The richness of the flora of our country never ceases to amaze everyone who is interested in it. A plant such as yellow alfalfa is a unique set of properties widely used in agronomy, it will be useful in any household. What you need to know about alfalfa More on this in the material below.
Characteristics of alfalfa
Alfalfa is a perennial. There are several species of this plant, the most popular of which are blue alfalfa and yellow sickle alfalfa.
The root system of this plant is a distinctive feature of alfalfa. It is quite powerful and looks like a rod that goes into the soil by 2-3 meters. The leaves consist of three parts, and alfalfa blooms in inflorescences in the form of an oval with a blue or yellow corolla.
Yellow alfalfa (see photo in the article) blooms from mid-June to the end of August in almost any meadow area. The exception is areas with groundwater - it cannot withstand their proximity.
Alfalfa is easieronly to be found in meadows, in the steppe area, near roads and on the edges of forests. It does not grow near swamps and wetlands.
Alfalfa is propagated by seeds. They can be bought ready for sowing, or they can be obtained from young plants.
Special Features
What makes yellow alfalfa unique and why is it valuable to households? It's all about a number of qualities that make growing it so popular:
- Nutrition. Yellow alfalfa is very rich in proteins, as well as vitamins E, PP, C. Thanks to this, it is one of the best fodder crops.
- Honey content. Alfalfa is successfully used by beekeepers to produce honey.
- Siderative properties. Due to the structure of the root system, alfalfa is used to improve soil structure and inhibit the growth of weeds.
- Multifunctionality. The nutritional value of alfalfa also lies in the fact that each element of the plant is suitable for use in feed and long-term storage. It is used to make hay, briquettes and animal feed.
- Resistant to temperature changes. Alfalfa yellow is a crop that can withstand high temperatures with sufficient watering, and is also resistant to cold. Therefore, its cultivation gives good yields.
This is why alfalfa is popular and respected by farmers and households.
Cultivation of alfalfa
This perennial is not overly demanding but grows beston chernozems and loams. Soils that are excessively saturated with moisture are the least suitable for growing alfalfa. It does not grow well in waterlogged and too acidic soils.
It is often sown to prepare the land for the subsequent cultivation of barley or wheat - yellow alfalfa is optimal for this.
The first crop of the plant is used to produce seeds. Alfalfa seeds can also be bought ready-made.
For good growth, the plant requires good soil moisture and light.
Resistant to adverse conditions
With good moisture, alfalfa can withstand fairly high temperatures. It is also drought tolerant thanks to its deep root system.
This plant is cold tolerant. Seeds are able to germinate at a temperature of 1-2 degrees, and emerging seedlings can withstand sudden frosts up to 5 degrees below zero.
But if the alfalfa is mowed too often or done too late, and if the crops of this plant are subjected to excessive grazing, then the resistance of alfalfa to cold is significantly reduced.
Crops can withstand small floods, but groundwater flooding is detrimental to them. Therefore, before sowing yellow alfalfa, you need to make sure that there are no ground and underground waters nearby.
What is it used for?
First of all, the value of alfalfa is for livestock farms. According to its nutritional value, the presence of microelements and vitamins, alfalfa is a leader among fodder crops. Hermost often used as feed for cattle. Yellow alfalfa is also very suitable for rabbits.
Beekeepers note the high honey-bearing capacity of this plant. Moreover, not only bees, but also bumblebees choose alfalfa to collect pollen and nectar.
Alfalfa is also widely used in agronomy. And not only as a highly nutritious animal feed, but also for soil preparation.
Due to the crops of alfalfa with its special root system, the soil becomes more homogeneous, saturated with minerals, and weeds and their seeds die or grow in much smaller quantities.
The combination of unique properties and undemanding cultivation make alfalfa an extremely valuable crop for farmers and households, and its high nutritional value and content of proteins, amino acids and vitamins - the most popular animal feed.
