I'm testing out making alfalfa tea and I seem to be having some trouble, my 'sludge' is not on the bottom and it is not overly frothy. I posted some pics---does this look right? It is only alfalfa cubes and water and had been cooking for 3 days. Thanks for looking.
Sometimes the "sludge" will float, but will sink down when stirred. How much alfalfa in that batch?
Hmm probably more than the recipe. I'm using alfalfa cubes and they seem to swell alot more than I expected, there is definately a layer of water in the middle though. And I don't see the frothy stuff I have been expecting.
Can someone discuss the different forms of alfalfa: meal, cubes, are there others? I thought you had to use meal to make tea. I'm going to be shopping for it this week and I'd like to get things straight first so i don't come home with 50 pounds of something I can't use!
I use alfalfa pellets. They are pencil-size in pieces about 1/2 inch long. I get them from the feed store.
http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2294.html
http://davesgarden.com/terms/go/2295.html
I really want to know if I already have something I can use to make alfalfa tea. Here's a picture of the stuff the guy sold me as "alfalfa meal" with my Felco 2 pruners included for scale.
It just looks like chopped hay, and they sell it as food for horses. Is this what I use to make alfalfa tea?
questionable, missgarney. Ask for Alfalfa pellets at the Feed Store.
I'll try to get a photo of mine to post.
Poop, my camera is on the fritz. Anyhow, here's what my pellets look like:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.willowfarms.com/Images/alfalfa_pellets_quarter.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.willowfarms.com/alfalfa_pellets.html&h=300&w=269&sz=32&tbnid=-T5s3GRnuc1LSM:&tbnh=111&tbnw=99&hl=en&start=2&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dalfalfa%2Bpellets%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN
OR... (the above hyperlink may not work)
http://www.medimedica.com/images/pellet_jpg_jpg.jpg
missgarney.
Darius is right , all you have is chopped hay.
in answer to your question .................
Alfalfa cubes are made of roughly chopped alfalfa hay that is highly compressed and cut into cubes. (Not good for brewing tea.)
Tea #1. Alfalfa pellets are finely ground (powdered) alfalfa hay that is pelletized.
Tea #2. Alfalfa meal is just the finely ground (powdered) alfalfa hay before it is extruded into pellet form.
IMHO ..... I prefer the meal.
I scatter it around in the garden and lightly scratch it in , water and let Mother Nature do the rest.
I would like to see a picture of alfalfa MEAL. I don't think I can use our feed store's alfalfa pellets because they are made for animals to eat and have additives such as salt for flavor.
just be sure that if you buy alfalfa pellets that you get unmedicated, usually the horse aren't. I use them in my compost tea. hostajim1
missgarney.
These alfalfa hay products I mentioned are made for horse and other large animal consumption as a protein supplement.
NOT the pellets found in Pet Stores , made for guinea pigs , etc have other ingredients added plus they cost too durn much,
A 50# bag of meal or pellets should be well under $10
I have not seen any with salt added but it will not hurt, all the 'blue' watersoluable ferts are a salt base.
oh great.
For a 45 lb cube (1ft x 2ft x 1ft) of chopped alfalfa hay I paid $16.50, which would be okay if I could use it for what I bought it for.
Looked into 5lb of alfalfa meal from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply but shipping was about the same or more than the price of the product.
Guess I should just go with the pellets at the feed store and compost the cube?
That's what I would do.
