Irises and Alfalfa

Here are two articles that I ran in the April 1994 issue of the Canadian 
Iris Society Newsletter. 


Mixing alfalfa and iris by Dorothy E. Guild 

A surprise had come with our
regional newsletter when a member wrote that on the advice of a rose
grower friend he had used alfalfa pellets (rabbit feed) on his iris with
good results. It was noted that it can be used either as a side dressing
or a tea to spray on the foliage. Very shortly I was off to the store to
buy a bag of alfalfa pellets. The usual commercial fertilizer in a 6-10-6
mix had been spread in early April. In May the pellets went on as a side
dressing for the one, two and three year old seedlings while a thin layer
as a top dressing went on all seed rows. As the seedlings erupted through
it they were carefully monitored so as not to be smothered. Another
application of commercial fertilizer went on after bloom. Three weeks
later an "alfalfa tea" was applied with a sprinkling can down the rows. I
felt that in my opinion that the iris growth was much better from the
alfalfa applications. Intrigued, I had written of this to another iris
friend. Shortly thereafter he read in a garden catalogue of alfalfa use by
rose growers. Included in the article was a specific analysis reporting
the nutrients available in alfalfa. In 1990 he made up three beds to take
transplanted iris. He chose to try an experiment by applying alfalfa to
just one of them. By late fall he saw that vigour (side fan development,
plant colour and growth which are very important to a commercial grower
and hybridizer) had exceeded that of those not getting the alfalfa
treatment. Weatherwise here, it had looked to be a sad year for iris
culture. In the past two years leaf spot had suddenly exploded and with
June so cold and wet, I had expected another year of the same. It did not
happen though! Like my friend, I could not help observing how well the
iris had done...seeming to exceed the performance of previous years. We
will continue this experiment for three to five years and report back
further results. The question is: Were our improved iris conditions
attributable to the use of alfalfa? Can alfalfa pellets be a "magic
carpet" for better iris culture?  

Dorothy Guild resides in Spokane,
Washington.  The above article originally appeared in The Medianite Volume
32 #4 1991.  It has been edited slightly for clarity of content.  
END OF FIRST ARTICLE


START OF SECOND ARTICLE
Feeding
Iris alfalfa pellets by Terry Varner 

In mid-spring of 1991, upon
information received earlier from an iris correspondent I began using
alfalfa pellets as a side dressing in my iris beds. I had been informed
that definite results were apparent within a few weeks. Through the years
I have tried whenever possible to use organic methods of cultivation in my
iris beds as well as my vegetable gardens. Though I have always used
commercial fertilizers on my beds along with gypsum, I have also used
compost as well. Therefore the idea of alfalfa pellets was highly
appealing. Following bloom season I used the pellets on new seedlings and
before long their value was evident. I had healthier seedlings than ever
before. Their colour was a rich, dark green. In 1990 I redid three large
iris beds in my back yard.(all the same size) At the time I added sand to
loosen the clay and each one received the same amount of commercial
fertilizer 12-12-12 mix, gypsum, and compost. This spring I did not
fertilize the beds. In mid June, following the bloom season I decided to
experiment on these beds since each had previously been reconstructed with
equal amendments at the same time. I coated one bed heavily with alfalfa
pellets and left the other two beds without alfalfa pellets or any other
fertilizers. By summers end there was a very noticeable difference in the
colour, growth and development of the bed receiving the alfalfa pellets.
The growth side rhizomes appeared on the irises in the treated beds two to
three weeks before they did in the untreated beds. My seedlings which had
been treated shortly after being transplanted also had tremendous side
growth with some having as many as 6-8 side fans by fall. In my beds I
coated the ground heavily with the pellets and applied them on a wet soil
so that they would begin to draw moisture and disintegrate. I doubt that
you can use them too heavily on iris. They do not burn. An interesting
side observation is that I had practically no leaf spot this year. While
it was a dry summer, by August we began to have good rains. I will not
claim that the pellets themselves reduced the problem of leaf spot but it
was nil this year except in the untreated beds. Excited by what I was
experiencing from using alfalfa pellets I began to research their
composition. What do alfalfa pellets contain that would be of value in
iris beds? The following information from Nitron Industries Inc.,
Fayetteville, Arkansas might help us to understand.  Alfalfa has many
qualities in the nutrition area, not only for plant use, but for soil
organisms as well. One very important ingredient is Triacontanol, a
powerful plant growth regulator. Orchid and rose growers make an alfalfa
tea and spray it directly on as a foliar nutrient. Other benefits of
alfalfa: very high in vitamin A plus Thiamine, Riboflavin, Pantothenic
Acid, Niacin, Pyridoxine, Choline, Proline, Bentaine, Folic Acid, plus
N-P-K-Ca, Mg and other valuable minerals, also included are the sugars and
starches, proteins, fibre,plus co-enzymes and 16 amino acids. How could
your soil not respond to such a delicious meal? We recommend a handful per
plant or sprinkle lightly down the row. Alfalfa meal or pellets are
excellent to add to your compost pile. Make a tea and spray the liquid as
a foliar feed while adding the remaining wet alfalfa to the soil. Fifty
pounds of alfalfa meal or pellets will feed 1,000-2,000 square feet.
Alfalfa Tea; Fill a five gallon bucket with water, add two pounds of
alfalfa pellets/meal. Let sit overnight. The result will be a thick tea.
Use as explained above.  

If you have not tried using alfalfa pellets why
not try them this year?  We believe that you will like the results.  Terry
Varner resides in Marietta, Ohio and this article originally appeared in
The Medianite Volume 33 #2 1992. It has been edited slightly.  The use of
alfalfa pellets sure sounds like something extremely interesting and
beneficial to try on our own garden irises. If you try this, we would
really like to hear of your experiences and/or results. We have contacted
Terry Varner to check on more recent results with alfalfa and irises and
will hopefully be able to offer a follow up report on this subject when
the information is received. 


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Chris Hollinshead e-mail: bu336@torfree.net
Mississauga, Ontario Canada
Director, Canadian Iris Society
Newsletter Editor, Canadian Iris Society
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