Feed stores, farm stores, etc. The largest importer and distributor of soil amendments in North America is Wilbur-Ellis. They have offices, warehouses, labs, etc. all across the US and Canada. Look for a local operation and while they have several divisions (animal health, agribusiness, etc, etc, etc,) you can find the right 'branch' by calling any branch and explaining what you're looking for. HTH LD
Local farm & garden supply store. I use the Dr. Earth brands, primarily because that's what the store stocks. Dr Earth has a where to buy locator by zip code here.
Thanks for the help everyone. I got 50# of Alfalfa meal for 12 bucks and 50# of kelp meal for 37 bucks.All local. The kelp meal label says 9% salt.Is that bad? Should it be rinsed first?
Briar Patch That's a very good price on the alfalfa and the kelp meal price is just insane. We're paying $62.00 for 50 lbs. for the product out of Nova Scotia, i.e. Acadian Seaplants, Ltd. Even if I bought a full pallet (50 bags - 2,500 lbs.) the price would still be around $50.00 - maybe a dime or quarter less. Kelp meal contains 10% sodium by weight. Does the label say Salt or Sodium? What else is on the label? Just curious. The sodium is in the plant as it is in every other plant around the world. There would be no benefit to rinsing because the sodium is in the plant material. If you're getting kelp meal at that kind of price then your supplier is well connected. Can you get fish meal? Fish bone meal? Canola meal? Just curious. LD
I know! Right! I should be excited. I wish I could share the pain I feel from living in a place where 2/3 of the people farm but every single one of them (so it seems) considers 'organic' anything a "novelty". It sucks the big time. Even "old Hank" the county ag extension office agent states it so...."novelty"! I'm surrounded by idiots!
went into a pet store the other day and bought cubes of alfalfa for guinea pigs/rabbits will this work well when i smash/grind it? the brand is Kaytee. Kaytee ingredients say Natural sun-cured alfalfa hay. Is this a viable substitute for 'meal" or are they one in the same?
Yep - definitely viable. Grind it up and add to the soil. You can make an incredible nutrient tea using alfalfa. The main thing about buying alfalfa at a pet store is that if it does not say alfalfa specifically and reads something like 'rabbit food' or 'guinea pig food' the it's almost always Timothy Grass - which is a fine product and there's nothing wrong using it just understand that it won't contain all of what alfalfa offers by a long shot. Kind of like the difference between hay vs. oatmeal when feeding a horse. LD
Good to know I didn't buy the wrong stuff. It does say sodium on the bag, I changed the wording to salt. As far as the supplier and info on the bag: I will have to get back to you on that as I already took it to " the farm". The bag gives percentage of protein and a couple other things besides sodium. I got it at the local feed mill and they told me it was a reputable company and was organic. Since I wasn't dressed like one of their normal farmer customers they assumed thats what I wanted I guess. I will have to check on the fish meal ect. I didn't think they would have kelp meal and they did, so who knows? I'm in the midwest, farming country, a long way from either coast.How many cups of alfalfa and kelp do you recomend in a 12 gal mix LD?
Distributor: The Fertrell Company, Bainbridge PA. Says product of Canada. No manufacterer? I have pics of the labels on my thread.
That's the right product - it's from the Acadian Seaplants, Ltd. up in Nova Scotia. The gold standard and your pricing is beyond a typical 'good deal' - to say the least. Fertrell Company is a major player in the Midwest and East Coast markets. They have Sul-Po-Mag for under $20.00 - get the 'Natural' or 'Standard' and this product is also known as K-Mag, langbeinite or sulphate of potash magnesia. Fertrell should also have fish meal and fish bone meal - while your seller may not carry them it shouldn't be much of a problem sourcing them from the warehouse. These products will also be out of Canada as are much of the organic soil amendments in the USA. Fish meal and fish bone meal will cover a number of macro and micro nutrients as well as providing a healthy environment for the soil's microbes. Next up - crustacean meal. This one should be available through Fertrell but will probably not be out Canada as much of this product is produced in the USA along both coastlines. HTH LD