Alfalfa pellets is one of my favorite soil amendments. Not only is it a good source of NPK but it also contains a lot of different minerals and the plant hormone triacontanol, which can boost plant growth. I'll typically add alfalfa to the soil in the fall and then again in early spring prior to tilling.
Alfalfa also makes a good compost tea. It is a great way to apply triacontanol to the plant while giving it a boost of beneficial microbes. I brewed an aerated compost tea for 36 hours which contained about 1 cup of alfalfa pellets, 1 teaspoon of silica and 1/8 teaspoon of cane molasses. After the brew, I poured the tea over the leaves of the pumpkin plant and poured some on the ground as well. That gives the pumpkins a little bit of everything that it needs to grow big.
Learn How to Grow a Giant Pumpkin. Competition Giant Pumpkin Seeds, Fertilizers & Growing Tips from Jamie 'The Pumpkin Man'. The Most Read Extreme Gardening, Pumpkin Blog in the World.
3 comments:
Any chance you'll give up your secret local source of pellets? Home Depot? Jareds?
That will cost ya Patrick. Lol
I get my alfalfa at Wardel's. They are very close to Joe Scherber's house. They aren't the cheapest but they are close and 50lb bag is something like $18. You can find them at http://wardlefeed.com/contact/.
Haha, thanks Jamie! I haven't tried growing a giant pumpkin in a few years, but still like to follow your blog because I find that your advice & products work well on other garden plants too. Hope to see you grow a record breaker one of these years!
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