Alfalfa Grass: The Latest Planting Techniques and Methods Tutorial

Alfalfa grass is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant of the Medicago genus, mostly an important forage plant, and can also be eaten as a vegetable. It is widely introduced and cultivated around the world. Its hay yield ranks first among many leguminous forages, and its nutritional composition is complete, rich in protein, trace elements and more than ten kinds of vitamins. Let's take a look at alfalfa grass planting techniques together below!

Growing Environment

Alfalfa grass prefers a warm and humid climate, in regions where summer is not too hot and winter is not too cold. The optimum temperature is 15-25°C. Temperatures above 35°C or below -15°C will kill alfalfa grass. In winter, it can overwinter at around -8°C, while above 35°C it struggles to survive the summer. It requires rainfall of 1000-2000 ml. It is not drought-tolerant, and has fairly strict soil requirements. It grows best at pH 6-7. When the pH value is below 6, lime should be applied to adjust the soil acidity. It is not waterlogging-tolerant, so it should be planted in well-drained plots. 

Cultivation Season

Alfalfa grass is mainly divided into spring cultivation and autumn cultivation, with autumn cultivation being more common. Autumn cultivation involves sowing in batches from late July to late September, with harvesting and marketing successively from mid-August to late March of the following year. Spring cultivation involves sowing successively from late February to early June, with harvesting from early April to late July.

Seed Selection and Germination

To avoid the phenomenon of uneven emergence of seedlings, alfalfa grass should undergo seed selection before sowing to reduce shriveled and bad seeds in the pods. Soak the seeds in warm water at 55-60°C for 5 minutes, and discard the floating seeds on the water surface. To overcome the difficulties of late emergence and low emergence rates in early autumn and late spring, germination treatment is usually carried out before sowing. Place the selected seeds in a gunny bag, soak them in well water or river water at night for 10 hours, then take the seeds out, place them in a cool place for 2-3 days, and water them with cool water from a watering can once every 3-4 hours, then sow.

Land Preparation and Sowing

Alfalfa grass is a shallow-rooted crop, usually plowed to a depth of about 15 cm. During plowing, apply 1000 kg of human and livestock manure per mu as base fertilizer, and form raised beds 20 cm high and 1.5 m wide to facilitate drainage, then level the bed surface and it can be sown. Alfalfa is mostly broadcast sown. The sowing rate per mu should be determined by the season. Generally, when sowing in early autumn and late spring, the temperature is higher, the soil is dry, and the emergence rate is low, so the sowing rate per mu should be higher, using 40-50 kg of seed per mu. When sowing in late autumn and early spring, use 15 kg per mu.