When should we sow alfalfa?

Spring or autumn?

When sowing alfalfa, we must first take into account the fulfillment of the conditions for germination and sprouting of seeds. Thus, at the depth of sowing, there must be enough moisture for the seeds to germinate and the alfalfa seedlings to grow. Thus, we can say that alfalfa is pretentious to the humidity conditions when sprouting.

Secondly, after sprouting it is necessary to have the necessary heat, in order to be able to grow. If we meet these conditions, sowing can be done both in autumn and spring. Taking into account the climatic conditions in Romania, in most years, when sowing in autumn we must fulfill the need for water by irrigation.

The advantage of sowing in autumn is that we have a crop that starts faster in vegetation (growth) in the spring of the next year, and thus this ensures a higher production, and at the same time less weeding.

Sowing in spring has the advantage of providing the necessary water for sprouting from rainfall in most years, but a higher risk of weeding of the crop, thus requiring a weed control program.