Growing Alfalfa for the Backyard Grower
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- čas přidán 9. 09. 2024
- (www.green-talk.com) Growing alfalfa in a small patch is easy and fun. Alfalfa is known for its health benefits. Consider growing a patch!
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Yup. Definitely growing this for my goats, and apparently myself, bees, and chickens. Great info!
Yup! I just drilled 15 acres of Alfalfa to feed our vigorous Alpaca Herd!! Alpacas *Love* Alfalfa and thrive on it in addition to nice green grassy pastures!
I'm using alfalfa because it's a robust herb and stabilizes soil, plus makes great mulch when mowed. I also plant it around my trees, where I don't mow, to add a little lushness to the foot.
Great idea. Do you find it can get sparse in certain areas if left as a perennial?
***** I'm only on my first year, but that's what I hear. Survival of the fittest; they apparently compete throughout their lives. I think the hormone or whatever they put out to suppress seedlings, may also force their less hardy neighbors into early retirement.
@@quabot still growing it?
I grow Lucerne for cut and throw poultry feed for our girls and 1 boy.my wife sprouts the seeds for micro salad mix, and the taproot has the same positive effect on our garden as does Comfrey.
Kerry Hawkins Yes.
I grow alfalfa / Lucerne at home here in Adelaide, Australia -zone 6. I grow it in a bed, but it is taking a long time to grow. I'm growing it mainly for feed for our chickens, but I think I will also grow it as part of a forage crop in one of their runs.
How do you preserve it as cattle feed/
*Yes, I want to grow some. 😍😍😍* Sharon in SC
I'm a bearded dragon breeder and I'm growing to feed my reptiles such as my bearded dragons it's good stuff.
I buy Alfalfa Hay bails for the deer in he winter time, they like it...
The deer are good friends...
planted some as a green manure crop, which did well. then had several years of unwanted deep rooted plants coming up in the raised bed. finally rid of it. it's a bit like comfrey in that any root left deep in the ground regrows plant. careful where you plant it, as difficult to get rid of.
did you find that it suppressed weeds
Alfalfa is an amazing additive to the soil, as well. Additionally I add alfalfa pellets to my abundant leaf mold cages and it creates leaf mold in 6 months, out of unbroken down leaves.
That is amazing!
The flavor is best in early spring when the temps are still cool, I eat mine in salads. I love the flavor, tastes like raw green beans.
+fruitpunch they are a member of the pea family.
When should I cut it I got two plants blooming already but the rest have not should I cut it now ?
When I see the first flower I start cutting.
This really inspired me, thank you.
You are welcome
Thanks for your video. I would like to grow alfalfa for using as mulch in my garden and for putting it into my compost piles. If I grow a patch of alfalfa, how many times can I expect to cut it down to ground level each growing season? What soil conditions does it prefer? Does it require a good soil or a lot of care or water to grow. Do you have any pictures of it flowering. Can it become invasive? Have you heard of anyone growing it for this purpose? Thanks for your comments.
I recently decided i want to grow alfalfa also. I hear it's even better for you then wheatgrass.
I would like to juice it. And fresh has to be better then the dried stuff you buy.
Where did you get your seed? And is it as easy to grow as they say?
Thanks
Alfalfa is a broad leaf plant not a grass. Hay is a combination of grass and Alfalfa pure Alfalfa or pure grass and can be mixed some times mixed with clover. and is used as livestock feed, for animals such as Cattle sheep goats and chickens and so on.
Beer, you are right. I don't know why I said it was a grass below. It is part of the pea family.
Ahh ! that would explain the sweet pea taste of Alfalfa ha ! I didn't know that, but now it makes allot of sense.
J
Can pigs eat it?
BeerZerkeraidian it’s a legume. Alfalfa is a super high nitrogen producer. A good stand can fix over 500 pounds of nitrogen per year. That’s enough for two whole corn crops and it’s over $200 worth of nitrogen for farmers. Clovers can meet this too. White clover can produce around the same but usually more like 400. Balansa clover has been clocked in at 320 which is super impressive for an annual cool season. Cowpeas and soybeans reach 3-400.
Gunna grow it as a fertilizer for my special ladies
Yes I was wondering if you can harvest the seed for indoor sprouting
John Grimes you probably could but it isn't easy. Those seeds are really small.
How long does it take from seed to flower?
Thanks for the video, I want to grow a combination of alfalfa and Timothy Grass for my bun-bun to eat! I just never seen what it looks like when it is green.
you can spread oat seeds at the same time and cut the top off the oats to get rid of weed pressure
Do you have a video or can you make a video regarding seed harvest of your backyard alfalfa plants ?
I don't seed harvest. I only harvest the leaves. The flowers are very very tiny so it is probably not easy to harvest them.
I am looking at growing it for the food for rabbits to help more diet
you should post a video of how to grow alfalfa, do you have a video of maybe another plant that I can use to grow the alfalfa
+Karla Yazuri it grows from seed.
I grow for my bunny. I wish mine looked half as lush as yours well done.
I grow it in a large bed but I guess you could grow a few plants in a pot. It would ramble. Anna
The Latinos make Alfalfa liquado. Put it in a blender add water and sweetener (optional) strain our the roughage and drink. I would like to know the seed you use. There is GM alfalfa now and I do not want that. thanks
When you said it was perennial, dose that mean it can't be contained/stopped?
I wanted to use it as a cover crop sometimes, because it fixates nitrogen I hear, and other times to harvest sometimes over winter. If I harvest the alfalfa like wheat, cut it back to stubble, would it return or would I then re-plant it?
Thank you.
Is that a alfalfa sprouts seed or not? I do some research about it but i can't find the real seed for planting like that...
I planted alfalfa 2 years in a row in the same field. 1st time I didnt spray only disced. This year I sprayed some and disced. Both times my fields grew mostly thistles. I'm fixing to just bushhog it here soon since there's so many thistles. My question is what dang heck is going on? And also how much money could I sue the alfalfa company for for selling me thistles instead of alfalfa? That was a heck of a lot of work, and money for nothing.
The thistle may not be coming from the Alfafa seeds. Thistle has a long tap root. Best time to get rid of thistle is the fall. If you want to see if your alfafa seeds are true, try seeding a few in a pot like you would for indoor seedlings and see what grows. Then go back to the seed company if alfafa doesn't come up.
@@Green-talk Thanks for the reply. I have spread some manure on the field too and thought it could have possibly come from there. I did think it was strange that I used to make hay off the field with little problem with thistles until I went to plant alfalfa and then Boom!! It was like almost nothing but a thistle field!! Just seems very strange to me.
I have a full time job I work at and honestly this will probly be the end of hay making for me, at least trying to raise alfalfa. I 've wasted way too much time on it the way it is.
@@randyyoder4898 you should go back to your seed company and tell them what happened. They should stand by their seed or at least test it.
I will start to grow alfalfa because I want to know how it taste
When i was a girl, surrounded by fields of alfalfa, i would pick the leaves (often they were dried already) and simmer in water. Then i would strain the pale green water and put in some honey, making a delicious tea.
@@lorettajoy7275 i will also try making some alfalfa tea.
How many days from seed to maturity (that is, the plant going to seed)?
It takes about 60 days in the spring for the first blossoms. I don't let it go to seed since it overseeds outside the bed. It won't seed inside the beds because alfalfa has a chemical that inhibits other alfalfa sprouts. So I would imagine probably another week or two.
Green Talk Curious as to that chemical? There are myths, not saying your POV is one, but I use books off of alfalfa bales as the starter over my cardboard eeed barrier, to ignite the rest of my Permaculture beds. It’s miraculous.
Hi, did you broadcast the seeds or you planted directly in a rows? How high can it get before flowers? I want to dry the leaves for tea. Please help.
I broadcast them. It depends on the time of year but spring is tallest growth. It tends to be 2 feet tall and floppy.
@@Green-talk thanks. So how long from sowing till it gets to like the 2 feet?
If you broadcast do you leave uncovered or sprinkle over with some soil.
As a first plant it may not flower the first year. I don't remember since alfafa plots are 10 or more years old. It is usually about 45 to.60 days weather dependant. It like cooler weather but will flower sooner if it gets hot.
@@josephmoses359 I sprinkle some dirt on them. Tamp them down so they have contact with the soil. Use you hands or anything flat to push lightly on the seed bed.
can I growth in place that is very hot like Arizona? Since you plant this in your back yard how do you growth them? Did you dig the hole and drop a few seeds in there or you need to plow the soil first and drop the seeds in there. Thank
zapzapzizzle I’m in Houston and I’m attempting. Apparently they only need to be 1/2 an inch in the dirt
Joy, it depends where you live. I only cut 2x a year. It doesn't make the best mulch when dried. If you want something to put in your compost, use comfrey. The plant gets really big (3 feet by 3 feet.)
Alfafla is pretty hardy and doesn't need alot of care. I may have a picture of its bloom but they are really dainty. If you grow it, I would grow it make compost tea, eat, or give to animals as feed. I only grow it to eat or make compost tea. It doesn't seem to be invasive.
Thank you!
I wish to grow alfalfa. Thank you
What is alfalfa in bisaya langauage? Anybody know what is called in bisaya ? Is it mongoes?
I’d recommend clover too. Fixation balansa clover is a great beautiful super grower.
Crimson clover is more beautiful tho
That;s great too. Do you eat it?
Green Talk munch on the leaves. They’re sweet. Making tea from legume flowers Is nice and medicinal.
The recipe here in Ecuador is alfalfa (freshly harvested) then add two oranges and an egg. They swear by this recipe here? Sounds odd but the Ecuadorians do this all the time!
It is a green so that would probably taste good.
Try alfalfa sprouts. You can grow them all year round and they are realy healthy. Just CZcams it
Ty
This alfafa, is it the same alfafa from farms that bundle it to hay stacks?
Yep. When the leaves dry they are really small. I
Nice
Hi I wanted to know the better way of storing Alfalfa hay ..
1. Storing it inside plastic bags with sealed mouth.
2. Inside any room without plastic bags.
I use to store it in big plastic containers but I found that moths either were on the dried material or found it. So now I cut mine up and vacuum seal it. I use it for my herbal teas that I use. I would definitely store in a cold place.
Hi,
I am interested in buying Alfalfa root(dry or fresh and or powdered). Do you sell it or can you help me find some? I want to dry the root and powder it and drink it as coffee substitute.
Thank you
You can find dried easily through any large herb wholesaler. It is the leaves that you want. No one sells the root. They also sell powdered alfafa too. Just do a google search. I use my alfalfa for the teas I make for my company, The Naked Botanical.
@@Green-talk i need the root, i know that there is leaf powder
@@decathlete2000 I don't where you would find that. You probably would have to ask a farmer if he would dig some up. The roots are pretty deep. Anna
when to plant? how to water? what kind of sun?
Full sun, plant early spring. It is a cool weather plant. Normal watering in the summer it doesn't look good but by fall it springs back up.
I grow it for my chickens in a 20 gal. drip pan.
May I know where you buy the seeds?
I think I bought from High Mows
how do you plant it? I have seed but don't know how to plant it.. do I bury them or just place them on top of the soil??
Plant a 1/4 inch deep but you have to make sure the soil PH is around 6.5-7.0. Watch the competition from weeds. Anna
does anyone grow it for seeds for sprouts?
You can but I think you have to buy certain seeds for sprouts. Anna
HI
how tall can alfalfa grow
Is this the same as alfalfa sprouts?
It is the same seeds that become plants.
Is it possible to grow it hydroponiclly?
It is a really tall plant with a deep tap root so I don't know if that is a good idea unless you are growing sprouts.
czcams.com/video/Yiu8y0ih6Fg/video.html
One user has grown it successfully using hydroponics.
No info on actually growing alfalfa in ones yard…
I am gonna grow me some of that shit for my guinea pigs they would so love me for ever and making a tea is a capital idea too
It's very goooooood
thanks' you
Can you eat the plant if is mature
Yes. The flowers are quite delicious too. The leaves taste a little like peas. They are in the same family.
I want to eat in a smoothie with stinging nettle plants
are these same as alfalfa sprouts? left to grow.
sprouts come from seeds. So, I guess yes. However, you grow them differently. I grow mine in a plant media and people who sprout use sprout jars. Anna
@@Green-talk I put a hand full of alfalfa sprouts in my garden it worked great
alfalfa is grass or plant ? can this be fed to goats
It is both a grass and a plant. I don't raise goats but when I googled it, the article mentioned you could feed them alfalfa. Just check.
I guess alfalfa has a unique distinction of being a dicotyledonous grass. I love how it fits in with the monocotyledonous grass in an apparent symbiotic relationship.
Where I can't buying?
Dried or seeds?
Alfalfa. Es. Bonito
made segovia yes, it is really pretty. Thanks for the comment. Anna
Let's see where is FEMA region zone 6?
+Anthony Newman zone 6 is a growing region. Areas are broken up depending on when their first frost and last frost dates. I am in NJ. So areas around there are zone 6.
***** did you try to harvest the alfalfa seed?
MsTokies I tried one year but the sprouts ended up all over the yard. I think I would have to grow it in smaller areas and control it better. Funny thing is if it goes to seed, it won't grow where there is alfafa. The plant won't let it. Anna
If it is healthy it should grow up to seven feet tall before blossoming
It is very lanky so it bends over. I have never seen 7 foot alfafa. What a site. Where are you that it gets that big? We get alot of heat around June which may be the reason it blossoms before getting that tall. It is a cool weather plant.
@@Green-talk well it takes time and dedication to build your soil but one of the main keys is to have your lime built up in your soil also known more often as calcium and another thing that it needs is nitrogen but their are also some no no’s on alfalfa one is obviously muriate of potash and another is no ash or potassium of any kind added to the soil because it is able take all it needs they the air I know their is not very many people that know this but 80% of a plants food comes from the air it is our job to supply the other 20% they get thru the soil and it is ok once in awhile while your waiting for the soil to level out to perfect from the minerals we put down to cheat a little and do foliar spraying which is pretty much spraying water soluble mineral mixed with water and then sprayed an the stomatas of the bottom of the leaves that can only be seen thru a microscope on most plants,now this is just a peek thru the keyhole of biological side of agriculture I could go on for hours about this but it is very hard to sit here and text this out but I am glad to be able to share this information with you and don’t be hesitant to ask me any questions in the future of just about any time I have been studying agriculture for awhile now and would be more than glad ti help out any ways that I can
Anyway you can tell me how deep the roots get?
I read the roots can be at least 12 feet deep depending on where it is grown and the age. Anna
I am going to grow alfafa for my swans food
It would have been a useful video if there was information provided that would help folk grow alfalfa. That's why I came here and sadly there was nothing of use.
What information would you like?
The title was "growing alfalfa for the backyard". Typical needs to know items would be: time to plant & soil requirements, how to plant, depth, pounds per 100 square feet, seeds per square foot. That kind of stuff.
@@billastell3753 You mean ounces per 100 square feet. seeding rate is about 1 oz. per 100 square feet, or 20 pounds per acre. Hope that helps.
Yes that is useful information. Thank you.
There isn't much to it so I guess you can cook it like any other green.
gud source of protein*
Pipo
What about alot of other food stuff which we already have in this entire world!!! Why why why such humans starts eating that ALFAFA GRASS ... Ohhh man!! r u guys normal?????
They are going to be the new cows eventually we'll start eating humans again so sysops are grooming the stupid for future food source.
I thought strange too but when I threw down all the seeds for food i could and nothing grew because i live in a hot desert i tried alfalfa as a last hope last winter for something green. needless to say, if you know alfalfa, it took off this summer and helps other plants grow but when your thinking survival mode your going to eat whatever you got to to survive free from the cattle feed lines in the grocery store where the real sheople gather. If I could get some dang ol' tomatoes to grow and if the dang ol' squirrels didn't eat my potato plants I would be so happy but i don't buy soil and use dirt and can't build a proper wall, not my property everything gotta be temporary, so you grow what you can grow. Nobody is normal but if someone is trying to produce something to eat they must be pretty "down to earth".
fun masti, unless you're a vegetarian, you're actually eating alfalfa grass (among other things) by eating flesh meat, but of course you're eating it second-hand, so you don't get the nutrients you ordinarily would by eating it raw, juiced, etc.
Alfalfa is not new, When I was young(50 years ago) the hippy movement and holistic people ate alfalfa sprouts all the time in salads and sandwiches. It is just new to you.