Just scratch the pellets or alfalfa meal in around your roses and water them well. Then the question won't come up again, and it will be more effective than the tea. You can add more meal around the roses every 2 or 3 months, and they'll get all they need.

Hello,
I've put the mashed alfalfa cubes around the dripline of the roses, but wanted to use the tea as well. I attribute the use of Alfalfa to the survival of most of my roses after the terrible winter we had.
I found a marked increase in blackspot problems after putting the alfalfa around the plants though. Have you experienced this?
Deb

I use the tea because the alphala pellets atract rodents who like to chew on my bushes despite the fact I have a cat and dog. I brew 120 gal Alfalfa tea for 100+ roses and feed them every 2 weeks during the growing season.The tea is brewed in 60 gal covered plastic barrels and I add 2 cups of epsom salts to each barrel.

I live in east Texas. Would I be helping my roses to put out the alfalfa now or wait? Is the tea better or the pellets?

The pellets are much easier than the tea. Don't know about timing. Here in So. CA the pellets would just float away at this time!

The advantage of the tea, is that the alcohol produced by the fermentation (I forget the name of it) promotes basal breaks on roses.

jill

I have heard about using alfalfa tea to promote basal breaks. I have one established ( about 50+ years, came with the house) and five new ( just planted bare root this season)Will this work on all and where do I get it? Thanks

That alcohol (triacontanol) is produced in the decomposition anyway, so if you just throw the stuff in your garden it works and you don't have to deal with the horrible smell of "tea". You can get alfalfa at any decent feed store in a 50 lbs bag.