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OMAFRA: Alfalfa’s fall rest period

The fall rest period – sometimes called the “critical fall harvest period” – for alfalfa is approximately six weeks before the average date of the first killing frost, when alfalfa stops growing. The fall rest period begins around Aug. 15 in Northern Ontario, Aug. 30 in Eastern and Central Ontario, and Sept. 4 in Southwestern Ontario. However, it is difficult to predict when that killing frost will occur. The actual date seldom occurs on the average date, so the beginning of the fall rest period is a guideline only.

Not cutting during this period allows alfalfa plants to grow and build up sufficient root reserves to survive the winter and grow more aggressively in the spring. |READ MORE