do you have access to alfalfa meal, Karen? ive tried both the pellets and the meal. the meal is much easier to work with in terms of working it into the soil and the time it takes to break down. mix it in and it instantly becomes part of the soil. ive read from a very reputable source (a famous master gardener here in the Pacific Northwest), that the pellets are compressed into shape and held together with a "waxy" substance of sorts. whatever that is? he also says the pellets are a large source of livestock feed, which is why they're in the form of pellets, in which case they may contain undesirable contents meant for livestock and not necessarily plants. not trying to scare you, just thought id give you something to ponder. we use alfalfa meal on virtually everything in our yard that flowers. roses, dahlias, clematis, daylilies, and most other full sun plants and they all respond very well to it. its readily available at garden centers and hardware stores here in washignton. might be worth checking into!
