songbird wrote:

i didn't transplant any alfalfa but planted from
seeds. with the deep roots that alfalfa can get it
wouldn't be that fun to transplant. just get a few
seeds and then grow them. i recommend using a
nursery crop (buckwheat) when spreading alfalfa for
a larger area. the buckwheat will help keep weeds
down and protect the alfalfa while it gets
established.


I tried starting from seed, but pillbugs, snails and slugs
ate the vast majority of the alfalfa sprouts. Then I found
https://stockingerlab.osu.edu/sites/...emCuttings.pdf
and gave it a try, expecting a minimal success rate.

The initial success rate was over 50%, and likely most of my
failures were from wrong (excessive) watering, as I was using
containers. Direct starts in the ground work around 75% of the
time. Growth is rapid, with blooming in a couple of months.
Root development is surprisingly good, quickly coiling in the
bottom of a 1-quart pot. The first heat test is coming up this
weekend, with 100+F temps forecast through the coming week.

It isn't at all apparent that the taproot is essential. Maybe,
but at least it's possible to set up an initial population. If
it needs irrigation for the first year that's no worse than
seedlings.

The risk of alfalfa becoming a nuisance seems minimal; it's
been grown around here (southern Sacramento valley) for over
a century and is still not commonplace. A spectacular contrast
to star thistle.....8-(

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska