Alfalfa, Ranger

Alfalfa, Ranger is a multi-strain variety selected from Cossack, Turkistan, and Ladak. Due to its varied parentage, the plants show individual characteristics with variegated and yellow flowers. The plants range from upright to sprawling. Ranger is resistant to bacterial wilt but is susceptible to leaf spot diseases and leafhopper yellowing. Ranger shows rapid recovery after cutting.

Alfalfa is well adapted to deep, well-drained, loamy soils with a high moisture-holding capacity. Avoid deep, sandy soils or soils with poor internal drainage. A properly prepared seedbed is firm, moist, fine, and granular but not powdery. A fine granular soil is ideal for proper seed coverage. A powdery seedbed is apt to form a hard crust after rain. This condition harms germinating seedlings because they often cannot exert enough force to break through the hard crust. Late summer to early fall seedlings are preferable in the Southwest. The only notable exception is in the mountains of the upper southwest, where spring seeding may be preferable.

When alfalfa is seeded in pure strands, most agronomists agree that 220-275 plants per sq. m (20-25 plants per sq. ft.) are needed for maximum yields during the first harvest.