Happy Birthday Sami and Ma Vai my Initals are TAR that leads to a lot of kidding.
Alfalfa pellets works wonders!!!
MaVieRose - you are a true gem and a continuous fountain of knowledge! I always love reading your posts and learn SO MUCH from them! In addition, I always print out your suggestions for feeding Brugs, Roses and other plants, as well as, keeping nibbling insects at bay. I truly appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge with us. The best part is that everything is totally organic! No dangerous chemicals that could potentially harm anyone or the environment! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
P.S. - I found Alfalfa pellets at Southern States Store. It carries not only Alfalfa pellets, but some of the more difficult things to find such as Cottonmeal. They also carry a wide assortment of food for feeding birds, dogs, horses and rabbits.
This message was edited May 31, 2004 4:23 PM
Hi MaVie, guess you're feeling well since we got more than a few posts out of you this time, lol. I had mentioned this before, (somewhere else) but I sure wish we could have 1 thread with all your "experiments" in it. Would it be possible for you to copy and paste all your favorites to 1 whole thread? Maybe in the 'threads you started' or 'watched threads' woud be a good place to start?
I have a couple questions with this one, if I may.
1-if I already use a timed release fertilizer, will this still help?
2-"incorporate the concoction into the soil"--meaning mix it in well? Even if you have a lot of surface roots, or a plummie?
Will just watering it in work as well?
3-with the molassas for bacteria part, is this ok to use for the potted brugs as well?
I sure hope you know how much your wisdom is appreciated, it just would be great to have it in one place! If you don't have time, maybe someone here could compile your notes, and send them to to to post?
Thanks for all the info, MaVie! I'm going to try some next time I go to the feed store!
MVR, thank you for the info I'm going to the Coop tomorrow and get some AP.
thanks to all the kind comments EveryONE!
Sami... if u use the formula/s i have posted above, i think ur problems are solve. btw. ur plant look alright. hope u had a nice birthday!
Vi... getting old really suck. by far, my health has improve only a wee bit. i still have fluctuating bp. i try to help the best way i can. i can not 'dig' all the info i have, but here are a few i found so far... http://davesgarden.com/t/400807/#top , http://davesgarden.com/t/367953/#top , http://davesgarden.com/t/364274/#top , http://davesgarden.com/t/320383/#top , other info i have given probably were posted in threads i contributed in. hth
question #1, as i have previously explained AP concoction will aid the roots of the plants to digest the fertilizer more quicker than normal.
q#2, when my health allows, as no one know from day to day how i feel... i would normally dig carefully on the surface of the soil... being careful not to severe any roots. create a well around the plant. pour some of the concoction into the well. and water thoroughly. soil i previously dug will eventually get mix into the concoction i have added. from time to time, i do like to loosen the top soil to aerate the plant root zone.
q#3 i have applied this AP concoction on all plants - both potted and on the ground.
i like to share the info of my experiment/s cuz i want everyone to benefit from them. i do not want them to get lost in limbo as i do not have anyone to pass them to. not to mention the savings we can save.
Note... pls be mindful that i am not trying to advertise for any company. i merely mentioned company names, brand and prices for everyone to know the difference in prices, and where these products can be acquired.
Note: if anyone find any difference in measurement of formula: i actually do not measure. i do guess estimate like i do in cooking. i never measure anything! formula i have given now or in the past is safer to use.
i also alternate using Palmolive soap [break water composition, has the capacity to really make water more wetter than normal], Lemon scented soap [bugs detest the scent of lemon]. soap softens the soil and mess up the internal system of the bugs.
i hope i have clarified some questions or doubts. if not, don't hesitate to ask, if i know the answer i will try to respond to the best i can.
Brugie Thanks and I am doing great but no longer live in Florida so had to leave the air potatoes behind. Starting all over again here in NC. Will not be in our new place until September but have started a lot of plants in pots here. My daughter finally gave us a grandson and we are tickled pink. We left Florida in Nov and just closed on our place last week there. So I have not been on my pc until we got here with our son in NC. How did you think my brug looked?
How are you doing?
Sami
I think you need to get it sprayed right away and keep spraying until the mites are gone. At least that is what it sounds like it has. Potting it up and feeding it a couple of times a week will bring more color back into it too. Once you get it on a routine, I believe you will be totally happy with the results you will get from it. Let us know how it progresses. As for how I'm doing..........still fat and sassy as usual. LOL!
Hi Sami, what part of NC do you live? I live outside of Kannapolis about twenty miles north of Charlotte.
I mulch around my few brugs and my many roses with alfalfa hay which I purchase in small amounts in bags at my local feed store. After a few days, I work this hay, which has become matted into the ground and re-mulch. Easy to do, and there is no smell as there seems to be from tea made from alfalfa pellets. It works wonders on the plants.
Ma Vie, you have me sold!
I went out and bought alfalfa pellets from petsmart and mixed it up last night and watered with it today. I think I had way too much alfalfa per the amount of water. Hehe now a lot of my plants have alfalfa caked on top of the dirt. But I mixed it in with the soil and I figure it can't hurt.
I've been looking for a cheap way to organically fertilize and this seems to be my answer-- so thank you. :)
u're very welcome A_n_G. be sure to water good. i think u did put too much to. kind of work AP in the soil. if u want it to be a mulch that will be fine too, less weeds to pull out! do take note on any improvement u see and let us know.
don't worry i did that mistake on my roses too, but i liked the end result after i watered good the AP into the soil for a few days, i noticed 3 days later, there were buds and blooms galore on each bush.
good gardening to u =).
Well, I live in the south, which is known for specimen weeds, and giant mosquotoes, as well as every other bug and critter known to man!! So, I use cypress mulch and my weed situation looks like it's a thing of the past. I'm going to try the cedar mulch but just haven't gotten around to it, they cost close to the same. I really like it and in the winter I use an entire bag on my brugs in the ground and my Upees...if the mulch is used according to the instructions, it won't take long to get rid of the weeds, without chemicals...but, I sitll have the Preen, just in case!!
ahelms
I live on the eastern part of NC. It is just across the Va line about 30 miles from Va Beach. Will be moving to a small town called Corapeake, Nc when our home is finished in September.
Sami
Wow, Sami, that's a new name to me. I had to look it up on the map. According to Maps. com, you'll be about 290 miles from me.
This message was edited Jun 2, 2004 8:09 AM
Rabbit food pellets are mostly alfalfa, you can get in 25# bags most anywhere. It also has other nutrients added that may be good for plants. Now I know why rabbit doo works so good.
ahelms that is about right. The town only has a small gro store and post office and gas station and that is it. We will be about 20 miles to other big stores. I will have to keep things stocked up, but I love it in the country.
Sami
Sami, I love the country also. When I moved here it was country but it's buliding up so much now and if Kannapolis annexes one more time, it will get us and I hate that.
Hello MaVie! So it DOES work, doesn't it! I was going to wait until mid Summer to use the alfalfa as a booster for my garden, but I won't be waiting now. I can't wait to see what this does for my garden this year! By the way... my gardens have not been the same since I lost the last of my 2 oversized pet rabbits several years ago. (especially the vegetables) The bunny doots are fantastic for the garden!
hi Julie... the hosta's u've shared with me are all doing great. thanks for my new addiction. can u pls. email me ur snail addy, there is something i would like to send ur way. thanks! and thank U for the hostas!!! i will send u photos when they begin to fill up.
yes, this AP experiment is indeed working wonders in my yard.
MVR, will the alfalfa pellets work on tomatoes I'm growing in pots?? I'm going to use it on the brugs. Thanks so much.
Liz... i have only recently planted my tomatoes, and have not tried the AP concoction on them, but i surely will try it when i transplant the tomato seedlings. will let u know ok.
am sure it won't hurt, after all tomato is in the same family of brugs.
Ma Vie, Did you get my mail ? havent heard from you and wondered if you were ok?
PLKM
Carol
I have a question about AP, I told a friend of mine about this and she went out and bought them. She told me her pellets swelled and there was no liquid, is that right. Do you just spread this mush on the soil in the pots. Or is is supposed to be liquidy, for watering. I wish she would have waited until I tried it myself, but she didn't. Thanks, Cathy
I'll not try it again. I'm not liking the way the mush looks on the ground and it forms a mat that the water doesn't like to soak through unless you go in with a hoe and stir it up each time you water. I wish I had tried this on a small area. My pellets turned to mush and I had a little water. I didn't even use as many as suggested in my barrel. What I have left will be used for rabbit food this winter. Not a good experience for me. JMHO.
Shirley, thanks for letting us know about your experience. I've purchased some but if it's going to be that way, I won't waste my time.
Ada, maybe I did something wrong, but now I've got a mess that doesn't look good. It is calling for mulch to cover it up.
I got it too, but made a tea out of it. The pellets stayed in the cheesecloth and I really didn't notice alot of water loss, they did turn to mush (kinda looked like the inside of fresh horse doo). I would guess the leftover mushy pellets would be good to add to planting holes and potting soil. I did mix mine into the top soil of my holes then watered with the tea. I used 1 cup to a 5 gal bucket, and let it sit overnight, wonder if I just got molassas tea, it looked dark?
Sorry Carol... been too busy around here. i will email u.
Cathy, this is the reason why i used a 32 gal. plastic container. i add more liquid to the presoaked AP prior to applying on the plant. sort of liquidy.
Shirley, apply about a cup on each plant on the ground. then water each plant hole thoroughly, until the concoction goes down into the soil. in pots, i add only about 1/4 to 1/2 cup [depending on pot size] and water it down too. if u apply way too much AP concoction, yes it will form a mat like appearance on top of soil surface... almost looking like a mulch. a little too much of anything isn't a good thing. it isn't like a foliar fertilizer, that when u throw in the ground it will disappear from sight after watering. i have used different proportions on different plants to know the difference on how much to apply... the reason why i did that cuz there will be some that will be carried away. at least i try to cover every ground, that may/might happen.
it is ur choice on what ur preference will be. i share my experiment with u cause i have seen or experienced myself what the AP did on my plants. most of the cuttings that i got last Fall [particularly the cut above the flowering region] has formed Y-ing and buds than normal. as u have seen on the photos i posted above, whereas other cuttingss just keep growing. bulbs has flowers ahead of it's time. this was the reason why i mentioned to take note on how plants react after u applied the AP concoction.
this experiment is still in active observation stage. as u see when i posted above, the experiment was only 3 weeks old, but good results were achieved on my end. i can not take responsibility on what u do cause i am not there with u, therefore not see what u have done. i can only relate and share what result/s my experiment had produced. if some has negative result/s, am sorry. as i have said it is ur choice.
maybe i should have kept my mouth shut, and keep observing. am really sorry, i can not please everyone... i can only share good exprienced achieved on this end.
Why not try using the alfalfa HAY instead as per my above post. Also, if you use the pellets, place them in a mesh bag or stocking and just make tea. Don't put the pellets on the ground, just the tea.
Etexbill, I need a mulch. Does alfalfa hay have seeds?
Ma Via, I understand...Was just concered about ya....Talk later
kell, no seeds in the hay I get from my feed store. I am using it for a mulch on many thing besides roses. It seems to help everything.
MVR, I'm sure not blaming you for anything. I believe I should have used the pellets at planting time rather than on top of the soil I used the tea first and then put the mush on top...my mistake, not yours. Please don't take offense at something I did without first testing one spot. It certainly hasn't hurt the plants and now it is all covered with mulch. I would just do it differently next time.
MVR - Please, do not keep your mouth shut. I love the organic approach and will try this as soon as I can locate AP. As you said, it's a matter of how much pellets to how much water and the accumulation on the ground. I love all of your concoctions and use the peroxide/alcohol water and polmolive recipe regularly. My spider mites are nearly all gone.
Exterbill ... i do experiments with my plants most of the time due to very limited income on this end. whatever works for me, is just fine. each of us have our own means on how to care for the plants we grow. i deal w/desert harsh sand, so i have to contend with whatever means that will work.
as i have previously mentioned, i have not tried making compost tea, and can not deal with stinking smell [my stomach is too weak] that others have reported. the AP concoction has allowed moisture to retain in my plants, not only that, it has done wonders for me.
no offense taken on this end Shirley, am merely stating that i do share info and everyone that read this should observe and test 1st prior to applying to their plant/s.
life is a learning process as each day come in, my curiousity in life has taken me to do a lot of research to learn more. so far, knock on wood, i have not hurt any plant i grow. what u see, i post are good results of my experiment/s [no hidden agenda, whatsoever].
hey, i am not too perfect, neither are my plants and previous experiences. in the past, true i have bad experiences of growing brugs. i never knew back then, that cuttings or seedlings should gradually be planted from smaller pot to bigger pot. what was i thinking then? maybe having read that brugs grow so bigger, i placed plants in bigger container, worst result was over watering and rotting the root zone area. now, i guess i know better! finally, i am growing good stocks at hand.
Linda ... i haven't stopped experimenting. i have a new experiment that is also doing wonders for me. this time, i need to do more observation before i will let u know. so far, am very pleased with the end result after 2 weeks of observation. it is also a natural product ;)!
MVR...I made up your AP sludge...and dug some into the surface of my potted brugs. Covered it mostly with the soil & I can see them growing new green growth in the 2 days it has been on them!
I had heard about the tea and then I heard how hard it was to spray on because the pieces left behind fill the holes in the equipment. I like this way...the AP are softened and when I add the water it makes it own tea!
Thank you for all your organic growing hints!
Margie
I'll be waiting for your post.
I've been using alfalfa meal for years.....pellets too. Simply mix the 'mush' as its been called into the soil a bit....no big deal and ceratinly NOT a waste of time.
Your plants will do better than you can imagine.
MVR, I completely understand.I like to experiment too. That's how I came up with the hay idea. I was just suggesting that if someone didn't like the smell of the tea, alfalfa hay could be used. It does form a sort of mat, but I haven't noticed any smell from the hay except sort of a new mown field smell. I just work the mat into the soil and mulch again with more hay. It comes in a small (maybe 25 lb) bag from my local feed store. Whatever works for anyone is what they should do. I have just put some on my brugs a couple of days ago, and they are putting out new shoots already. By the way, I know nothing about brugs, but someone gave me two. I planted them direct in the ground, not in pots. I hope this is alright. I'll study the brug forum to try to learn a little. Bill
This message was edited Jun 7, 2004 2:21 PM