So I hear that alfalfa add nitrogen to the soil and I used it as mulch for my tomato plants ...? and now they are turning blond and the growth seems to...
and now they are turning blond and the growth seems to be stunted. I be trying to curb the curly leaf syndrome, which seem to be in check after pruning bad all the leaves while the existing tomatoes develop and turn red (yum!) What can I administer them, other than a flawless pruning when the initial harvest is eat?. I have shade cloth to cover them this weekend. I live contained by Scottsdale, AZ
Answers: It sounds like your plants hold pseudo-curly leaf virus. If so, the alfalfa is not at blemish. (But, the alfalfa will actually rob a bit of nitrogen as it decompose. It only add nitrogen to the soil as it grows) If your tomatoes have curly branch virus there is not much you can do except verbs up the debris. They probably will not set another crop after this one.
While using alfalfa as a mulch may supply some Nitrogen, this will only take place as it decays.
What you may be misunderstanding is that alfalfa is a legume ( similar to beans and Peas ). When it is growing it adds Nitrogen to the soil because of solid bacteria that live within noules attached to the roots. This is why alfalfa and clover are used as a cover or rotation crop.