Alfalfa (Medicago) is a common herb in the legume family. Wild growth is concentrated in the territory of the Central Asian and Mediterranean countries. Due to its green manure properties, alfalfa is highly valued in agriculture and is often used as livestock feed. The herb acquired fame and widespread use several millennia ago. Alfalfa is an excellent honey plant and has a number of useful medicinal properties. In addition, the plant is decorative and attractive in appearance, which gives a reason to grow alfalfa in the garden as a natural gardener.
Alfalfa description
Alfalfa has both annual and perennial species. Stems begin to branch from the very base or at the top, forming a low-growing branched shrub. The rhizome is quite dense and strong, capable of penetrating the ground to a great depth and contains a network of lateral layers. They accumulate useful substances that are difficult to extract for plants with superficial rhizomes. Some representatives of the genus have basal shoots located in a horizontal direction. Since alfalfa belongs to the legume group, its roots are also covered with nodules, where nitrogen-fixing bacteria live. The function of bacteria is to recycle nitrogen and enrich the soil with nutrients.
The shoots are strewn with petiolate leaves, which are connected individually into rounded rosettes. Each leaf is attached to a separate petiole. The central segment looks longer against the background of the rest of the leaves. The edges are jagged. From the inside, the plates are covered with a short nap.
Closer to the top of the bush, inflorescences-brushes or capitate buds in the form of a cylinder open on the shoots. The size of the flowers is from 1.5 to 8 cm. Corollas are formed from petals and outwardly resemble a sailboat or a moth. From below, the petals grow together. Inflorescences are held on long pedicels with pistils and stamens. First, the buds bloom at the bottom of the peduncle. Alfalfa is predominantly blue, purple or yellow in color. However, there are also hybrid varieties with variegated colors. The budding process takes place two months after the alfalfa seeds are in the soil, and continues for 3 or 4 weeks. One cluster blooms for about 10 days. Every day 3-5 fresh buds are born.
The flowers are pollinated by insects. In place of pollinated buds, beans are formed, painted in a brown or brown tone. The shape of the fruit is in the form of a month or a spiral. The bean cavity is filled with small yellow or brownish bean-like seeds. The seed skin is dense, poorly permeable to moisture.
Planting alfalfa
It is recommended to plant alfalfa by sowing. The seeds are sent to the soil in March when the first agricultural work begins.The site is dug up in advance, the soil is sprinkled with lime and watered. Before sowing, the material is stratified and treated with special preparations that will help protect plants from infectious diseases. Sowing alfalfa seeds is done in rows. The sowing depth should be no more than 1.5 cm. For even distribution of seeds, they are pre-mixed with sand.
Gardeners also plant alfalfa next to cereal plants, but be prepared for the fact that the bushes begin to lack sunlight. As a result, the grass will begin to grow more slowly, and the number of seeds will be halved. The best growth of alfalfa is observed if sowing is organized in rows with an interval of at least 45 cm, then pollination will occur much more efficiently.
Beet planters are used to sow large areas of alfalfa for the purpose of growing forage. If you want to grow several bushes of grass in your garden, you can manually scatter alfalfa seeds. The main thing is to prevent the soil from drying out and maintain a sufficient level of moisture in the root zone.
Growing alfalfa
Growing alfalfa is easy for gardeners. Bushes prefer lighted areas. The shade gives undersized and underdeveloped growth. The substrate is selected nourishing and permeable air, which has a neutral or slightly alkaline environment. Loamy soil types are most suitable for grass, and salt marshes, stony embankments and heavy clay structures, where groundwater is close, have a bad effect on its growth. In such an environment, nodule bacteria are unlikely to be able to multiply.
A short drought practically does not harm the plant, however, too dry soil, without regular irrigation, will soon lead to the death and drying out of the roots. Conversely, excess moisture contributes to the development of powdery mildew. The grass is especially sensitive to moisture in the first years of life.
The optimum temperature for growing alfalfa is + 22 ... + 30 ° C. The plant can withstand periods of sweltering heat. Some varieties of alfalfa are able to survive even in deep frosts in the northernmost regions of the planet.
Young growth is required to be protected from weeds. The site is periodically loosened and hilled.
If alfalfa is intended for forage purposes, the grass is cut as it grows. For the first time, when budding occurs, and repeat when the plant is actively blooming. Mowing is almost painless. In a month or a month and a half, the culture again pleases with flowers. To prevent the grass from lodging, the roots are trimmed horizontally using special tools. We are talking about cultivators and flat cutters.
Occasionally, alfalfa is susceptible to fungal diseases. Bordeaux liquid helps to stop the spread of the disease. Dangerous parasites that pose a serious threat are the weevil, the alfalfa bug, and the thickfoot. Insecticidal preparations allow to cope with them.
As a siderat, alfalfa is used both in personal plots and in field lands. The herb is considered a highly productive fertilizer. The plant annually provides from 8 to 10 mows and grows about 120 tons of green mass from one hectare of land. Thanks to the vital activity of the culture, the soil is enriched with nitrogen. If a humid microclimate prevails on the site, the biomass decomposes on its own, which improves the composition of the soil and reduces acidity.
Growing alfalfa as forage
The tissues of alfalfa contain a large amount of protein, amino acids, potassium, phosphorus, which explains its demand in the agricultural industry. Grass is an excellent forage crop for small and large livestock. When the plant is at the budding stage, the nutritional value of the shoots is considered to be maximum. As for the usefulness of the herb, it is better to collect it during the flowering period.
The length of shoots for mowing for forage purposes should be from 8 to 10 cm. Cutting off the shoots at the indicated mark will allow you to quickly restore the green cover in the future. During the year, no more than 3 mows are performed. The harvested raw materials are used as fresh feeding or dried for hay, from which fodder briquettes or granules are made.
Types and varieties of alfalfa with photos
There are over a hundred different modification forms of alfalfa. Most of the species grows in Russia.
Crescent alfalfa (Medicago falcata)
Crescent alfalfa bushes have a well-branched rhizome and basal layers. Plant height is 40-80 cm. The surface of the stems is smooth or covered with fine hair. Oval or lanceolate leaves emerge from the petioles. The size of the plates ranges from 0.5 to 2.2 cm. The capitate inflorescences bloom in early or mid-summer. The brushes are formed from many small buds. Pedicels are low. When the pollination process ends, sickle-shaped beans with a glandular, fleecy bloom are formed. The size of the fruits, depending on the age of the plant, is about 8-12 mm.
Hop alfalfa (Medicago lupulina)
There are both annual and biennial representatives of this type of alfalfa. The rhizome is thinner than that of the previous herb. The height of the stems is from 10 to 50 cm. The leaves are petiolate. Their length does not exceed 15 mm, and the shape resembles small diamonds. The foliage of hop alfalfa has a wedge-shaped beginning and a barely noticeable notch. The outer side of the plate is covered with pile. Flowers of a yellow hue are collected in capitate spikelets. The plant bears fruit with single-seeded beans that look like small buds. The surface of the beans is protected with a nap. As the fruit ripens, the pile disappears.
Sowing alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
The bushes of this alfalfa are very flexible, the crown develops mainly in the upper part. The length of the stems reaches 80 cm. The main root is thickened and strong, the leaves are oval. Peduncles with axillary base contain lush heads of flowering racemes, the length of which is approximately 2-3 cm. The color range of inflorescences is presented in blue and purple tones. Fruits twisted like snail valves grow 6 mm in length.
Hybrid alfalfa (Medicago x varia)
The height of the perennial reaches from 70 to 120 cm. Shoots form a wide spreading crown and are covered with petiolate leaves. The plates are oval, pubescent from the inside with villi. Inflorescences are spherical, growing on pedicels protruding from the axillary leaves. Brushes are friable, from 32 to 5 cm long. The color of inflorescences is variegated or monotonous. There are blue, purple and yellow varieties of hybrid alfalfa. The fruits are larger than regular beans. The skin of the beans is olive or yellow. The shape of the fruit is spiral.
Alfalfa properties
Beneficial features
The plant is rich in various nutrients. Alfalfa has even found its way into Chinese medicine. The herb contains many minerals, vitamins, proteins, phytohormones. The stems, leaves and flowers, which are harvested during the setting of buds or during the flowering process, have medicinal value. The raw materials are dried and poured into cloth bags. On their basis, infusions and decoctions are prepared. Juice obtained from freshly cut alfalfa is considered an effective bioactive supplement. Juice is prescribed to lower cholesterol levels, release excess fluid and stabilize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
The herb alfalfa is used as a folk remedy in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, rheumatism, gout, hepatitis, and diseases related to the endocrine system.
Alfalfa helps to strengthen the body and effectively fights many serious diseases. The plant is recommended for women with hormonal imbalance and uterine fibroids.
Contraindications
The use of the alfalfa plant is strictly contraindicated in patients with lupus, people with poor blood clotting and a tendency to allergies.
