The leaves I use for mulch are picked up with the leaf catcher on our lawn tractor which shreds them by the end of the growing season if not before they are broken down completely, sometimes I wish they would last a bit longer. I agree that earthworms help the process we have plenty of them in our soil.

Newyorkrita said: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.

I'm aware shredded leaves decompose, sometimes unevenly, takes longer and the earthworms help. So if you're applying alfalfa on top of unshredded leaves isn't it just breaking down on top of the leaves? In other words how do you determine if any of the alfalfa makes contact with soil.

It feeds the soil. It breaks down. It doesn't have to contact the soil directly. I put granular fertilizer on top of my mulch each spring also. It doesn't actually touch the soil either. But as the rain breaks it down it washes into the soil.

Oh, good. If I had to rake all that mulch away, I don't think I would ever get around to it. I have 14 8' by 4' raised beds full of mostly daylilies (blush), so that would be more than I could do. Thank you for your answers. I think I'll do that in the spring as soon as the snow melts. I better start buying the pellets now so I can stretch out the payments for a few months. No problem knowing where to buy them--we have horses, too.

I still prefer that the pellets are in contact with the soil. There are many pathways to success and we can each choose what works for us. Wasn't that profound?

Paul in your dry climate that may be the best way to do it here we get plenty of spring and fall rains so my way works here. Being a senior I like not overworking myself with all the garden space around here.

So true. Use whatever method works for you. But a big bag from the feed store should be more than plenty to do all the daylilies.

Maybe I am imagining things ... but I swear all my plants that I fertilized yesterday with the alfalfa and fertilizer were standing at attention today after work. It was actually kind of bizarre looking! It's like everything got a shot of caffeine or something! I half expected them to get up and walk right out of my yard to look for better soil somewhere else. It was really kind of creepy looking to see all the stems and branches standing vertical. It made me do a double-take and make a closer inspection. WEIRD!!!!! (I can hear the Twilight Zone theme music playing in the background ....)

Is there something y'all aren't telling me about alfalfa?????!!!!

has it been awhile since you fertilized? I noticed last year when I hadn't fertilized in awhile that when I did the plants looked like they had shot up a foot and the scapes actually did shoot up about 6 inches

Becky, I think that is what happy plants probably look like!

Hey, Paul2032 is my neighbor. Well, neighbor town, anyway. HI!!!!!!
Dorothy (Highland, UT)

Dorothy! I recently moved from Holladay to Idaho. We were distant neighbors!

Dorothy!!!

Welcome neighbor...Dorothy. I may ride out to the big Smith's Market Place out your way today and walk through that big store for exercise.

Dorothy.

Dorothy. Good to see you here!
I usually pull back the mulch when I am top dressing. I don't have as many plants as most of you so I can understand the broadcast "on top" method that you all use. I usually do my top favs first and then trickle down to the peons. . I also mix the Alfalfa Meal with the pellets along with Milorganite when I am a doing this. If the soil is looking weak I incorporate some compost/manure/peatmoss at this time.

Great ideas Mike

Michele and Natalie - You both may be right!

I do fertilize, but not with the good stuff y'all have been using. Mainly MiracleGro and Alaskan Fish Emulsion. I do think the Alfalfa is what perked up all my plants! My roses have put on a LOT of growth in just a short period of time! I am glad I bought a 40 lb. bag of the good stuff!

Michele is the pro, and the expert, when it comes to this stuff. The only thing I've ever used is alfalfa pellets and added seaweed fertilizer this year. Otherwise, they have been on their own. My plants have reacted well right after adding these things, so I think they were letting you know that they liked it!

I'm no expert..... I just use what Fred (spunky1) uses with a little of what James Hall uses and then add a little of my own thing.