Michele - Thanks for this tip about Alfalfa. I just happened to go to Tractor Supply today. They did not have the pellets, but did have the cubes, so I bought a bag of that. I decided to try something because of those larger cubes. I added a bunch of the cubes into 2 knee-hi stockings and filled a 20 gallon plastic trash can with water and then added Miracle Gro Fertilizer and organic 6-6-6 fertilizer. I am going to let the alfalfa soak overnight and then use it to fertilize everything in my yard tomorrow. I have horrible soil and few earthworms. I am hoping this idea helps! We shall see. I also just created a new border of about 50 daylily starts in another area of my yard. I am hoping a boost of this will help them over the transplant shock.

Becky, I'm not sure if the cubes will break down enough in one day. Great idea about putting them in a stocking though! Love that! Guess I better buy some stocking! At least with them contained, you'll be able to see how much they have broken down without having to dig around in all that water!

According to an article (recipe) I found online for Alfalfa Tea, you are probably right, Natalie. But I did add fertilizer into the water as well, so I might give it a try tomorrow anyway. I can always add more water.

http://site.cleanairgardening....

I had also heard about adding molasses years ago. Might have to try adding that too!

I heard about adding molasses also, but someone said that it attracted ants.

Hi, Theresa
I have been away for a few days and just reading down thru this thread. I plan on trying some of the pellets or meal. So can you use this as a top dressing also in the Spring? What about chicken litter? Anyone use it? We have some Perdue chicken farmers in the area.

bluegrassmom said:Hi, Theresa
I have been away for a few days and just reading down thru this thread. I plan on trying some of the pellets or meal. So can you use this as a top dressing also in the Spring? What about chicken litter? Anyone use it? We have some Perdue chicken farmers in the area.

Yes you can top dress with alfalfa in the spring.

I use chicken litter but it is already processed and dried before we buy it. If you use fresh chicken litter you need to make sure it is no longer "hot" before adding to your beds. I don't know how long chicken litter has to sit or be turned (or whatever you do with manures) for it to not be hot.

Michele - If you top dress with alfalfa, does it attract rats/mice? Just wondering. I have a problem with fruit rats because we live near a citrus grove and some wooded areas around my property.

Natalie - Good point about the molasses attracting ants! I have enough ants in my yard as it is ... think I will pass on the molasses. Apparently the molasses helps the tea to break down faster. If that is all that it does, then I would rather wait than invite an army of ants into my flower beds. Sheesh!

beckygardener said:Michele - If you top dress with alfalfa, does it attract rats/mice? Just wondering. I have a problem with fruit rats because we live near a citrus grove and some wooded areas around

We have never had a problem with anything coming into the beds to eat the alfalfa. We even have bunnies that have their babies in the beds and they don't seem to bother it either.
The only thing we have a problem with once in awhile is an armadillo digging in the beds searching for worms. When this starts I pour a line of Milorganite around the perimeter of the bed and this seems to work and it goes elsewhere.

The bunnies that live in my veggie garden haven't eaten the alfalfa pellets. When I first spread the pellets, I put a pile next to the blackberry bushes where they live, and they have never touched them. They are too busy munching on the cucumbers! After breaking down from rain and watering, I put another pile there, and again, they didn't touch them. So, I wouldn't worry about it. I've never seen a rat here, but we do have an occasional mouse in the shop. Not sure if they would eat them or not, but it hasn't attracted them to the garden that I can see.

The only other thing that I've used to fertilize with is seaweed fertilizer. I really love this stuff!
http://www.burpee.com/gardenin...

I got it on sale last winter, so I expect that the price will go down. I used it when first planting my daylilies, and they got a great boost!

Becky, if it's used to break down the tea, it probably isn't concentrated enough to attract ants. With as much water as you are using, it would probably be safe to add it.

Thanks for the links Michele! I had no idea that alfalfa was so good for the soil. Next time I am in town I am going to Tractor Supply and getting some and put some in the ground right away. I am making more daylily beds because I have been looking at all the links to the beautiful daylilies and I just could not resist ordering a few for Spring. Its a never ending addiction . I bookmark every site ! I can't help it !

The daylily booster recipe I use has molasses, epsom salts and baking soda. I haven't had any problems with ants with it. I make it up in a big 5 gallon bucket - and I used to measure but now I just pour some of each of it into warm water, and stir. I will admit that I really don't have too many problems with ants here anyways. Now box elder bugs - THEY are a problem! ~Jan

I hate box elder bugs! I swear, they are attracted to anything and everything. Glad to hear that you haven't had an ant problem with the molasses though. Can't remember who it was or where it was that I heard that it was an issue. Maybe the ants were just bad there anyway, and they thought it was from the molasses.

Newbie question: I would love to use alfalfa pellets on my daylilies, but I have a couple of inches of shredded bark mulch around everything. Can I put the alfalfa pellets (and maybe another type of fertilizer) on the top of the mulch and let it sorta water through, or would I have to somehow get the pellets under the mulch?
Dorothy

Welcome......I would rake back the mulch, put down the pellets, work them in a little and then put the mulch back. Moisture and the worms will break it down.

Getting ready for work, but wanted to pop on here to post ....

I found out that both plastic garbage cans leak (after filling them up with water, fertilizer, and the Alfalfa cubes). Grrrr .... The weeds in that area should look stunning in a couple of weeks! (I should have known that plastic doesn't last long here in the heat of Florida.)

The leaks were only half-way down both trash cans, so there was enough left to water many of my plants with the tea. The water was a murky brownish-green and the smell reminded me of my sister's horse. I don't know why I didn't think of using alfalfa before. I had used donkey droppings as fertilizer in the past, but it's a pain to drive 20 miles and shovel it up into 5 gallon buckets. The poo is mainly alfalfa and hay. So much easier to just use the cubes/pellets. The nice things was that the cubes were expanded and the alfalfa looked fluffy and rather green again. So I cut both stockings and spread all the alfalfa around my roses and some shrubs that really need some good fertilizing. I will soak another batch and add to my various daylily beds sometime soon (after my daughter's surgery and recovery). I really like the way the stuff looks and smells. Brings back fond childhood memories. I think the Alfalfa Tea will do the trick for now as I poured it all over my daylily beds, as well as many other plants. I may also do a dose of Alaskan fish emulsion too before it starts getting cold here. I am in zone 9b, so there is still a few months left before "winter" hits here. Winter in south-central Florida is usually pretty mild. (Which is why the dormant daylilies don't always survive here in my yard.)

Becky, your post really made me laugh! Can't wait to see pictures of your stunning weeds in a couple of weeks! Sorry that the garbage cans leaked though!

And, it's official. I've finally seen the words "donkey droppings" in a post! Been waiting years for that!

I thank you, and your plants will thank you too!

Dorothy, welcome to ATP!

I have used Alfalfa pellets on my daylilies for years and everything is heavily mulched here. I never bother to rake the mulch back as that would be too much work. I don't scratch the pellets in either. I just scatter them around and wait for the rains to break them down. Takes slightly longer this way but works just fine.

As well as the daylilies I use Alfala pellets on my roses in the spring also.

Dorothy

I agree with Rita here I just spread the pellets around over mulch and let the rain make a tea to leach into the ground. I am all for not making myself extra work and let mother nature help me out it works beautifully.

Newyorkrita said:Dorothy, welcome to ATP!

I have used Alfalfa pellets on my daylilies for years and everything is heavily mulched here. I never bother to rake the mulch back as that would be too much work. I don't scratch the pellets in either. I just scatter them around and wait for the rains to break them down. Takes slightly longer this way but works just fine.

As well as the daylilies I use Alfala pellets on my roses in the spring also.

I would be concerned about spreading alfalfa over unshredded matted leaves. Some types of leaves can take a few years to decompose so how do you really know how much of and when the alfalfa ever makes contact with the soil?

Even unshredded leaves decompose. And there are always earthworms to help with the process. I have been throwing my alfalfa on top for many years. It does work but not as quickly.