You can. Generally, the restrictions about replanting in the same spot is directed at orchardists and the consistent replanting of fruit trees in the same position. And even then, not all orchardists are in agreement on this practice and the reasons given seem to me somewhat specious.

If the stump was ground and the grindings left in place, that can impact nitrogen availability and you may need to include a high N fertilizer. The compost could help but may not be enough to N to offset. Add some alfalfa meal if you have it but you should wait until spring for regular fertilizing.

I feed one of the horses moistened alfalfa pellets -- can I just use some of that? (this might take the cake for dumb question of the month...{blush})

You can. They do contain some extra stuff compared to plain old alfalfa meal...sometimes sugar or molasses. But it won't hurt.

btw, the only dumb question is the one you don't ask :-)

its usually best to let manure age for a season or two .... to mellow out.. for lack of a better term .... i do NOT know if the alfalfa diet changes that ...

if you can dig the hole... you can plant .. and frankly... i wouldnt amend much of anything ...

but i might take out some of the chippings... if there are a lot ...

but really ... its not like you had a 2 foot tree trunk removed ... how much chips can there be from a lilac???

if you need spare soil.. just bring in a wheelbarrow full from somewhere else in the yard ... and throw the chips i the manure pile ...

and BTW ... when you have a huge old tree trunk ground out.. even if they go 8 to 12 inches deep.. frequently ... there is still unground wood down there.. and you couldnt dig.. so you couldnt plant ...

finally ... lots of ground wood shavings ... use available nitrogen in the decomposition process ... and that is why.. when you see peeps trying to grow grass in the spot ... and it is very yellow .... and that would not necessarily be remedied the horse apples.. but the other stuff ... urea... that would be the remedy ... but you might find it very hard to do all that balancing with a new transplant ... hence the suggestion that you just bring in some unaffected soil from the 5 acres ... and do your fertilizing next year ...

ken

Ken, it is the alfalfa pellets themselves - not horse manure - that is being applied. Alfalfa is a great source of nonburning, natural N. No need to offset with urea which is far too strong/harsh and now is not a proper time for application anyway. Alfalfa also contains a high concentration of a natural plant growth hormone that will encourage and hasten establishment as well as providing a necessary amount of N to counteract the unavailability created by the wood grindings.

Just be careful about attracting voles, I had done that and ended up with a girdled cherry. Here they move in after snow has covered the ground. Usually they just eat the grass but not always. in a city it is probably not an issue.

oh ... no horse in the equation ... ok ... another horror story ...

gorgeous golden retriever ... had this thing for eating droppings ... luckily.. in suburbia.. there wasnt a wide menu of such ...

alfalfa is also rabbit food ... van wade.. hosta guru... used to use such in his plantings ... there is some magic natural growth stimulant in it ...

so i used the pellets.. instead of the dust ... and lo and behold.. attracted rabbits ... and the idiot dog just loved the rabbit by product ... with his new high fibre diet ... lets just say.... evenings were fragrant in the household ... nearly had to repaint the family room from the paint curling ...

then.. he just started gently pawing in the bed i amended.. and cut the rabbit out of the equation ... lol ...

i just quit using the stuff .. lol ...

many other peeps started making a tea out of the ground alfalfa.. and just watering it in ... whatever ... by this point... i learned they were hosta.. and didnt need all that voodoo ... to grow well ...

bottom line.. you are probably better off including the horse in the equation.. and using it aged.. well rotted ...

but i still stand by.. just removing some of the soil.. and moving in some clean soil ... and avoiding all the voodoo ..

ken

" and avoiding all the voodoo .."

LOL! There is no voodoo involved in understanding or using natural or organic products as soil amendments or to provide specific nutrients. Since only the nitrogen is required now to offset any unavailability that might be caused by the wood grindings, the OP only needs the alfalfa. Horse manure - or any other manure - is not a proper fertilizer and cannot be relied upon to deliver a specific nutrient in a specific concentration.

The natural plant growth hormone, tricontanol, is found in the epicuticular waxes of various plants but is also found in a significant concentration in alfalfa. It encourages root development, improves photosynthesis and promotes basal breaking or the production of new stems from the root crown, which is very helpful for plants like roses or clematis.

I use alfalfa pellets as my only source of nitrogen - they are just compressed fines. I find them the easiest fertilizer to apply. I just walk around with a bucket of them and toss handfuls. I used to use the fines (cheaper) but it was harder to apply it and the rain would sometimes turn it into an almost-impenetrable mat.

Lilacs are prone to honey fungus (Armillaria), if there was some on yours - hence the decline of the top - the serviceberry may need to be watched for it also (it is actually possible to affect a level of control by pulling the rhizomorphs off).

More about wood chips (including the nitrogen and pathogen topics):

https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/wood-chips.pdf