Ok this might sound silly but I have been trying to get a hold of some of this here in Sudbury. The only places I can seem to call are the Pet Stores. They tend to sell the alpha blocks which are a big bigger than the pellets. I am assuming this can be used on clematis? If am not even sure if I am on the right take here so please correct me if I am wrong.
Now is alfalpha a good fertilzier for the clematis or just something I can add along the way along with ferlizers? Any info would be appreciated and yes I am still doing more research on what this town has. Aren't alfapha pellets what they feed to rabbits??
Alfalpha Pellets
If there are dairy or beef cattle farms in the surrounding area, there should be some sort of feed store or mill.
dawn, you can make algalfa tea, but it is a lot of work and smelly, also attracts bees, with the cubes or blocks. but the pellets are what you need for easy soil mixing. find a feed store not a pet store.
bring a van and come down here and stock up?????
I looked in our yellow pages in the phone book and can't find any feed stores in the area.....this sucks!!! Sheesh! We have nothing around here. You girls down south have it all! LOL.
LOL, Dawn.
What about Canadian Tire?
I was at a large garden center today where I saw flaked alfalfa in packaging similar to Rose Tone
There is this product. Maybe there is something similar in Canada
http://www.alfagrow.com/index.html
Thanks a bunch Julia - yes I will look into it at our Canadian Tire next time I am there.... I never even notice this kind of stuff.
DawnLL - I do hope you find your pellets.
i just got a 50 lb bag of he stuff - for my hostas
- so Im REAL glad to hear other plants like this stuff too!
but let me get this straight:
Alfalfa pellets are good for clematis?
and these pellets should be added to the soil
- one handful per plant when planting. is this correct??
I was surprised to see an alfalfa product packaged as a fertilizer for the garden. I'm too afraid to use it because of the rabbit problem around here.
yes, you need small plain pellets not enhanced with vitamin type pellets. they are easy to get here , used for horses, goats etc.jj i have a lot of bunnies in the yard all the time, and have never had them near clems or attraced to the alfalfa. it can attract bees if wet and standing. but mixed with the soil you plant with or with compost for top dressing i have had no issues. it is a really cheap way to lighten the clay types soil and get extra nitrogen into the soil, i have only used it with clems, nothing else unless they got some of my soil mixture that was left over.
same with oyster shells at feed store, get plain not enhanced.
. . .and the Hosta Forum folks swear by these Alfalfa pellets too!
YEP! . . . ive got a Whole 50lb. Bag
- in the back seat of our car
- too heavy to get out OR open
- that is awaiting to be used as i click away! LOL!!
Keep it dry and well sealed after use...it will get moldy if it gets wet in the bag
banana the "mold" on wet alfalfa pellets is harmless. i have had that happen in a wheelbarrow, with them covered , uncovered the whellbarrow a couple of days later and had some light mold on top. i just mixed it in and used it. it is not a real mold, just some light growth form the microbes in the air. that is my experience. but with the paper bags of the alfalfa pellets and the oyster shell, it is best to cover both for ease of handling.
Mine was sitting around for a while and I wasn't sure if it would be helpful or harmful since it was green/black and quite big. It is good to know that a liitle bit is fine, but I still don't think I would take a chance with my yucky mold.
Do you transfer your pellets into another container?
i try and use a bag quickly after opening, and when not all in one day or over a dry weekend, i over it with a tarp or put in big plastic containers.
the small fuzz on ti is harmless. when i have a bag languishing that i have not used up fast enough, i put in in the compost heap.
I read somewhere that clems. like acidic soil, does the alfalfa pellets change the PH of the soil? If not what is in it that is beneficial to the clems and what other plants can it be used on?
these alfalfa pellets are said to be good on hostas too.
cheap fertilizer. but the price is right for me! ^_^
Alfalfa pellets are one thing I haven't shopped for yet, although we do have a feed and seed store here. Please clarify how the alfalfa pellets will help my clems.
sharkey , looking at all the questions and comments above ,also wanted to clarify, clems can take a range of ph. they are not ultra sensitive to ph , (at least to my knowledge) in fact i have never even taken the ph of my soil. altho i sometimes thing about doing that.
the alfalfa pellets add nitrogen in a very natural way and also add humus to the soil which helps clay conditions stay looser (if it is mixed in your planting soil mixture. i have also top dressed with it, or mixed it with the oyster shell.
some folks make tea with them and water with the tea. i do not do this, too much work for me lugging the buckets of water with as many clems as i have and also i have heard it stinks when you make tea this way.
i buy the alfalfa pellets about 3 times a year and use them. if i do not have them on hand when i mix my soil i just skip that ingredient. some people actually mix grass clippings in with their soil mix or top dress with it, this performs the same function. i do not do this either as most of our grass is just mulched back into the lawn. we have a few areas we mow ourselves less frequently than weekly and sometimes collect clippings from those areas .but we use those in our big compost bins, not going to fight hubbie for those!
ClematisGuru - where were you when i needed you?? *smile*
So I bought the 50lbs bag of alfalfa pellets.
And mixed th stuff as mentioned. Forgot and left the tightly covered container in th corner of my kitchen.
Several days later, I hear Hon Yelping and smell a stench that make me think of decay. He had opened that container.
Well now it is stored in the Yard.
But Im afraid to open it due to the smell! GRRRRR
I will wait for cooler climates and a windy day and consider using it then.
I think using these pellets - a handful at a time when planting a new item may be the safest way to use us this 50lb bag.
not sure of your basic, un altered garden soil content, but you can use much more than a handful to augment your garden soil into a more friable, looser, organically rich [planting soil.
you can also mix with compost or grit and top dress clems or other important plants with it.
some make compost tea with it to give a liquid boost (i do not due this )
i understand what you mean re it de composing, i have used it when it is very "cheeky" and going ripe, never any harm in my garden from that.
once when i was overstocked i actually just added it to my big compost bins.
it is a very useful way to add nitrogen rich content to soil, mulch etc....
smell etc will calm down as temps cool down, but if you can get beyond the superficial condition you have a great garden helper with it.
re storing in kitchen, can not comment. mine is stored outside......
fun!
Great thread here. Keep it going.
Janet
When I bought my 50-lb bag, it was too heavy for me to remove from my car, so I left it in the back of my SUV and forgot about it. The next day when I was driving around I couldn't imagine what I was smelling. I thought an animal had crawled in my car, as I leave the windows open during our 100 degree weather. It took me a couple of days to realize what it was. I'm also using it now in my soil mixture.