Alfalfas

Many years ago, we planted alfalfa plots at Eastern Oregon Farms, Hermiston, Oregon. Breeders provided small packets of "raw" alfalfa seed for the trial, and used some of my "coated" varieties as checks. After planting on sandy ground, the pivot watered the plots adequately for good germination, but before the pivot could come around for a second watering, the wind had blown and dried out the sandy ground. The coated seed had swelled up and stayed soggy long enough to get a root hair down for survival till the pivot came back around.

If you have planted coated seed in the past you may have left it in the drill overnight without throwing a tarp over the drill. The next morning you likely found a swelled up mass of "goo". The coated seed did what it is supposed to do-retain moisture. You will have a better dry land alfalfa stand with coated seed. It's not the number of seeds in a bag thaat counts; it's the surviving plants per square feet.