Alfalfa is a spring crop that is excellent for cattle feed. Beginners in the field of agriculture often have a question about cutting alfalfa grass in order to use it to make hay. Here it is important to take into account various nuances: the age of the crops, the frequency of mowing, as well as the climatic conditions of the region. The grass is in demand in agriculture, as it requires repeated harvesting throughout the season.
How long does it take for alfalfa to grow?
Alfalfa belongs to the category of spring crops. Growing is quite profitable. In its first year, alfalfa exhibits an average growing season of approximately 135 days.Then the growing season is reduced to 115 days. Reduction is characteristic of each subsequent stage.
The growing season is the period that passes from the moment the first shoots appear until the seeds begin to develop. Typically, in the first year of sowing, alfalfa sprouts after 10, and a maximum of 12 days. After a month, the first branching begins, buds form after some time. On average, it takes about 80 days until flowering.
In summer the process accelerates. The first shoots appear after seven to nine days. Typically, the growing season starts in early spring and lasts until autumn. Weather conditions necessary for growth are comfortable for grass even at 7 degrees Celsius.
Alfalfa belongs to the category of perennial crops. The grass grows well regardless of the surrounding conditions. Sowing produces several harvests per season.
How and when to mow it
To obtain the most effective yield, it is necessary to correctly select the sowing time and distribute the forces for collection and storage.
It is believed that the optimal time for mowing is during the budding period. It is then that the stem grows the maximum number of leaves, and remains thin and is easily digested.
Some nuances should be taken into account when it comes to harvesting grass from previous seasons:
- the first collection is carried out at the very beginning of bud formation;
- subsequent harvests are carried out when flowering is approximately 10%; this approach eliminates the depletion of the plant and activates its internal forces for further growth;
- the selected bud-forming period is characterized by a maximum volume of green mass, which demonstrates high feed quality.
Feeding properties are achieved due to the optimal ratio between the mass of the leaf and stem. At the same time, the lignin content inside the plant increases. It should be understood that excessively early harvesting leads to depletion of alfalfa and reduces productive longevity.
Special attention is paid to the collection conditions. Factors you need to focus on to maintain maximum yield:
- It is recommended to carry out the cutting in dry weather, since any damp weather conditions can affect the yield in the future;
- the cut is made at a height of 10-12 centimeters, a decrease in this indicator leads to the fact that young shoots grow poorly;
- There is a pause of 40-50 days between mowings, but at the same time they take into account the natural climatic conditions of the regions (in the south, mowing is repeated 4 to 6 times, and in the north they have time to do 2 mowings).
Grass yield
If we talk about 5 or 6 mowings per season, then the yield will reach the level of 20-35 tons per hectare. With more intensive cultivation, the figure can reach 40 tons.
When calculating, it should be taken into account that during the first mowing more weeds come out. With the second mowing, the crude protein indicator increases, and subsequent actions are characterized by a decrease in the coefficient of the optimal ratio between the mass of the stem and the leaf.
Alfalfa reaches its maximum performance during the budding period, which occurs during the most effective mowing.
What to do after haymaking
If haymaking is done by machine, then immediately after harvesting the grass is simply left on the field. If it rains at this time, then all efforts to preserve the crop will be in vain.
Storage nuances
Experts have come up with methods that speed up drying and facilitate storage. After haymaking, several steps are repeated:
- the crop is turned and turned over;
- if the humidity reaches 45-50%, then the grass is rolled up;
- at 20% the hay is formed into piles;
- The mops are placed so that the grass is dried naturally until it reaches 17-19% humidity.
The bales that are formed from the piles are transported to storage areas, and the bales are stacked in such a way that the spaces between the rows are different. This approach is necessary in order to minimize air losses.
When storing hay, it is important to consider indoor humidity. It should be remembered that artificial heating of the room causes an increase in humidity to such an extent that condensation forms on the walls. If this happens but remains unattended, the harvest may be lost. The hay will begin to rot and rot. In addition, excessive heating causes ignition. Adjustment of the humidity level is achieved by collecting additional information. In addition, the efficiency of the storage process largely depends on the drying stage.
How nutritious is hay?
Alfalfa hay has 20-30% more calories than cereal hay. There is more protein inside the product; in addition, alfalfa protein is called high-quality. This is made possible due to the increased lysine content. Lysine is an amino acid that is essential for cattle feed, but is often in short supply.
The composition demonstrates a high content of calcium, magnesium and potassium - elements necessary for cattle.
Fresh grass contains carotene. The advantage of the grass is its ability to accumulate selenium. In addition, during the leaf formation stage, the grass demonstrates a comfortable level of sugars and starch.
Breeders add alfalfa to other feeds and also disguise the necessary additives. Horses and cows like the taste of grass, and they happily switch to alfalfa hay.In addition, animals respond well to freshly cut grass.
