Alfalfa, Grass & Pastures
To thrive, legumes need calcium for a good rooting environment Because legumes are very heavy feeders of calcium, it is important to examine the soil's calcium content. Soil with a proper balance between cacium and magnesium will have calcium levels of about 8 1/2 times the level of magnesium in per cent base saturation or will have calcium in pounds of about 15 times that of magnesium. Growers offers soil testing (at no charge) to help determine the amount of available calcium in your soil. Many experts recommend significant applications of potassium to legume crops, but this only serves to release calcium from the soil to the plant, or as a substitute to the plant for calcium that is not present or not available in the soil. Calcium is the real key to ensuring a successful legume crop both in quantity and quality.
Legumes and grass forages experience their greatest stress shortly after cutting, so this is the best time for them to be foliar sprayed. It is important to spray as soon as possible after cutting, waiting only for the appearance of a small amount of new growth to receive and aid in the absorption of the nutrients. because the crowns of alfalfa will absorb nutrients, it and other legumes can be sprayed a little sooner than grass forages which need a little more growth for efficient absorption of foliar-applied nutrition.
Many farmers have also found that foliar feeding is a very effective tool during periods of environmental stress such as drought or excess rainfall. In these situations, plant roots often have been injured and cannot take up nutrition properly, but putting nutrients into the plant through foliar absorption can usually help ovecome stress problems.
Foliar feed at the stress point after every cutting so as to introduce nutrition and to ensure proper energy for growth.A crop receiving two to four cuttings will not be provided with enough nutrition for continuing plant success with only one foliar spray.Spraying a forage after the last cutting of the season helps to prepare the plant for winter, and the extra energy stored in the plant's system will help the plant break dormancy with more vigor. An early spring spray may help a stand not sprayed the previous fall, or it may help a stand which has endured an exceedingly harsh dormancy period.