Hi All,
For my sister as a present I ordered (drop shipped) some fertilizer for her Hibiscus:
Dr. Earth 831 Organic 10 Palm & Tropical Fertilizer, 25-Pound:
The turkeys sent her:
Dr. Earth Alfalfa Meal (25 lbs):
Will Alfalfa Meal work as well as the Tropical fertilizer and save us a return shipment?
Many thanks,
-T
I have not used either product and a detailed analysis is not available via the links you gave. The first is advertised as a 6-4-6 (I assume this is N-P-K) and the second as 2-1-2. So as far as macronutrients go the first contains roughly 3 times as much.
Whether the micronutrients (trace elements) or active biologicals (mycorrhizoids etc) are present in usable forms or amounts is hard to say. Also nothing is mentioned about these in the alfalfa meal and to some extent their usefulness depends on the soil that will be amended. If the soil already has plenty of molybdenum (for example) adding more is a waste of money as only tiny amounts are required.
On the data available the two products are not comparable.
DTodd wrote: ...
no, but it would work ok if applied a few times.
however, it seems the company should send the right product and just take the loss on the return (i.e. let you have it as their mistake).
certainly this sort of event doesn't give a good impression.
songbird
Thank you
Thank you
Attention!
Do not be fooled by the innocuous appearance of Alfalfa (also known to the cognoscenti as Lucerne) meal. This stuff, about 3 times the amount of nitrogen found in chicken manure, will fry plants as efficiently as a blow torch. Us only very small amounts (1 Tbs/pot), and wait at least a week before adding any more.
You have been warned.
"There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments." - Janet Kilburn Phillips
and there is always "Next Year".
Thank you!
This does not seem to be supported by the analysis on the pack nor the references I looked at on the web. Do you have a source for this Billy? Some references say alfalfa meal is mainly used to increase organic content but does have some nutrients, which is consistent with the 2-1-2 analysis.
A complication of your comparison is that the content of chicken manure depends very much on age, hot out of the chook there is much more N than if it has been dried and pelleted or left to lay about for a few months.
I do support the general concept of proceeding slowly with a new product until you know what it will do.
David
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