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Alfalfa. Isn't that the stuff that gets made into hay and is fed to livestock?

Turns out that's only part of the story. Alfalfa can also be a big boon to gardeners - by making their roses happier and healthier.

It's a crop with a long history. Because of acid soils and high humidity along the Atlantic seaboard, early colonists couldn't grow alfalfa well and nearly abandoned it. But it came west with the Gold Rush and flourished, and today the crop has become so popular in California that it is known in many agricultural circles as the "Queen of the Forages."

Besides being praised in agriculture, alfalfa has become a hit in horticulture, too, particularly in rosedom. As a mulch for garden roses, it does far more than retard weeds.

As it disintegrates, alfalfa yields an alcohol, triacontanol, to which roses take a particular shine. When it reaches their roots, roses act as though they've been aching for a stiff drink and manifest their appreciation with basal breaks, rosarian lingo for new growth emanating from the bud union (the landmark created by budding hybrid roses onto rootstock).

Rosarians live for basal breaks; they're the ticket for increased vigor and better production. An annual mulching with alfalfa nearly guarantees such spirited developments.

Want a fresh, full fruit bowl from spring through fall? Now is the time to plan and plant! It's the beginning of the cycle with winter rains providing the moisture necessary for bare roots to commence the growth cycle that will result in overflowing fruit bowls through the summer.

Shipments of bare-root fruit trees are arriving as you read this article. Come on in and we'll show you how to cluster and plant like varieties for maximum selection and yield. We carry the largest selection in California. Let us help you find the fruits you like best.

Before we discuss our planting program, let's take a minute to remind everyone to spray the existing fruit trees with dormant spray. We recommend Green Light Horticultural Spray Oil in combination with Cooke Kop-R-Spray or Lilly Miller Dormant Spray because it will help to minimize over-wintering insects and fungal spores. Keep a very vigilant eye on your trees before bud break. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

The defining difference in bare root pricing of fruit trees would be the width (caliper) of the tree. We do not stock any size below 1/2" or bigger than 1". This is the optimum range; smaller width would be slow to develop and a wider tree could become top heavy and unmanageable.

Care and maintenance are critical in this stage of development. Be aware of good housekeeping rules. Do not permit grass and weeds to grow within three feet of the tree. Competing vegetation robs nutrients and water necessary for the tree's development. Once planted, mulch the area around the tree with Gardeners & Bloom Soil Building Compost or Red Star Humus Gro. This will insulate the roots from frost and reduce water loss through evaporation.

To achieve maximum production from your plants use the Nurti-Pak fertilizer for Fruit & Nuts. This will give you a continuous fertilization for 3 full years. If you want maximum growth and fruit production, apply the organic Dr. Earth Fruit Tree Fertilizer. This combination will provide the nutrients and the beneficial bacteria to make those new trees, as well as your established trees, almost jump out of the ground with rapid growth. The only problem may be that your friends and neighbors will be running away when they see you coming with the arm loads of extra fruit you will have!