Alfalfa field
Contributors to this thread:Wisconsin
From: Knife2sharp
25-Apr-19
There's an alfalfa field as part of our lease and last November one afternoon they broadcast some reddish pellets, and they also had done a late cut. This spring it's completely dead. Is this a sign they're going to plant something else? It's been alfalfa for at least 5 years now.
From: Knife2sharp
25-Apr-19
The red pellets looked like rock salt.
From: Aluminum Rain
26-Apr-19
Red pellets are 0-0-60 potash. If it's all dead it was sprayed and yes it will likely see corn planted. Lots of winter kill hay though. If it partially dead it may have been that.
From: sagittarius
26-Apr-19
sagittarius's Link
Alfalfa is a heavy user of potassium. They are just putting back some of what was removed with harvest.
" Alfalfa has a relatively high demand for some nutrients compared to other commonly grown crops. Each ton of alfalfa dry matter harvested removes about 14 pounds of phosphate (P2O5) and 58 pounds of potash (K2O). This is the nutrient equivalent of 150 pounds of a 0-10-40 fertilizer. Each ton of alfalfa also removes the calcium and magnesium found in about 100 pounds of aglime."