After researching, I find that alfalfa meal decomposes fast and gives off quick heat, more so than alfalfa pellets. I cooked a geranium to death by planting in a clay mixed with alfalfa meal. I did the same with 2 rhododendrons in hot and dry summer. Years ago we detached our lawn in late fall and stored bags of grass clippings in the garage .. the entire garage was heat up, despite 40 degrees outside. NPK of alfalfa pellets is 2-1-2 ($17.99 for 50 lbs. bag), NPK of soy bean meal is 7-2-1 ($20 for 50 lbs. bag), and NPK of crack corn is 1.65 / 0.65 / 0.4 ($2.69 for 10 lbs. bag) at feed store. NPK of alfalfa hay is 2.45 - 0.5 - 2.1, sold for $8 per bale at the feed store. Corn is alkaline, has anti-fungal property. Soybean meal is also alkaline. Alfalfa meal is slightly acidic and naturally high in sugar, great for fungal germination. See below discussion "Afalfa Meal Heating Up Soil" in Organic Gardening Forum: â¢Posted by mprevost 7 (My Page) on Sun, Jan 13, 08 Throughout that time I've used only bagged composted chicken manure, alfalfa meal, soybean meal, and various mulches (leaves, grass clippings) to fertilize my soil. I have not seen this heating up occur without significant concentrations of alfalfa meal. Without a lot of alfalfa meal, it does not heat up. But if you put a lot of alfalfa meal under mulch or in a hole, it gets REAL hot in a couple of days. Like as hot as a very hot compost pile. 150 deg F or so. " **** From Straw: I haven't tested soy bean meal, so I won't recommend that. I tested cracked corn (grinded smaller with NutriMill flour grinder) ... awesome result, shiny leaves & many buds. Birds like to eat that stuff. The growth can't compare to alfalfa meal, but I'm aiming for buds and health in hot summer, and not top growth. Alfalfa hay is $8 per bale, best to mix that in with dirt, since the hay is hard to decompose, plus matting-up, blocking water. Some info. from the lawn forum: â¢Posted by lee_in_iowa 4 to 5 on the lin (My Page) on Thu, Apr 14, 11 at 11:35 Boy, I can't recommend the soybean meal. Never again! I tilled it into the top 4-6 inches of my raised beds one year and it grew me a bumper crop of cutworms and armyworms. It attracted pests I had never had before. For myself, I like to ask for bales of alfalfa hay." Here is a link that might be useful: Reference link on Organic Fertilizers This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Mon, Sep 2, 13 at 10:02

Sadly. Mine actually smelled like number 2, number 2. I put the stuff down yesterday and brewed up another batch for the rest. I have that matted/crust issue in my garden ever since the barrel tipped over. @kublakan: LOL Thanks for your blunt response. Hilarious!

I am no expert on alfalfa tea but can relate my experience. For years I just threw some alfalfa meal around my plants and am not sure it did any good. I also use the Tone type of plant food...Rose Tone or Holly or Plant or even Citrus Tone . That has alfalfa in it. But last year I made the tea for the first time. It makes sense to me that more of the good stuff in the alfalfa will get into the tea than if it is occasionally wet on the ground. I made my tea in a huge Rubbermaid type of rectangular tub and I put the lid on loosely so no animal would fall in. I made my tea in cool weather and let it steep about five days, stirring every day. I used alfalfa cubes. It never stank , in fact it smelled good, like fresh hay. Maybe it was because of the cool temps, and maybe it had something to do with the large surface area of the rectangular tub, and it not being so deep. Deep in a vertical trashcan it seems to me more anaerobic bacteria might grow. Anyway from what I gather the stink is not part of what is good about the tea. I was pleased to see a lot of basal breaks after using the tea. I'm wary of putting any food on new bare roots. I did use the tea on potted plants.

I would do the pillowcase method like Lily suggested or get some cheescloth or some cheap cotton fabric by the yard and throw the alfalfa in a piece and tie it up like a bundle and hang it in there. You can still dump the remaining mush into the garden or your compost pile etc. I have a bunch of 5 gal buckets w lids that I throw a few cups of alfalfa pellets ( and the remaining powder crumbles from our goat's alfalfa hay that falls to the botto. of their hay feeders) into. I fill the rest of the way w water. Leave them out in the sun for a few weeks, stirring periodically. Then I dump them into a pot that is manageable size to sump into my garden or potted plants. I dump the bottom mushy stuff in there too. It smells pretty bad but the plants love it. You could probably set up a few 5 gal buckets on a wagon so you could just roll them over to the flowerbed when its ready as well.