Alfalfa management
Contributors to this thread:Whitetail Deer
From: BullBuster
29-May-20
Two acre plot in second year. 2 feet high in utilization cage. 8-14” in field. Deer really hammering it. I cut it yesterday with sickle bar mower to take down over seeded winter rye and weeds. My question is will the cuttings be so thick as to suppress new growth? Do I need to rake it or will it just turn into green mulch? Thanks
From: Dale06
29-May-20
I would think the cuttings need to be removed
From: t-roy
29-May-20
Is your stand pretty thick, BullBuster, or do the deer have it browsed off to where it won’t leave a thick mat of it on top of your new growth? Most likely, I’d say Dale06 is correct.
Also....watch out for fawns!!
From: BullBuster
29-May-20
It’s thick. Thanks
From: jstephens61
31-May-20
Bale it! It’s going for $20 a bale around here.
From: LKH
31-May-20
I get regrowth on my fields that sometimes doesn't justify a second cutting. It leaves a lot of debris and makes killing weeds a challenge the next spring.
From: BullBuster
01-Jun-20
I kind of did an experiment. I brush hog’d much of it to mulch it. I raked some and I left some as is. Time will tell. I won’t be cutting it again with the sickle bar mower unless I bale it. Not worth it this time with the amount of animal pressure. Thanks