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Seedbed Preparation
A firm seedbed is essential for grass and legume establishment. A well-packed seedbed
will permit a shallow, precise seeding depth and allow the seed to be placed in close
contact with moist soil.
Methods of seedbed preparation depend on individual situations but tillage is usually
necessary. Demonstrations grass and legume plantings have shown that coarse-textured
(sandy) soils require packing prior to seeding to obtain satisfactory stands. Seedbeds
packed twice with a press drill prior to seeding had better stands than those packed only
once. Medium-textured soils may require packing, depending upon the amount of soil
disturbance during seedbed preparation.
No-till alfalfa establishment is a viable alternative to tilled seedbeds. Early spring
seedings, about the time small grains are first seeded, into clean small-grain stubble
have been very successful when subsequent weed growth is controlled with post-emergent
herbicides. The firm seedbed permits precise seeding depth even with normal
double-disc-opener drills. Also, the lack of tillage preserves soil moisture for seed
germination and early growth, allowing successful stand establishment even in dry years
like 1988. Be sure to remove the straw or use a good straw chopper in fields where no-till
seedings are planned.
Field observations of spring and late fall plantings indicated that the prior crop has an
influence on successful stand establishment when seeding directly into crop stubble.
Sudangrass stubble was found to provide the best grass stands, followed by sorghum,
millet, oats, barley, wheat and flax stubbles.
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