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Which fertilizer for Fall lawn care???
V., you know, I always heard that about Alfalfa and read a bit here and
there until now. I went and found what's in the stuff. Gosh, darn, the stuff is loaded. Ingredients: Alfalfa ingredients: Triacontanol (growth stimulant) = Vitamin A (high concentration) = Thiamine = Riboflavin = Pantothenic Acid = Niacin = Pyridoxine = Choline = Bentaine = Folic Acid = co-enzymes = Crude proteins (16 - 25% in dry alfalfa) = Amino acids (% in alfalfa meal). Tryptophan, 0.3 % = Aspartic Acid, 2.3% = Threonine, 1.0 % = Serine, 1.0% = Glutamic Acid, 2.7% = Proline, 1.2% = Glycine, 1.1% = Alanine, 1.1% = Cystine, 0.2% = Valine, 1.0% = Methionine, 0.3% = Isoleucine, 0.8% = Leucine, 1.6% = Tyrosine, 0.5% = Phenylalanine, 1.0% = Histidine, 0.4% = Lysine, Total, 1.1% = Arginine, 1.1% = Minerals (contained in dry alfalfa) Nitrogen 3.75-5.5 % = Potassium .75 - 3.5 % = Phosphorus .3 - .7% = Calcium 1 - 2 % = Magnesium .30 - 1 % = Sulphur .2 - .5 % = Manganese 30-200 ppm = Iron 20-250 ppm = Boron 20-80 ppm = Copper 5-20 ppm = Zinc 20-70 ppm = Alfalfa tea is a natural and inexpensive fertilizer. Alfalfa pellets and meal are available from garden and feed supply stores in 50 lb. bags. Get together with your neighbors to share the cost (and transportation) of a bag or two. Pellets are easier to handle, but I feel that the meal makes a better fertilizer. Some also say that the higher temperature processing that goes into making pellets lowers the nutrient value of the alfalfa. Epsom salts are also available in bulk. In our area, Buckerfield's, Borden Merchantile and Integrity stock bulk feeds and fertilizers. Dry alfalfa is a good slow-release source of nitrogen, but since you will be "digesting" it by letting it ferment in water, the resulting tea is a soluable, fast-acting nitrogen source. Also, by making alfalfa (or manure) tea, you don't have to worry about weed seeds sprouting from the fertilizer. = If you don't have time to make alfalfa tea, you can still sprinke alfalfa pellets on the ground in the spring - however the nutrients will take much longer to be released, it doesn't look as attractive, and the pellets can attract rodents. A better solution would be to use Complete Organic mix and add extra alfalfa meal to it, then scratch it into the surface of the soil. Orchid and rose growers use alfalfa tea as a foliar spray. If you grow delphiniums and irises, they also love alfalfa tea. Some iris growers mulch their beds with alfalfa meal. And an additional benefit for delphiniums is that the Epsom salts in the tea help to ward off slugs and snails. In addition to nitrogen, alfalfa supplies enzymes and trace elements that are not present in chemical nitrogen fertilizers. JK animaux wrote: = I've not seen it at Lowes here in this area of Austin...actually Round = Rock. I'll seek it out, but the alfalfa pellets are sold much cheaper at tack= and feed stores. It's virtually the same thing. = V = On Fri, 17 Oct 2003 07:36:12 -0500, J Kolenovsky op= ined: = On their website is a retailer dealer locator. Well, wouldn't you know= it? I just clicked it and its in repair. Seems like Lowe's was one of the retailers. The Texas rep is Greg Phillips: Fort Worth, Texas Phon= e: (817) 731-9141. Less turf, more diversity. Yes! JK animaux wrote: Actually, Bradfield is a terrific fertilizer. I used to be able to = have access to it up in the Dallas are, but I haven't found it anywhere in Austi= n or surrounding. Do you have a source in Austin? I like it for a few reasons, but mainly for the material it's made o= f. There is so much organic matter in it, that it serves as both fertilizer and = almost as a compost top dress. What I've done is to buy alfalfa hay, and pellets from the tack and = feed store and I've been using it on very sunny areas of turf. It's moot now b= ecause all of that turf is coming out in about a week. Less and less turf. I = love that! Victoria On Wed, 15 Oct 2003 17:54:49 -0500, J Kolenovsky = opined: An ORGANIC one. These guys are out of Springfield, MO - http://www.bradfieldind.com= / JK Chris Farmer wrote: I am in the process of getting my lawn ready for winter and sprin= g. I plan to power rake the lawn to remove thatch, Aerate with a rented machine spread seed and apply 1/4" or so of top soil My question is which fertilizer is appropriate? Winterizer or starter fertilizer for the seed? The levels of nutrients vary greatly and I don't want to plant a = bunch of seed and use winterizer only have the seed suffer through a ha= rsh winter. I live in MO, so we get into the single digits at times during wi= nter. Any advice would be appreicated -- = J. Kolenovsky, A+, Network +, MCP =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business =F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal |
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