I do mine in 5 gallon buckets, but I imagine one could just dump the residue on the roses or leave it for the next batch. I usually can get more than one batch out of mine and I use hay.

You could cut off the bottom of a gal milk jug. Then punch a hole in the side about an inch up from the bottom. Insert a wooden rod/stick through the hole until it reaches the opposite side. Drill a hole through the side into the rod. Then using a screw attach the rod to the side. Shazam, you have a scoop that you can use to get the residue out. Make sure the cap is still on tight.

I haven't made tea.... but I would NOT throw away the sludge.... I would still find a place to use it.... compost or just leave it in the garden somewhere.... I think it wold still help with Earthworms since it is an organic material....

Hi Jen

Yes, I use my 95 gal recycling bin to make Alfalfa Tea in spring. You’re right past a certain point the water level is too low to be reached, at that point I fill it up again and let it sit few days. When I’m done with it (and its a low point), I tip it over in the annual garden and bury it like a dead body. I hack it to little pieces, bury it good so nothing is exposed. Flowers grow over it and no one ever knows the difference, bin is returned to its former purpose, like nothing ever happened. Muahahaha :-)

Am so tempted... where do I buy alfalfa meal? Amazon I guess? Can’t find it in Lowe’s or HD...

Usually a feed store will sell it much cheaper. Tractor Supply is known to have it super reasonable, there is one in Petaluma.

Thanks BenT!

I dumped the remaining sludge around the base of my roses and that was a big mistake.

For some reason once It dried out it hardened and water would not penetrate. I could pick it up like a dry cow patty.

I had to go back and pick out the dried pieces just so the roses would get water.

Oliver, I bought a 50lb bag of alfalfa pellets for $17ish at Half Moon Bay Feed & Fuel Co in HMB. I‘m making mine in a 23gal Slim Jim so it won’t take up too much room, and my 1st batch should be ready to apply on Wed.

Good to know jc, I’d of done the same thing!

Lily, have you read the "Did anyone save Pappu's big stinking mess thread ?" The dogs in Elk was one of my favorite also , we had a dog in deer.

Wow that’s a steal! thanks Nick!

Tractor Supply’s price is $12 for 50 lbs. I just want to outbid Nick, hehehe. Kenneth and I bought the same stuff, it looks like this:

Tractor Supply checkout lady didn’t even charge me tax, which I don’t understand. I won’t be making a big salad for myself and my friends with this stuff. Does she know I’m sick and treat my roses like friends?

I made the tea in a very large Rubbermaid type of low rectangular storage container. Excuse me but my tea didn't stink! I think because of the larger surface area, shallowness of the brew, and the fact that I made it when the weather was cool. I steeped mine for four days and it seemed to really work. It is easy to get the stuff out of a low container...I scoop it out with a cut milk jug. Got my alfalfa from Tractor Supply pretty cheap.

@BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14) very funny! lol I can’t believe u got an even better deal! but Half moon bay is closer to me and we don’t have any tractor supply in sf or on the peninsula... :( so I ll probably go to feed&fuel. Thanks guys!

Oh BenT... Add $7.35 for the bridge toll to your $12 TS, no toll going south on mine! 💅🏼 Haha In all fairness, I do enjoy the drive to Petaluma, my favorite nursery Cottage Gardens is up there, but my other favorite happens to be Half Moon Bay Nursery on Hwy 92 in HMB. I used my tea today, I’m curious to see how it works. I need to make another batch for my two Edmunds’ orders coming Thurs & Sat.

Hmmm I shall stop by HMB nursery on my way there... 😆

I also do my tea in several 5 gallon buckets--that way they store easier, stacked in each other when not in use, as we do not have a lot of storage space for another large trash bin. I mix the tea and after stewing and before distrbution, add in some kelp or seaweed or fish emulsion. I use a smaller pouring bucket to distribute. The leftover meal at the bottom I just throw on our plumerias or lime tree!

Oh Nick and Oliver, I didn’t think about tolls, you Californians pay for everything! I do love visiting the HMB area, I’ll have to check out that nursery. With all that money saved on cheap alfalfa, I’d stop at Sam’s Chowder House, dine outside with a beautiful view of the bay while noshing on Lobster Cerviche (it’s actually a cooked lobster salad) and a caramel almond sundae...nom nom nom! With a trunk load of nursery plants and a gourmet Oceanside meal, that bag of alfalfa probably isn’t so cheap anymore, heh.

Thanks everyone for the help !! I do have a large Rubbermaid tub that my roses have been soaking in . I may use that in smaller batches bc it seems my can for greens is always in use anyway ..

Toolbelt you always have such helpful ideas .. your screen name certainly suits you! I wish I used gallon jugs to do the same .we just don’t buy anything in that ...

berry pie , I have that saved but it’s not pulling up anymore ?! Does it work for you! If so please bump it up, it was hilarious!!! :)

Vapor and Kathy how much alfalfa are you using per bucket ? This is a good idea for me as I can keep them put away much easier .

Erasmus my tea usually doesn’t stink either until I add the bottle of fish emulsion. Then dear lord look out !!

I wish I could make it to Petaluma . We have some great nurseries here but I just know there has got to be more ! Lol

I saved the big stinking mess as a text file -- 20 pages long--. Would the rules here allow me to post it as one big post or break it up into smaller ones?

Oops, just saw it posted under Did anyone save Pappu's 'Big Stinking Mess' thread?

@Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca I use about 1 cup of alfalfa meal per bucket. I frequently tend to err on the conservative side with amending--I think others might use more meal per volume of water. However, that amount of alfalfa does do wonders for my roses with tons of new growth and basals. I am interested to hear how much others use in the "bucket system"!

Since I've only used the hay I can't say for sure, but plan to use the same as kkathyc ... about 1 cup. I don't know where I'd be without 5 gallon buckets. I'm so thankful a friend's son owns a commercial paint company that contracts for Amazon and DHL. I get as many as I want! : ))

I use alfalfa pellets on my potted roses and clematis but havent made the tea in a long time but read the tea is better. My question is - can you all use the tea on just recently planted bare root roses? Or is it just for more established ones?

I think I’d wait for the bare-roots to be pretty well leafed out and then give them a more dilute solution. I’d also be interested in other’s opinions.

I would also wait. I dont fertilize the bare roots until well leafed out and more established. I do give them lots of extra rain water if I have it. I even soak them in rain water for a few days after they arrive and they start making leaf buds/breaking dormancy and if I leave them soaking more than a few days leaves form before I get them in the ground. Really wakes them up lol.

Agree, Sultry , water is the most important thing to a bare-root rose. The roots need to stay very moist, and the bud union does, too, to give a chance for the feeder roots to grow out and support the dormant canes before they can dessicate.

Thanks for the advice - I will wait on the just planted ones. I have the Palatine bare roots I got in November & have been potted since then that are really leafing out well - should I give them a dilute solution? As for rain water - they have had plenty! Its been raining constantly the last several days. I need to start spraying for black mold instead of black spot! Ben, bet you have had alot of rain too.......

I plant the hay in the hole and even use the dilute tea on newly rooted cuttings. Alfalfa contains a hormone that helps with rooting; it's not just a fertilizer, per se. There have been numerous posts delving into the science. I'll see if I can find a couple with solid links or explanations.

I have 5 little bands from Burlington Roses that I have been babying in the greenhouse and they are responding beautifully. I am going to carefully repot them this weekend. Wonder if they would benefit from some dilute tea? If so, how should I dilute the tea for these small babies?

I would replant first and wait til they adjust for a few days and after watering them with plain water. And by dilute, I mean dilute with very little colour.

Alfalfa tea is not my -cup of tea-. I'll put down pellets as the same time I'm putting down pellets in the grass. Tried the tea method once. The smell was enough for me to not try again.

The tea I made last year only brewed for 3 days before I used it. I got a ton of new growth so waiting for it to stink may be wrong.

Thanks Vap! I have others I can use it on while waiting for the newly potted babies. If it ever warms up........we are due in the 30's next week but only at night. Shouldnt complain......but so anxious for spring to begin! I am very careful with mixing fertilizers, err on too little rather than too much. As roseseek says.....fertilize weekly, weakly.

The stink is anaerobic bacteria and is not so good for plants. There are ways to avoid cooking up anaerobic bacteria. 1. Don't brew it in a trashcan but something shallower with greater surface area 2. brew in cooler weather As toolbelt says, don't wait for the stink. Admittedly I don't have a lot of experience brewing it. I just threw out \alfalfa meal for years. When I tried the tea I was amazed with the results. I used a huge , roughly 2.5' tall rubber tub. No stink brewing it in early spring in cool weather for four days.

Vapor, that's interesting about it being a root stimulant. I was just wondering if it would be good for newly planted roses such as bare roots. My main concern was that if it stimulated basal breaks before the root systems were big , it might stress the plant . I think I'll stick with water for bare roots until roots are established. I think it might be ok for small potted plants though.

I have read about this "magical brew" for many years but didn't have the inclination to try it. Are you sure there isn't an already pill form you can buy off the shelf somewhere?

Off to read up to see what the differ. is on tea vs. just incorporating meal around each shrub. triacontanol get's into the soil either way ?

I’ve been putting a bit of hay in the planting holes, then soil, then the plant, and then also mulching with hay. Like an alfalfa sandwich! They seem to like it.

I think the benefit to the tea is the fermentation, which makes more nutrients available to the plants. (That’s also where a lot of the funky smell comes from.)

We ferment our chicken feed for the same reason. That’s also why fermented foods are so go for us, too.

:-)

Hello everyone I am new here, nice to meet you all. For my alfalfa tea I use 4 cups of alfalfa to five gallons of water. I let it sit for about five days then when ready to use i add 1/4 cup Epsom salt and 1-2 table spoons of seaweed and fish emulsion.

I just use a five gallon bucket, then the sludge gets dumped into the compost bin.

I deposit the spent sludge into the vegetable garden so as to avoid an unsightly mess in the rose garden.