Alfalfa pellets works wonders!!!

here is Daybreak today. the other brugs posted above are actively forming one Y after the other. new buds are forming too. it is too hot outside to take photo of them. i promised to take photo once they bloom.

i would like to see result from some of u, albeit negative or positive cuz i would like to learn more from other zones.

Jeff, thanks for ur input, keep them there and keep them coming: don't be shy =). i am learning a lot from u too, as others are, although we have never heard from them . thank you also for confirming and adding more input on the H2O2.

Daybreak, 2nd photo from above posting.

MaVie, I am learning for sure. I like hearing all the methods as I am new to the brugs. Yesterday went to the feed store and bought the alfalfa pellets (50 lbs for over $9). I'll have to check for a cheaper source, but at that moment I had to have them. Have my brew soaking now and will put on my plants tomorrow evening. I have a white and pink small cuttings that I got from Sandy A. (ilovejesus99), a small pink I bought, and a pumpkin gold I bought, plus a larger one that I bought last year and it came back(it was a peach color). I also intend to put it on my baby hydrangeas. I'll let you know and show pics when I get blooms. Jenny

Jenny, AP concoction does wonder on all different plants from the experiment i have done here. most of my plants are flowering far ahead of its time. AP i applied to the gardenia and plumeria that has not grown in year, sure are blooming these days. works on hydragea too.

here is bloom of an Chinese oriental lily that opened last night. sorry do not know the name. traded for it 2 yrs. ago, it is blooming for the 1st time for me. the fragrance is like Jasmine and Gardenia.

Guess I'll put it on my gardenia and camellias too. What about azaleas? Sounds like the perfect elixer for all plants. House plants too? Jenny

MVR, I think you may have really found something! I think every one of my brugs now has Y'd, the ones with the pellets mixed into the soil look like they are growing faster too. I wish I had 'before' pics, but just another camera a few days ago.

Let me make a few comments without complaining, K? Could I have overdone it with one or could some not have a good reaction maybe? I came home the other day to find my Creamsicle totally wilted, it still has not recovered--this one was newly rooted, but had been in the ground over a week.

Also let me advise those of us with CRS, it you forget to water it in, it can grow mold, DUH!

Jenny... i do not know about azaleas, i do not have any. houseplants, i have not done that experiment yet. lmk if u have tried it.

Vi ... most of the brugs in my experiment[AP treated] has Y-ed! the ones, i left alone, no AP treatment are merely growing tall, no signs of Y-ing. so i doubt if u have overdone it.

i do not know about growing mold on the AP application, i have not seen any around here. but then of course, i water twice a day. i have no choice between the heat of the sun and strong winds. i need to water. if i am not up to watering, i have to turn the sprinklers on.

i do not put newly rooted brug on the ground, i wait until they have over grown the 1 gal. pot. i give them plenty of slack to grow before putting them on the ground. as i an not too perfect, i made that mistake before too. so don't feel so bad, we all have to learn one way or the other. if i am in ur shoes, i would pot the Creamsickle and give it a chance to grow some, hoping it is not too late yet.

here's Tequila Sunrise, bloom barely opening. sorry about quality of photo. difficult to take shot as the plant is barely a foot tall. if not mistaken there are 3 more bud hidden underneath the leaves. photo taken a few minutes ago.

here is another shot of Tequila Sunrise, the entire plant.

Well, I got my alfalfa concoction on all my plants. Then we had a huge rain yesterday evening and more is expected. Guess it will just wash it into the ground and to the roots. I did find out that the pellets that I got dissolve in just a few minutes. I am not sure that they have the molasses in them though. I looked at the tag and it doesn't mention that. I will have to find another feed store with a variety. But my 50 lb bag is almost gone anyway. Jenny

look like new test in the making Jenny :D. pls. observe and keep note on the development on ur experiment. it will be interesting to know the difference. keep us posted! thanks for helping out on these test/s.

the rain is in ur favor, u did not to water as much as i had done it. the rain water will surely direct the AP concoction on the root level. u're lucky!

I found mold growing on the alfalfa that did not get absorbed into the soil. I simply watered & worked it back into the soil... Houseplants love the AP too! I tried it with some cuttings in water - It made the cuttings root in 3 days, but it cannot be left in the water for more than a day or so. (becomes rancid)

Viola, I would check the roots on your Creamsikle. It sounds like it might have root rot.... Maybe from too much watering?

JLD_2 -- Thanks for the lengthy input on the irrigation systems. One of these days I may be brave enough to tae it on The mechanics intimidate me, but the links you sent look good, and might help

Meanwhile, I use two tripod overhead sprinklers, which still beats the heck out of hand watering. I may go by with a hose and water at the base of key plants; then the sprinklers saturate. We are in a drought, and I am running them about 4-6 hours a day, especially since I haven't caught up with mulching! I usually have both set up and can alternate if I wish, before going to a new set up. They are adjustable by height and sprinkler head, and can cover from maybe 65' to 110'. I saw an oscillating (not pulsing) type in a catelog, on a trip, that makes a slightly smaller radius, and may be it to be able to "aim" better.

As for dragging hose around, I know what you mean. I have put posts with combination intake output nossles (sp.?) at key spots in the yard. They are available at places like Lowe's and Home Depot, maybe $20, up to $30 with a hose holder, which I do not use. This allows me to pull 50 or 75! of hose to this connecting station. I keep more hose, and attachments, at the statioins. Adding a "Y" plumbing connector at the station, then allows automatic sprinkling plus the use of a s eparate hose, choosing which one with the switch on the "Y".

I appreciate the input on the variegated Brug, kell! I was not given the full name of this plant -- bought it from a fella at a farmer's mkt. I'll check. I am guessing it is the sauveolens. It is handsome, just not 4' tall and branching like my others! Man, does fresh compost work wonders! But ist is not in the potted one. So.....AP tea soon!

Peter

Heya Friends.
We just rolled in last night from Florida...I don't know if I'm coming or going anymore...let alone even remebering my name at this point. I drove from Pennsicola to here in 16 hrs but we split it into a 2 day drive(8 hrs each)since my parents don't do "Power road trips" anymore. I'm not sure which is harder on me, driving it all in 1 shot or dividing it and having to reload everything twice. All I do know is every body part I still have sensation in is hurting like mad. I haven't gone swimming in the ocean since I broke my back and I still considered myself a stromg swimmer...That is until I plopped myself into the water at Cocoa Beach. The waves liked to drown me but I learned to handle that ok. Then we hit the Gulf side at Pennsicola(I forget which beach) and that was a whole different ballgame. The water was awesome and clear, then I found a drop off about 20ft. off shore and thank God I had family by my side! Even though the water was very smooth with out any waves to speak of, that drop off created an under tow and almost took me out to sea. I was just a few seconds from hitting pannick mode as the ocean began pulling me out to the Gulf. I found out that it doesn't matter how strong of a swimmer you are, if you can't dig your feet into the sand to walk out through the undertow, your going out to sea period! LOL I can laugh a little now but I was spooked, embarrased and humbled beyond comprehension.

Sorry about the story, I came here to talk plants. Man I came home to a massively overgrown jungle! I'll try to get b4 and today pictures to show you all the difference 8 or 10 days made in our gardens. We thought we had extra room in many of our beds and I could see soil inbetween all the plants. Man I can't tell what begins where and what is what. I have Dat's and Brugs wrapped together with Passiflora's and more seedlings that popped up from last years plants everywhere. If I have 1 Dat and cleome, I have 500 and that maybe an under estimation.
The Brug's that looked good before I left still look ok, just a little pale in color. The weaker ones either blasted off to look awesome or are just filled with holes from some kind of pest. I don't know if I mentioned what the cypress mulch around the base of the Brug's did to run the pests off or not but it is VERY obvious now that bugs hate that stuff! We didn't have time to finish all the beds with mulch so I have great test subjects. The mulched brugs that looked very sad are now beautiful and the ones that we never got mulched are very sad. We plan on finishing that ASAP. My awesome Charles Grimaldi on the deck is still covered in blooms but the leaves have gotten very pale in color since we left. My nieghbor that was looking over things for us said we missed a killer show that the CG put on 1 or 2 days after we left!UGHH! The Frosty Pink out in the garden has grown huge and the leaves have darkened up a bunch but the flower's have hardly any color to them. I fed everyone well with 20-20-20 before I left but that isn't enough for the Brug's obviously. I'll start the AP brew today I hope and treat everyone asap.

Datura's! My original D. Inoxia has huge blooms everywhere. My D. Tatula and D. Metal look identicle to one another sadly and the blooms are beautiful but so small compared to Inoxia. Literally less that 1/4th the size of Inoxia's blooms and they aren't opening up as much either. They are staying much tighter and just look like they will open up fully but never seem to. This maybe the norm for these guys as I have nothing to compare them to right now. I just expected so much more from them in size I guess. They're still a wonderful addition except I dedicated 1 entire round bed just for them and stuck in a bunch of cleome in the gaps. I was expecting flower's with their color and the size of Inoxia. That's what I get for counting my chickens before they hatch!

I have more Q's and stuff to share but will have to do it later. The heating and cooling company just called for our bi-annual once over and he's just around the corner.
I'm so happy to hear that the AP mix is working so well for most everyone.

update on the results of AP concoction. here is frosty pink from the 1st few posting

Ember Glow putting more shows, unfortunately the heat has affected the bud. one too many bud fell on the ground.

Plumeria blooming too! fragrance to me is very faint. my cousin came by to visit claimed it is very fragrant. thanks Brugie, 'tis the one u share with me couple yrs back.

Golden reflection Aurellian lilium in for the show too

Brazilian Plume

Cleopatra canna

You have some beautiful plants and I am going to follow your advice. I have been using molasses but never would have thought to use the alfalfa.

Oklahoma canna

thank u Kit, those 'early' blooms were result of the AP concoction i had experimented on last couple weeks of May. i am surprise to get all these wonderful result too.

unknown pink oriental lilium - very fragrant

It's wonderful to have all those lovely blooms so early in the season. I hope to have as much success next season with mine.

Sounds like you had a very memorable trip Jeff. Will be looking forward to new pictures. Why don't you put them on a thread of your own this time. Easier to find that way. Congrats on all the great growth on your plants. I think summer is finally here.

Kit, why wait till next season? if i got good results w/in 2 mos. time, am sure by the end of this season, all these plants will be more healthier and stronger to support itself during the winter.

not all brug specie that i have planted had bloomed yet, but mostly have been forming Y's, one after the other. i guess blooming is solely dependent on each plant. one observation: most plants fed by AP concoction have developed massive root system and very strong trunks that support forming of Y-ing on each plant.

in my research last night, i come across this link, i find very interesting to learn more about how to think like a plant http://www.gardeners.com/gardening/content.asp?copy_id=5336 hope give us better understanding how the roots and leaves perform on the plant we grow.

Look what it did for my geranium...

I would love to see someone start in the spring with identical plants. One using the alfalfa pellets and one using the regular fertilizer that is normally used. To me, that would really show the difference. I get in such a hurry to get things in the garden since our season is so short that I wouldn't even think about it until too late. I may try some tea on my plants in the greenhouse next spring and see if it gives them a head start over fertilized plants.

Hey Ma Vie, How are you doing?

I've been trying to catch up with you for a week now..lol

I sent you a couple of emails, wondering if they didnt get thru..I've had several go into the spam thingy lately...


Hope all is well and hope to hear form you soon

Hugs, Carol

I am not waiting until next season I am using it on my plants now. What I meant was that I will certanly use it next season to jump start my plants.

I am concerned about the alfalfa attracting rabbits, deer, racoon and even bear. We have had some raccoon problems here (they ate some koi)! and there is the occaisional black bear in some neighborhoods robbing hummingbird feeders and bird feeders. What do you all think?

WS ... there are lots of wild life here in the desert, so far they have not mess with any plants i had applied the AP solution... lots of wild rabbits, lots of wild birds and a dog in the premises. i do not know about bear, deer and racoon, as there are none on this area.

best suggestion i can give u is ... test an area where, if damage will be done will not have bad effect on the major area of ur plants.

besides, the concoction i used, i do water it thoroughly so there are no residue left on the surface of the area where they area applied. hth.

MaVie....I've used your alfalfa solution with very nice results. I dig into the soil about every 2 weeks and spread some in. All the plants, even the bananas love it! Thanks so much!

u're very welcome Brinda. i am getting good results too, specially in buds and blooms. if only the weather is not too hot to 'melt' the blooms :(. during the cooler months, each bloom would last about a week, if not a few days. these hot weather of late, each bloom last only overnight. i do not feel so bad, after all, there are lots of buds opening. is ur area doing the same thing on ur plants? the flowers can not handle the heat, no matter what. even the herbs are has matured and bloomed so early... they probably think it is the end of the summer already. it is only July.

MaVie, our spring and all of June was very wet with a few warm days in between. Mostly just rain. Everything here seems to be about 4-5 weeks behind schedule. Luckily this past week has been dry and the weatherman says very dry to come. I really like the rain, but there was a time there when I wasn't liking it at all. So, we will see how they handle the heat in the coming weeks. I have L'Amour (my first this summer) opening now, hopefully by morning. I had many buds on Antique Lace, but some ^%#* cat ate little holes in the buds. Ugh....I've been on a cat hunting expedition and can't seem to find it or them.

Brinda... u definitely have to be on the look out for caterpillars. i noticed the super hot weather started early last week on my area. last Friday, i saw some teenee weenee bit of cats on 2 different brugs. i pulled them out, and squeesh them. also watch out for cucumber beetles. i pick them out of the plant with tweezors. gives me the icky feeling. can't handle them with my hands.

i guess i will have to begin alternate foliar spraying of H2O2/alcohol with soap concoction from here on in. both the caterpillars and cucumber beetles can eat off all the leaves of ur plants. so be on the lookout!

we do not have any rain here. if there are some in neighboring towns, they are blocked off by the surrounding mountain.

today, the thermometer registers 100ºF but felt like it was 110ºF. this year the weather here has been so weird. i do not know what else to say.

Solid Gold

I have been able to thwart the bugs with the Bayer Systemic Insecticide Rose Food but I got slugs. You will not have slugs in dry areas but we really had them here so I out out slug bait and they died quickly. I have also heard to put out a jar lid with beer and they will get in it and drown.
I still plant them in Black Kow and bone mean or feed them in the spring with that, as I do the roses, but I gave nearly everything a handful of the alfalfa pellets today. It rained soon afterwards and has rained again (storms keep rolling through here). My bruggies have buds on 3 of them, I think they are all Isabella, though. Still waiting on the rest.....

WS/Betty... just be patient, after 3 weeks after application of AP, u should see great changes on ur brugs. pretty soon, all ur brugs will have buds and blooms galore. at least, that is what i had observed on the ones i grow. good luck.

Thanks, Mavierose. It rained twice since I spread handfuls on just about everything that blooms.
Now, one more question, we get a lot of rain here, more so this year. How often should I add the alfalfa?

MaVie I have been using the alfalfa pellets for about a month now. I just add about a cup along with my osomocote and some compost and mix well. I add this to any new hole where I intend to plant. I did this for a whole bed of hydrangea cuttings (everyone said I should wait and plant them next spring but they were just too hard to care for in gallon pots). Anyway the plants are thriving and looking so healthy. They have already doubled in size in just 3 weeks. I keep intending to make the tea but just haven't gotten to it. I also use the soap/miracle grow/alcohol or peroxide spray. I am satisfied. Thanks, Jenny