- Green manure or food?
- When what amount?
- Determine the size of the growing area
- The optimum seed rate
In a field of lucerne, countless plants romp close together. No one can even approximate their number, let alone determine it exactly. When cultivating this plant for the first time, the question therefore arises: What seed rate is required for the cultivation area provided?
Alfalfa can be sown very densely
Green manure or food?
In order to determine the sowing quantity, it must first be clarified what the meaning and purpose of cultivation is. Hobby gardeners usually grow alfalfa for three reasons:
- as green manure
- as animal feed
- as food for itself
When what amount?
Anyone who has often sown alfalfa in the bed knows from experience what quantities they have to plant in order to fully meet their expectations. The following guidelines can help a newcomer:
- for the foundation, selected beds are completely sown
- a handful of plants are enough for self-sufficiency with greenery
- as animal feed there may be a few more
- also when seeds for sprouts are required
tips
Last but not least, the available area can also determine the seed rate. Since lucerne seed is quite cheap, you should generously use all fallow land for sowing.
Determine the size of the growing area
The sowing quantity is largely determined by the size of the planned cultivation area. This should be measured as precisely as possible before seed procurement. The exact number of square meters is then calculated based on the values obtained.
The optimum seed rate
How many seeds are needed per square meter? The so-called seed strength can provide us with information about this. It indicates how dense the seed may be in order to achieve maximum yield from the available area. In the case of lucerne, it says that about 25 to 30 kg of seed should be sown on an area of 1 ha in order to get a good harvest.
That is 2.5 to 3 grams of seed per square meter. Multiply this value by the determined area size in m² and you get the required seed rate in grams.
tips
If birds are often circling over your beds at the time of cultivation, some seeds will fall victim to them. Slightly increase the seed rate or protect the seed with foil until it sprout.