Homemade Bio-fertilizers Part 2: Alfalfa Seed Sprouted Seed Tea

Alfalfa is an ancient seed that is one of the most beloved plants around the world. The main building blocks of any plant are carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. These are called structural nutrients.

These primary structural nutrients are not provided by a healthy living soil like most macro and micro nutrients but rather, by the water and air. They make up about 91- 92% of the total dry weight of the alfalfa plant. Together, these nutrients form carbohydrate chains that constitute the cell and fiber portions of the alfalfa plant.

Most plants we cultivate today obtain their nitrogen from the living soil, but alfalfa is in a class of plants called legumes. These unique plants get their nitrogen from the air, by harvesting and feeding rhizobia bacteria that form tiny nodules found on the roots.

Even though Alfalfa will take up nitrogen directly from the living soil like other plants, it gets most of its nitrogen from this method, which is called “nitrogen fixing.”

Even though this crop’s uptake of other nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium, and calcium is much higher, phosphorus is the critical early macro-nutrient that sparks healthy root growth and is the preferred starter nutrient for alfalfa seeds.
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Alfalfa seeds are planted and then cultivated around the world, not only for livestock feed but also for healthy human consumption.  This beneficial seed is thought to have originated in ancient Persia, which is modern day Iran. It can survive extreme temperatures and can become dormant when necessary.

When Alfalfa plants experience dormancy, like in times of severe drought, they will resume growth when conditions improve, making them an ideal plant to "chop and drop" in a living
soil system. The triacontanol present in Alfalfa, when used correctly, will thicken overall root mass, and keep tighter and shorter internodal spacing within your plants!

As a farmer or home gardener,  we concentrate on making the plant lengthen/strengthen the branches, which allow it to support more substantial yields.  The key is to time the sprouting process so that we can sprout and use as many alfalfa seeds as possible. 

Once you see the roots start to show, the seeds will be bursting with energy, all the while stretching out their earliest roots. It is at this moment that alfalfa seeds are packed with growth hormones, especially  triacontanol​, as they start growing faster.

Now here is the secret you’ve been reading this article for: you can harvest those growth hormones and use them to give your plants a healthy and robust enzyme boost. These newly developed growth hormones will trigger your plants to put more energy into root development and plant growth.

This process helps dramatically improve overall growth rate- and combined with an organic kelp fertilizer foliar feed the next day, this will really maximize the growth rate in your plants.

Triacontanol is an excellent growth stimulant, affecting basic metabolic processes such as photosynthesis, enzyme activity, nutrient uptake, and CO2 assimilation. Only feed it to your plants in small doses; you do not want to over do it. ​

Triacontanol unquestionably increases the amount of chlorophyll in leaves, improving the rate of photosynthesis. In root systems, cell growth is enhanced, creating more robust root networks, allowing for higher nutrient uptake.

​Alfalfa SST Tried and True Recipe:  
Super Sprouted Tea Version 2.0
(Credit to Clackamas Coots)

• 28 grams alfalfa seeds (1 ounce)
• Soak for 8 hours with clean, filtered water.
• Should now weigh 42 grams minimum. (If not, soak longer)
• Sprout seeds until the tails are as long as the seed. (usually takes 1-2 days)
• Mix thoroughly and then emulsify the mixture in a simple food blender and add a little bit of dechlorinated water to help it blend and mix properly.

Prepare this recipe and then add this mixture to 5 gallons of water, and you have one of the world’s most nutritious plant enzyme teas available for PENNIES on the dollar compared to conventional methods.

Another Option for Increasing Soil Enzyme Activity
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Don’t have the time or energy to make your own teas? Or are you overwhelmed by the prospect of making a whole bunch of different teas to provide different growth hormones and enzymes? Everflux makes Bioflux Fermented Plant Boost exactly for people like you. It’s one of the few products you’ll find in a bottle that is truly alive (we’ve tested it and found 11 billion organisms per mL), and it provides plants with a whole array of natural growth hormones and enzymes.  You can check it out at the link below.

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