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Here is a Question...

Posted by melva 7b/8aTX (My Page) on
Sat, Nov 12, 05 at 17:25

I think I know the answer to this, but I have someone who is arguing with me about it...is Alfalfa considered a fertilizer ? Not the tea, just the pellets, or meal...


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Here is a Question...

Fertilizers come in many forms and all serve the same purpose. If you take alfalfa grass, chop them up and spread them on the soil, it will also works.


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RE: Here is a Question...

  • Posted by LizzieA z9 CA Sunset 17 (My Page) on
    Sun, Nov 13, 05 at 21:00

Well, on the bag of Alfalfa Meal that I bought at my local gardening store are the Nitrogen/Phosphorus/Potassium numbers 3-1.5-2 so I would say yes, it is, albeit a mild one.


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RE: Here is a Question...

Alfalfa around here is not sold as a fertilizer since it is an animal food, but you can buy it as a soil amendment in a few places. To be classified as a fertilizer the product needs to have the N-P-K listed as well as other things.


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RE: Here is a Question...

Melva, when folks want to argue about the finer points of gardening terms, I generally run for the dictionary. In this case, my Webster's Collegiate says that a "fertilizer" is anything that makes the soil more fertile. Ergo, alfalfa in any form is a fertilizer.

Most alfalfa meals and pellets have an N-P-K ratio of about 3-1-2 or something similar. But the actual level of the numbers, as sometimes printed on the bag, can vary from product to product over a relatively wide range. For instance, a company in Fort Worth used to sell an alfalfa meal which they claimed had more than 10% nitrogen in it.

Also, in addition to these usual plant nutrients, alfalfa also contains triacontanol, a complex alcohol that is a known growth hormone. If you want to see its effects, just scratch a cup or so of alfalfa meal into the soil around your roses and water it in well -- or drench your roses once a week with alfalfa tea, if your nose can stand the punishment.


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RE: Here is a Question...

Hi Melva! I had to laugh when I found this today. I hadn't been to this forum in a while....and I just sat back and chuckled when I read this thread! Glad we put this behind us - aren't you?? LOL!!
Jamie
ps.....I hope you are feeling a bit better! Probably too soon for that, but one can hope!!


 
 

 

 


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