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North Dakota | Thank you Jay.
I really enjoy reading of other people's success and what they attribute it to.
I have tried "over seeding" and the plants that showed up were pretty and all in a row even right up beside the old plant. I was thrilled, they were an inch high and growing everywhere. That was the fun part of learning. The other half of the lesson was, in less than 2 weeks after my screaming success came another lesson. I could not find one of the new plants anywhere. I left it for another season to see if it would show up again and nope, it never did.
I blamed it on autotoxicity. After trying to figure that out I remembered that autotoxicity doesn't let the seed germinate?? I know there is a reason this happened but it still eludes me. Maybe someone knows out there but I suspect there are variables I am missing in the reporting of this that makes the solution elusive. It is however our responsibility to listen to other experiences, consider other's conclusions, and create more personal experiences to draw from.
My plan going forward is to disk old alfalfa black and seed oats for 2 years. The 2nd year also seeding alfalfa with it.
1. If it is a fact that autotoxicity does still exist. From past experience I am still guessing it does still exist.
2. If it truly is distributed by the crown, then destroying is 2 years in a row should minimize its impact on future plants even though the old plant can still exist.
I am still wondering why for sure disking makes new plants. Disking, everything above ground is now under the ground and the root has been separated from the plant. I'm seeing new plants without a doubt. Is it the old seed, the chopped up plant, or the severed root growing 2 plants where there was only one before? Nonetheless, disking while the plant is in it's dormant stage produces this result. | |
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Alfalfa / autotoxicity
