Can you spray fall-planted alfalfa the following spring?

[svenlylethor]

Hi everyone,

This is my first time planting fall alfalfa. I typically plant in the spring when and spray with roundup 10 days before seeding. I had oat hay last year and had no weeds in it so I decided not to spray with roundup before planting. Ended up no-till seeding alfalfa and irrigated it once. The alfalfa and oats grew in together and decided not to cut it because the grass was only a foot tall in some parts and I figured the yield wouldn't be worth the hassle to harvest. The snow has melted an the alfalfa is there and that foot of oat hay is dead and squished at the bottom of the field. I also saw a few weeds but nothing terrible. Looking back I probably should have sprayed alfalfa to make sure I killed it off. Live and learn.

I spray Velpar or Tricor on my alfalfa fields but they say you should only spray it on alfalfa that's less than a year old. Has anyone ever used an herbicide on fall-planted alfalfa the next spring or am I better off waiting another year to spray for weeds?

 

[CADplans]

I am not clear what you want,,,
Do you want to kill the alfalfa? If so,, the Roundup will,,,

 

[svenlylethor]

Sorry, I should have explained better.

I want to know if there are any herbicides similar to Velpar or Tricor that kill weeds/grass in alfalfa fields but are safe to use on fall-planted alfalfa the following spring.

 

[kthompson]

I would call the person I buy my chemicals from. They should know their chemicals and best suggestion for your area and you situation. If you do not have a person/company you already work with, find out where the farmers buy their chemcials from.

 

[AKfish]

Sorry, I should have explained better.

I want to know if there are any herbicides similar to Velpar or Tricor that kill weeds/grass in alfalfa fields but are safe to use on fall-planted alfalfa the following spring.

I like to gather information from someone who does not have an interest on making a sale or trying to market their product.

Good resource for that - IMO - is your Extension office or even online through the University system. They will have information based upon field trials that are more associated to your area and your specific conditions.