Here are some practices that can improve the successfulness of forage crop seedings. Like most other high risk farming operations it is important to plan ahead. Planning ahead can not only improve the chances of successful forage establishment, it can also greatly reduce the amount of personal worrying after a forage has been seeded. Select Forage Species. Decide which forage species or mixture will be seeded.
Some species are better suited to certain soil types than others.
For example, alfalfa does not tolerate poorly drained or low pH soils. Red clover or reed canarygrass perform very well under these conditions. In many cases, it is difficult and expensive to change soil characteristics, however, species can be changed easily with little or no expense. Refer to a series of Penn State Agronomy Fact publications on forage species and their adaptability to Pennsylvania conditions. Do not attempt to seed alfalfa back into an alfalfa field within 1 year from when the old alfalfa was killed.