Alfalfa meal happens to be horse food which is also a great fertilizer for flowering shrubs and perennials. It contains micronutrients essential for your plants.
Most times, it works best when you mix it with an organic fertilizer which is recommended for the type of plant you are using it for. To apply alfalfa meal for your plants’ benefit, work it into the soil around your plant when new growth arises in spring.
For plants that bloom just once, apply the meal only once. Examples of such plants include shrubs and perennials such as peonies.
For plants that bloom all summer long e.g roses and dahlias, or repeat bloomers e.g delphiniums, it’s best to apply your alfalfa meal every six weeks. You can make use of 2 cups per standard-size tea rose.
There are certain plants that alfalfa meal should never be used on and these plants are acid-loving plants such as camellias, hydrangeas, evergreens, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, magnolias, azaleas, dogwoods, and rhododendrons.
The reason behind this is the fact that alfalfa meal is alkaline and so, not suitable for such plants. Also, it is important that you make use of a dust mask or perhaps, any other suitable protective material when applying it to avoid breathing the dust. The bag should be stored in a metal can. Leaving the bag sitting out anyhow can attract rodents.
Alfalfa meal is also great for fruit trees as it adds essential phosphorus to the soil for root, stem, bloom, as well as fruit production. In roses, alfalfa meal helps to add nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and trace minerals. Not only that, it contains a natural growth stimulant called “triacontanol”.
1) Fertilizing with Alfalfa Meal
Alfalfa meal, being an organic garden booster is a product of fermented alfalfa plant seeds. Alfalfa meal is known to have a pleasant, earthy smell, light, and has an airy looking. It comes in large quantities, as you make use of it generously around all your blooming shrubs and perennials.
2) How to Use Alfalfa Meal
Using alfalfa meal, you need to pay attention to the quantity used. Also, there is no great trick to learning how to make use of alfalfa meals. To apply alfalfa meal to your plants:
Sprinkle about 2 cups of alfalfa meal around rose bushes or other shrubs of that size and afterward, add a generous line of your alfalfa meal alongside hedges and spread it quite heavily among large plantings.
Work the alfalfa meal into the soil using a rake and afterward, ensure to water the plants as usual.
The first application should be done in spring when the plants begin to display new growth. For the plants that bloom only once in the year, adding more meals is not needed.
If you possess blooming flowers that continue to show off during a longer season, ensure to add another round of application every six weeks.
After you are done applying your alfalfa meal, transfer any leftover alfalfa meal to a tight metal or heavy plastic storage container. Do not place it carelessly or store it carelessly as the bags can be prone to attack by rodents.
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Conclusion
Alfalfa meal is derived from alfalfa plants, which have been shredded into a meal or perhaps, pressed into a pellet form, and this alfalfa meal benefits a lot of plants such as flowerbeds, herbs, shrubs, vegetable gardens, fruit trees, perennials, etc.
Certain plants such as the acid-loving plants do not like alfalfa meal as alfalfa meal is an alkaline substance. Thus, avoid using the meal on plants that do not like acidic soil.
