Somebody With Knowledge About Seedint Alfalfa,oats,barely

[ShingDam]

Hello again my friends,

i would like to know if anybody has knowledge or experience with seeding alfalfa (lucerne), oats and barely here in thailand.

I though about to seed it sort after the raintime, and then let my goats grassing when the alfalfa is more then 10 cm long and healthy. Later collect the seed from the oats and barely ( ll take the goats away when it starts to get seed), and let them grass again after i harvesting.

Somebody with ideas if this plan works ?

I have sources for seed allready, and was been told that the alfalfa get roots to 10 m deep !!

This i didnt knew before, so it should work, shouldnt it ?

Thank you for all hints and answers.

ShingDam

[chownah]

I don't think you'll find anyone growing alfalfa in Thailand....and I think the reason is because it doesnt' like water logged soil....which is what we have here in Thailand during the rainy season. It has a deep taproot because its habitat is dry and this is how it gets water during the long dry spells. There are lots of different legumes that grow really well here...there is one called Centrino which grows wild here in the north and makes good fodder while adding nitrogen to the soil...it might grow where you live too...or else there are a number of different legumes that people grow here....which you probably already know.

[ShingDam]

Thank you I knew you would answer

Its because i have friends in Australia, and they really want to ship me some seed for free, they have a farm over there and collect the seed for me.

I dont want to dissapoint them so I ask here for the possibilities, the ifs and buts.

Would you try it ?

What do you mean with water logged soil ? (My english isnt so good and I would like to understand what it means).

Maybe that the water hardly comes inside the soil ?!

Thank you chownah, is there everything going well with your projects ?

ShingDam

[chownah]

ShingDam,

Go ahead and give it a try!!! Alfalfa is great stuff and if it can be grown here it would be wonderful!!! When I say "water logged soil" what this means is that the soil gets completely filled with water and there is no air in the soil. Here in Thailand most soils have alot of clay and when they get wet they hold the water really well and the soil turns into mud and stays that way until it dries out. In the northwestern part of the US where I have seen alfalfa grown, the soil is not clay...it is silt or sand. Silt and sand soils are granular (made up of grains or small pieces of soil) and when it rains alot the water can easily travel through the spaces between the little pieces of soil. This means that the water can leave the soil quickly and air can re-enter into the spaces between the little soil particles.....this is what alfalfa needs for good health....too much water in the soil for too long and the roots will rot...I think.

So....when you get your alfalfa seeds I suggest that you plant them in whatever soil you have that is the sandiest and that is up as high as possible. Hopefully the sandy soil will let the water drain quickly and using the highest place possible will get the plants as high as possible above the water table during the wet season. Also, I would plow drainage ditches as deep as practicle that lead the water off to a lower area away from the alfalfa.

I have never planted alfalfa myself so unless someone comes on with some experience I suggest looking on the internet.

Chownah

P.S. Things are going well up here. I'm making fences and planting forage crops in a few small plots to try them out. I'm planting Para grass along with Centrino and another legume found naturally here (don't know the name). I'm hoping to get a couple of cows sometime this year so I'm getting everything ready for them. The cows are to help supply manure for my vegetable crops which have done really well this year. Using only cow manure and water I have gotten really good crops of cabbage, brocolli, lettuce, cauliflower, green beans (haricots), long beans, peppers, eggplants (aubergine), and pak gat (Thai greens). I got a small crop of cucumbers because they got a rust...anthracnose I think..so I got enough to supply us but that's all. Also I planted some tomatoes a bit late and they are blooming now and it looks like I'll do really well unless they get diseased and die which has happened to me before so I have high hopes but no expectations. All in all the cool season (November, December, and January) seem to be really good for these things. I'll probably keep planting some of these to see how long the seasons for each can go but I'm so busy I'm not sure how much of this I'll be able to do this year.

Chownah

[ShingDam]

I copied your comment and sent it to my friend, they are fullblood farmers (like you i guess)

I want them think about it too, dont wanna dissapoint them (shipping cost and so on).

I really impressed and admire you for your condition

I wish you power and healthieness for your projects.

Thank you very much, and i let you know what comes out.

Besides, my goats doing well

Shing Dam