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West Paris Me.

The more I read on this subject the more confused I get. I am just not sure what to use. This year I am thinking about using alfalfa pellets about 6' around the plant and maybe the manufacturers recommendation of blood meal a few feet beyond that, but I don't know if I should use it out to 10' or beyond. I have read so much about splitting due to excess
nitrogen, I am probably being over careful. Also, if you throw Azos nitrogen fixing bacteria into the mix, How far out do you put that, and do you greatly decrease other nitrogen products? thanks, sorry so long:}

12/30/2013 6:19:13 PM

East Jordan, MI

Nitrogen is one of those things that is hard to pin down because it changes a lot (depending on heat, OM, and microbial activity, on top of any supplemental fertilizer you add) and is not real accurate in soil tests.

I can only answer you with what I do, which is working for me to a point.

First and foremost, I don't just amend the area around the stump. The roots are far reaching and come from every leaf node. So I do everything across the entire growing area, but I'm working on doing it as the plant grows (about 2-3 weeks ahead of it if I can predict that), because I believe that is one of the shortfalls I have been having (that the nutrients I put down 3 months earlier are gone by the time the plant gets there in Jun/Jul). That said, in the very beginning when the ground is cold, they only N I have found that is effective is Calcium Nitrate, and I use it in a 6 ft circle around the plant to give it the jump start until the soil warms up.

Next question is how much N is too much. The best thing I can do is tell you to look at the plant. Dark blue green bloated leaves are fairly easy to say "that's too much nitrogen" but the leaves don't start showing that until they are mature.

When the plant it young and growing strong the things I look for are:

fast growth nice healthy lime green plants with the tip a foot high and the end drooped over pointing at the ground (N is good)

1/4/2014 10:36:13 AM

East Jordan, MI

slow growing (what is weather?, if it's cold and cloudy you probably would be better to wait -- if warm I look for other reasons and symptoms before simply adding N, if I can't find anything else wrong I might give a foliar supplement and see what happens, if it perks up then a drench of something like fish or a light dose of N along with something to increase microbial activity is in order)

Tips raising way up and hard to get down (or cracking unexplainably) -- N is too high -- not much you can do at this point except support the tips, lowering them slowly, and wait until it corrects itself and note what you did and try to not do it again. Extra watering may help, less watering may help, it just depends.

I used Azos last year and had good results. I put it in my burying mix that I add at each leaf node. Since it is a bacteria, I don't think it will cause excess N, but I'm still in discovery on that one.

Don't be sorry about asking long questions...after all, my answer wouldn't fit in one post...lol.

I'm a little surprised I am the first to answer this after it has been here nearly a week, but it is auction season, and the holidays are now over. More people should chime in.

1/4/2014 10:36:57 AM

East Jordan, MI

oh and make sure you check ingredients of alfalfa pellets, many times they have salt added. In the spring I use, alfalfa meal, blood meal, corn meal as my extra N (along with the aforementioned CA N at the plant site) -- over and above the OM that is added in the fall for the microbes to turn into N to their little hearts content.

1/4/2014 10:49:30 AM

West Paris Me.

Thank you so much for the explanation. Very informative. Also I would not have thought to look for salt in the alfalfa pellets.

1/4/2014 10:54:42 PM