Alfalfa Stand Analysis

Stand Analysis by Plant Count

This is the conventional way of checking the condition of a stand — counts that must be based on live, healthy plants — which does not count plants that have severely damaged roots or develop shoots of different lengths.

(Plants per square foot)

Alfalfa Age (yrs)

Good

Marginal

Tear up

1

12+

8 - 12

< 8 (overseeding still may be an option)

2

8+

5 - 6

< 5 (autotoxicity limits overseeding success)

3

6+

4 - 5

< 4

4+

4+

3 - 5

< 3

 

More growers are looking at stem count as a more accurate way of analyzing a stand. Products like TS 4007 have the potential to produce a lot of stems without a high plant count.

Stand Analysis by Stem Count

At 4” - 6” avg. height — count stems over 2”

(Stems per square foot)

Alfalfa Age (yrs)

Good

Marginal

Tear up

2 yrs.+

55+

45 - 55

< 40

 

Credits:

  • University of Wisconsin