I personally think you can overdo ANYTHING.
Alfalfa pushes topgrowth, and with young plants, it could probably push topgrowth at the expense of root growth. :-(

Also, a huge excess of very soft new growth is a flashing neon invitation to aphids and the like -- perhaps encouraging a population of bad bugs too large for natural predators to deal with.

"NOTHING IN EXCESS" is probably a good watch word.

Jeri

So how do I decide how much to use? I imagine that the window is stilll fairly large, even though I agree anything can be overdone.

I do like formulas. Keeps me accountable. ;o)

Alfalfa contains a large amount of a growth stimulant, Triacontanol. It is released in water, which is why the alfalfa "tea" is used by many people. I agree with Jeri, I also think overuse pushes top growth without root growth. Straight alfalfa, I only apply once or twice a season. I do use Espoma Holly-tone monthly, but the percentage of alfalfa is less, and I stop application in early August.

When WE make alfalfa tea, we put "a coffee-can-full" of alfalfa meal or cubes in a 32-G trash can, fill the thing with water, put the lid on, and leave it for a week or so.

When we take it out, we dilute the liquid by half.
Then we give a gallon or two to each MATURE plant.

I emphasize, again, that this treatment is for MATURE bushes.
Do not even think of doing this (or any other feeding) until after your first bloom cycl. A prudent gardener would probably go easy on it even then.

MORE IS NOT BETTER. For your immature plant, pushing a lot of topgrowth may either kill the plants outright, OR render them incapable of surviving your winter.

Jeri

ooops, i have made the alfalfa tea but have not had the first bloom cycle. Any chance the tea will hold for another month?

That answers my question, no doubt. I don't think I have been horrendously excessive, but definitely overdoing it. And no worries, I had no intention of feeding now! Everything ios leafing out and growing like mad, but it is still really early here.

Any chance the tea will hold for another month?

*** MONTHS.
It just gets rottener.

Jeri

warning warning! Do not go to a cotillion for a few days. He he!! I invariably get this stuff on me somewhere and pretty hard to get the stink off. However, it really smells like roses!!!!!

Maybe you can use your already made brew on your lawn or on any perennials or annuals you have?

Thanks for the good advice as always. I may have blooms in a few weeks if our weather continues as warm as it has been lately and I'll hold the tea to use then or put on a few perennials as suggested. I have a new neighbor and have already prepared him for the "aroma". :)

Is the aroma that bad??? Now, I worry that the neighbors will complain! I'm sure that the aroma leaves after a day or two though.

Aw! It smells like stinky cow manure for a few days. Tell them not to worry...it will still smell like roses. However if you add fish emulsion to it.....Wowser!!!!!!!!!!

I would probably go ahead and use this batch of tea on something else besides your roses and 'brew' another batch in a few weeks after your roses have bloomed. The tea is also great for lawns, bushes, shrubs, trees, annuals, veggies, etc.... not just roses.

I've been making alfalfa tea for several years now and have let batches go from anywhere from a few days to a couple months! and let me tell you, a batch that has been let go for a month plus is some wicked, nasty, rancid, putrid stuff! I'm talking haz-mat suit needing bad. Maybe if you don't add all the extra stuff that I add to my tea, it won't smell as bad. My alfalfa tea tends to be a real 'witches brew' by the time I'm done. I add fish emulsion, sea weed/kelp, compost, chelated iron/minerals, molasses, etc... for an extra kick. All that stuff tends to make the tea a lot stinkier than just plain alfalfa tea, but that can also get pretty bad with time.

If you do decide to let this batch go for several more weeks/month, you may want to think about aerating it (w/ aquarium air pump/air stone) which will also help keep the stench down for a while, and also supply lots of additional microbes.

Also temps may become an issue. The microbes in your tea need oxygen to survive. Cooler water holds more dissolved oxygen than warmer water. I've always been told that above 80F the water can't hold enough dissolved oxygen to support the microbial herd in the tea and they begin to die off (rather quickly too!). If there is a chance that your tea is going to reach/exceed 80F, letting it sit for several more weeks, be aware that it is likely to go anaerobic and it will become a lot stinkier. Aerating the tea is another way to keep it from going anaerobic, but again, if the temp fo the tea exceeds 80F, it's a losing battle to keep it from going anearobic and thus, very stinky.

Matt - thank you for your explanation on the science of the tea. I think I'll go ahead and put this on the bushes, trees, etc and brew another batch later on for the roses. I am afraid the temperatures will reach above 80 in the next few weeks as we've had a few days in the mid 80s -though that's very unusual here. My roses look so great right now that I don't want to risk a thing. One question for you, with Molasses, in a 32 gallon barrel, how much of that do you add? I only have used the alfalfa and epsom salts. Thanks!

Sorry, didn't mean to imply that I had already mixed a batch for this year. Not even close, as I have yet to finish my early garden chores, lol!

I did buy an aquarium pump and a couple stones last year, so maybe I will start experimenting with the aerated tea.