Using Alfalfa horse feed as a soil amendment

[sirtanon]

As I've grown and become slightly more knowledgeable about growing tomatoes from year to year, I've gradually absorbed the notion of "Feed the soil, not the plant"..

Now, I still use Miracle Gro as a supplement at certain times, but I'm trying to become more "natural" in my approach to gardening. Manure, coffee grounds, banana peels, etc.. are all pretty obvious, as is standard compost, etc.. but as I've read more and more, I see threads about molasses, alfalfa, etc.. and it's gotten me to thinking.

...then I see this stuff when I'm at the local True Value/Ace store. This one by me sells horse and livestock feed, and I found this stuff simply called "Standard-Bread" which looks to be standard forage food for horses. As you can see in the photos below, the ingredients list is quite simple: Alfalfa hay, Cane molasses, Phosphoric acid.

Alfalfa - Check. Molasses - Check. Phosphoric acid? I would imagine that this would, at least in some way, contribute to the phosphorus content of the soil, which could be good too.. so.. Check?

- So my question is this. Has anyone here ever used, or known someone who uses this sort of horse feed as a soil amendment? How has it worked for you?

[Moonglow]

i'm curious to know more about this, too. thank you for posting the question. in the past i have bought alfalfa pellets to make alfalfa tea for my roses.

[velikipop]

Alfalfa, whether in pellets or meal is a great organic fertilizer. I use it for my roses and other plants, but because it is high in nitrogren I use it sparingly in combination with other meals as a fertilizer for tomatoes.

Alex

[dice]

Looks fine to me. It says "added minerals not more than .10%",
so the phosphoric acid is probably not excessive.

[sirtanon]

Yeah, that's about what I figured. Between the alfalfa and the molasses, this stuff should be as good as gold in the garden beds. And for under $15 for a huge bag, it's a steal!

[dice]

That is a good deal. 2 years ago alfalfa meal was $25 for 25 lbs
at one place, $14 for 50 lbs at another place (feed store). Last
year I bought a bale ($17). A bunch of it ended up blown all over
the lawn where I was shredding it (the dry green leaf matter
tended to be fine enough that a steady cloud of it came right
through the collection bag on the shredder).

[jerseyjohn61]

My wife and I had a number of lop-eared rabbits back in the 90's. After we lost our last few in 2001, I took the remaining alfalfa pellets(about 12 lbs.), and dumped them at the base of a freinds Rose of Sharon, that was looking poorly. That was the Fall of '01.
In the Spring of '02, the plant erupted in vegetative growth and blooms. It was explosive and had to be tied and cut back. Incredible.

JJ61

[simmran1]

I use a bail of Premium alfalfa hay, (by Purina) two times a year. Spread during a calm day and tilled in a few days before planting in the spring and again after clearing the garden for garlic planting on or about Oct. 15th. I've seen the benefits of improved soil structure, leaf and stem color, and vigor. Whether its triacontinal? or micronutrients, NPK, or earthworm food I don't know, but it turned a good garden into a productive factory.

[dew]

Alfalfa pellets are great for roses. Since I have roses planted amongst the veggies, this year, both will benefit from the upcoming alfalfa feast.

[maryinoregon]

I have a neighborhood friend who uses alfalfa meal and one or two other things to feed her tomato plants. They always look fabulous, grow well and produce abundantly. I should ask her exactly what she does. I think she told me once and I have forgotten.

[Amigatec]

If you have a compost pile that has gone cold Alfalfa pellet work great to heat it back up. I added 2 big bags to my Pumpkin patch last fall.

I plan on using it in my Compost Tea this year.

[neoguy]

Using it for the first time, $18 for 50 lbs. I sprinkled about 3 cups over each 3'x15' bed and worked it in with the compost. Then, added about half of a handful to each planting hole before back filling.

I'll also will be making a tea with it, gonna start a batch this weekend, Alfalfa meal and molasses.

[Amigatec]

Try adding some Worm Castings to your tea.

[sprtsguy76]

I make an alfalfa+molasses+ compost aerated tea every week for my maters. They love it!

Damon

[b54red]

I use alfalfa pellets and cottonseed meal at least 20 lbs in a 4 x 40 ft bed and sometimes more. My beds are now full of earthworms and my need for supplemental feeding with miracle grow has diminished considerably. I don't think the nitrogen is readily available so if is worked in well and allowed to begin breaking down before you plant I don't think you have to worry about too much nitrogen. As a matter of fact you will need to give a little supplement right after using because it seems to pull out nitrogen for a while before it starts releasing it as is the case with many manures. Alfalfa is fairly neutral while cottonseed is acidic so if I have a bed slightly too basic I will add more cottonseed meal though my best results seem to be using both liberally. Don't just sprinkle on the soil and leave it because you can get a crust forming and it smells like a feed lot.
Last year I used it moderately 50#s of alfalfa and 100#s of cottonseed meal on the whole garden and had fair production. This year I almost tripled the amount of both and have had the best production in 30+ years of gardening. I have been using mushroom compost for 5 years and my soil had become a little too basic and my tomatoes were looking a little frail until I started using the cottonseed and alfalfa. Find an old fashioned feed store or mill where you can get both at a reasonable price.