race 1
Aphanomyces
Race 2
Bacterial
Wilt

Steps to Successful Alfalfa Seeding:

Site Selection:

► Alfalfa does best on well-drained deep soils

► Avoid hilltops, shallow and highly eroded soils, and fields with low spots where water is known to pool

► Following alfalfa in the rotation with newly seeded alfalfa is not advisable due to autotoxicity

Seedbed Preparation:

► Provide a proper seedbed with firm ground and small clods. Preferably roll the ground before and/or after planting

► Good seed–to–soil contact is essential for uniformemergence

Seeding Rate:

12-20 lbs. pure live seed (PLS) per acre

Seeding Depth:

Heavy soils – ¼ to ½” • Sandy soils – ½ to ¾”

Soil Fertility and pH:

► A soil test should be done prior to field preparation to determine the fertility needs

► Fertility management ensures good stands and vigorous growth

    • Soil pH is extremely important in establishing alfalfa and in high production acres
    • Maintain soil pH between 6.7 and 6.9 since soil nutrients are most available within this range
    • Phosphorus is critical to healthy root development and stand establishment
    • Potassium is needed for good plant growth, high yields and winter hardiness
    • Remember to monitor micronutrients like sulfur, boron and calcium as well