alfalfa meal

cyclonegardener 11/15/2013, 12:56 pm

Anyone ever used alfala meal/pellets on their gardens?

Nonna.PapaVino 11/15/2013, 1:22 pm

Yes, I buy Alfalfa meal from Concentrates, Inc. in Portland, OR : http://concentratesnw.com/our-store-and-products/ . Usually, I mix it with bone meal, blood meal, guano and kelp meals and use the mix as side dressings on veggies after they've been growing about 2 months. I also use it around garlic about the end of March and again the first week in June. The mix also finds its way into the home-made compost to refresh Mel's mix for another growing season, being as how the generous Oregon rain has a tendency to leach nutrients from the soil. Must work as I have some kale plants that are over 3 feet tall. Nonna

dsfin 11/15/2013, 10:55 pm

@Nonna

Thanks for the link to Concentrates NW.

What are the percentages of the different parts of your fertilizer mix?

Is this your standard organic mix you use for everything? Or do you vary the mix sometimes for certain crops?

Thanks ---Dave

Nonna.PapaVino 11/18/2013, 12:34 pm

Dave, Sorry for the late response (I was on the North Washington coast where cell reception is nonexistent). The combination of meals is roughly thirds: 1/3 bone/blood meal mixed, 1/3 mixed guano/kelp meal, and 1/3 alfalfa meal. Will probably cut back on alfalfa meal in this spring's mix because of more leaf compost being produced this winter (fingers crossed). I do know garlic benefits from the bone and/or fish bone meal used for a Spring side dressing. Nonna

boffer 11/18/2013, 5:01 pm

@cyclonegardener wrote:Anyone ever used alfala meal/pellets on their gardens?

A forum member (sorry, I forget who) said that she's been using alfalfa pellets as mulch. It helps keep down weeds, retains moisture, helps stabilize soil temperature, and as she waters, the pellets begin to break down over time and gradually add nitrogen.

It's on my list of experiments to try out.

sceleste54 11/18/2013, 10:09 pm

I bought a huge bag of alfalfa pellet horse feed and have been using it to layer in my compost. I smells wonderful and breaks down pretty quickly. Will find out if it improved my compost in the spring... Smile

**llama momma** 11/19/2013, 6:46 am

When I was pricing activators to make hot compost in a hurry - Soybean Meal was Very inexpensive and powerful stuff. I would use it again if I needed a cornell hot heap style of composting.

Last year it was only $5.00 for 10 pounds. Keep in mind it is not a substitute for greens, but it will cook things rather hot and fast so there needs to be a lot of 'fuel' for it to cook, say in a 12 cubic ft. heap. I used this information straight from the book, The Complete Compost Gardening Guide. Other activators such as cottonseed meal, dry dog food, rabbit feed, are also very good choices but will cost more than twice as much as soybean meal -- from my experience.

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