| Show Winter Watering Wate Can Be Helpful Dont Don't put up the shovel yet it may pay to do some late fall or winter irrigating Del Dei Purnell county agent says that's the word the W rd from soil specialists specialists specialists at Utah State sity Dr Paul D. D Christensen Extension soil conservationist conservationist conservationist conserva conserva- points out that hat winter irrigation is advisable in areas where there is a lack of sufficient sufficient sufficient suf suf- suf- suf rainfall from fall to spring to moisten the soil throughout the crop root zone Loam soils that were dry at the end of the growing season season season sea sea- son will hold and store six to eight inches of moisture for crop use next spring and sum sum- mer Usually almost double that amount of fall through fall through through- spring precipitation is re- re required since some does not enter the soil Where farmers expect less precipitation they may profit from irrigating He advises Determine your need for irrigating at any time by noting the amount of moisture in the crop root zone Irrigate to fill this soil moisture reservoir when it is dry or partly dry Certainly in many drier areas particularly in areas of severe drouth available win win- should be oe u v vany vu on ter water any oils soils that are dry enough to warrant irrigating Dr Christensen explained that winter losses of alfalfa are much less when the soil moIsture is adequate adequate- Dry y soils oils and drouth probably cause greatest loss of alfalfa stands during the winter months If alfalfa land is not frozen and the soil is dry irrigating will usually help In one Utah county a farmer farm farm- er who irrigated his alfalfa during February harvested more alfalfa the first cutting than he had harvested in three cuttings the year before Ina in ina a drouth period he thus supplied supplied sup sup- plied needed water even though irrigation was scarce during the growing season The Extension soil specialist cautions With alfalfa al alfalfa al- al falfa in cold weather avoid formation of an ice sheet on the soil surface or an ice layer in the top soil These These- can cause severe winter kill ing Therefore when you irrigate irrigate gate your alfalfa be sure to to- av avoid id prolonged flooding The I a soil should be in a condition j to allow adequate drainage drainage- after the water is turned off |
