OT - When should or should one not cut Alfalfa...

I know it's a dumb question, but I have a new hayfield that is now almost knee high again... I was not planning on cutting again, especially this late, but do I need to cut it to prevent killing my field this winter? Or will it be ok. I seriously don't know what I should or should not do. Thanks! Leo

Cut it.

I guess I should not have spread that manure on it after my 2nd cutting.... I should have known after the section of the field I spread on after first cutting grew so much more than the rest of the field. Now I have to cut and bale even more hay. At least it's only 10 acres or so, should not amount to that much hay, I hope.

With hay prices where they are, bale it!

Seems like I remember from somewhere that alfalfa should have a few inches of growth on it going into winter, to have some reserves to overwinter? Anybody else heard of this?

Looks like if he cut it now, it would have little or no regrowth- don't know if that is a problem.

Location? If in the northern climates I wouldn't.

Rick

Sorry should have included, I'm in the Thumb of Michigan, My biggest concern is leaving it too long and it basically choking out the plants if it lays down thru the winter? If I cut it I plan on keeping the head up rather high, like at least 6"? If I do not need to cut it, I won't. Just need to know, I have plenty of hay for my stock for the winter.

if you don't need it, don't cut it. alfalfa looses its leafs very fast after it dies and the stems stand well. it will help hold snow and prevent winter kill. you will have a few extra stems in the first crop next yeat, but that's about it. rule of thumb in wisconsin, do not cut after the 15th of september if you want to keep it in alfalfa next year.

Do NOT cut it between the 15th of Sept and the first of November. Alfalfa goes through a process called "reverse plasmolisis"....fancy term for nutrients translocating back down to the roots to build up the root reserves for the winter. It does this during this time frame. You can go in after the 1st of November and either graze it or perhaps cut it. Being as far north as you are, I'd probably leave it alone since you don't need the hay. What growth is left won't hurt a thing come next spring. The plants will come back with new shoots and the old growth will not impede it what-so-ever.

What I have done is wait till a good hard freeze that makes the tops die and go dormant.Then cut it with no adverse effects. The hay isn't the best but the cattle seem to like it.

I cut some of mine Monday and the rest Tuesday. Run it all thru the crimper last night. Monday they were calling for ten days without rain with temps in the 70's to high 70's. Plenty of time. My first fourth cutting ever. First patch was in blossom and the second patch was not quite at that stage but in the 11 inch high range. Might not be a lot of bales but any will be more than I would have if I set in the house. With the heavy dew taking up drying time I will probly bale Saturday afternoon before the dew gets to dry.

give that man a cigar , for the very correct answer, backed up by proven science ..

Thanks to everyone for the replies. It seems that my initial idea of leaving it alone is what is best for the field. I am going to leave it well enough alone. This is exactly what makes this site great, everyone willing to help others with information when they can. I really do appreciate everyone's input. I do my best to return the favor to others when I have useful answers or input to their questions as well.

(quoted from post at 12:20:48 10/06/11) What I have done is wait till a good hard freeze that makes the tops die and go dormant.Then cut it with no adverse effects. The hay isn't the best but the cattle seem to like it.

Click to expand...

theo1 has it right. after the first hard freeze it is done for the season so it is not putting any more reserves into the roots so go ahead and take it.

1130 dont cut it till after it a hard freese, let the deer have something for winter feed, then hunt the deer.

Cut it it will be just fine. As long as it had had 5 or more weeks since last cut. Winter kill should not be a problem unless you compact it. The compaction will cause frost heave which is devastating.

When we raised alfalfa hay, we always got a first cutting, in late June, and if there was a lot of moisture after that, sometimes a much smaller second cutting. Usually after we had hauled the bales off, we allowed the cattle to pasture the hayfields, and they left virtually no late growth. We never had any problems with die out or lower production the next year after pasturing the fields.

Of course we live on the dry side of the state. How much hay we got on the first cutting depended on Spring moisture and to a lesser extent, how warm it got in May and June. In years with dry Springs, we would get half the volume of alfalfa as in years with good moisture at the right times. But that's dryland farming...and in real dry years, we also hayed our creek bottom land, and if we did, it was always a challenge to get the grass hay bales dry enough to safely stack. We found that alfalfa would not survive on the too wet, subirrigated bottom land. Our best pasture, though, it stayed green all Summer.

If I thought I had any chance of the hay getting dry enough to bale and store, and if I though there was enough new growth to make it worth while, I think I would cut the hay. Especially if I was a little short of hay for the Winter.

But our weather has changed from the dry part of late Summer to the damp time of Fall. No chance of making decent hay around here this late.

I never cut after the first week in Sept in southern Indiana. Let it build reserves (sugars) in roots to keep from freezing. I had fields in alfalfa 6-7 years very little winter kill. Just me 2 cents worth