Can I interseed to thicken the stand – with more alfalfa?
Interseeding alfalfa to thicken a uniformly thin alfalfa stand will generally not work. If the stand is one year or less old, plants will generally come up and then be eliminated from competition from older plants from last year. Large dead spots should be disked first and then seeded. If the stand is two or more years old, interseeded alfalfa will be adversely affected by autotoxicity. Interseeding with red clover will not be affected by autotoxicity. For two or more year old alfalfa stands, autotoxic compounds will likely reduce the stand or future yield of the alfalfa, and you should wait one year before reseeding. Although there is some conflicting data on autotoxicity, most agronomists recommend waiting one year before reseeding back to alfalfa. You can interseed grasses (Italian ryegrass (not annual ryegrass) for one year or orchardgrass or tall fescue for two or more years) or clovers to thicken a stand. Some options • If the winter-injured alfalfa field was seeded less than one
