Nope....
I have become a true believer in the mystical properties of alfalfa pellets. Given water a bit of sunshine and alfalfa, I have seen some phenominal growth in some hosta in the past 3 years.
But I don't think I would be giving them a shot of steroids so soon after planting and just past mid summer.
Linda C

if you have good soil... you really dont need anything..

a little of this or that isnt going to hurt ...

NOTHING with high nitro in my estimate ...

alfalfa in pelletized form is rabbit food.. and horse i think .. if you have rabbits in the hood .... you might want to think about spreading it all over your garden ... some make a tea out of it... might be a FAQ about that ...

you dont say where you are ... like zone.. but in my z5 i wouldnt go putting on too much of anything that will still be hanging around past september ... we want them hardening off for winter.. not in fast soft growth.. which will rot over the winter ...

think of it this way .. manure from a horse or a rabbit is just post-animal alfalfa .. lol ... most nures... should be applied in spring... so that they have done all their work by late summer ...

i have no clue what vf11 is ...

ken

Ken...Here I thought you knew everything!! Damn! VF-11 is a fertilizer...hopfully....I think...it says its "magic" for ALL your plants....I have used it and it has not killed anything yet.

Pelletized alfalfa is what you feed rabbits that are confined to a cage. No rabbit will seek out pelletized alfalfa when there are hosta, grass, clover and weeds present.
I have a LOT of bunnies....they came back after the owls ate all the existing population. Never have I seen evidence of any rabbit eating alfalfa pellets, but have sure seen them with a hosta leaf disappearing under that wiggeling nose!
Alfalfa pellets are to rabbits as freeze dried beef stew is to humans...its' food but the real thing is better!
Ken I challenge you to try alfalfa on one of 2 similar sized hosta in similar locations. Just one...you might be surprised. And what's to lose? Alfalfa pellets are $14 for a 50 pound bag, easy, cheap and with amazing results.
Linda C

i thought vf 11 was sunscreen

i would wait until next year to add fert. but i would mulch if you have not

try an all organic fert. in spring

did a google on vf11 - it sounds to good to be true and i could not find what was in it.
it did say all organic

seems like a foliar feed and would probably be fine if you wanted to try it

in spring i would stick to a all organic that is pelletized

like sustane

i use alfalfa and it is at least as good as adding any other organic material to the soil maybe better maybe not
but i agree the critters don't even look at it twice they walk right by it

Here is a link that might be useful: the real vf11

i have to 50 pound bags of alfalfa ... in the loft of the barn .. no time to fool with all that stuff .. i spend a lot of time feeding the kids.. who actually need food .. to the detriment of the hosta that do just fine with the water ...

i seem to recall alfalfa was something like 8 bucks for 50 pounds [havent priced it in years]that will last you a decade or two.. especially if you use it at the rate i do .. lol ... in theory.. it should be incorporated into the soil.. rather than as a top dressing ....

if the vf11 is that cost effective ... try anything.. but anything that is 10 bucks for a couple ounces is a pure waste of money ...

its a garden .. if it doesnt go in one end or the other of an animal .. its snake oil in my estimate... or fall from the trees naturally ..

feed your soil .... which is what alfalfa/manure/compost does.. and you dont have to worry about the plants in that soil ...

you can get all the compost you want for free from the city just about everywhere.. why you would pay cold hard cash doenst make sense to me ...

actually .. now that i recall .... i used the pellets.. and the idiot golden retriever dug up the plants to get to it... what an imbecile ... come to think of it again.. he also likes to recycle what comes out of the rabbit too .. which does not lead to sweet smelling dog breath .. as if it isnt bad enough before he follows the rabbits around the yard ...

of my 5 acres.. almost 2 is what we call a wildflower meadow ... which means a weed patch i dont mow [its actually very pretty, in a weedy sort of way] ... there are at least 5 rabbits ... and they have never touched a hosta... i figure .. who wants a monoculture diet [hosta].. when they can graze a multitude options at the veggie bar i call a meadow.. obviously something i could never do in suburbia ...

ken

PS: i swear linda has been the contraian on everything i posted today .. lol .. all the power to ya ....

We can't feed a plant anything, only the soil feeds plants.

Look at any field or forest around your area and tell me who feeds them, the system does and it doesn't need our help and doesn't much appreciate our interference.

Soil fungi are very important to growth and adding chemical fertilizer will kill or interfere with its growth. Feed the soil with organic matter in the form of mulch is all you need to do.

VF11, we've been buying snake oil since the beginning of time.

Read this, when you get tired I'll give you more.

Here is a link that might be useful: soil