Re: rose-list digest, Vol 1 #122 - 2 msgs

**Julia sdrose@san.rr.com>**

rose-list-admin@mallorn.com wrote:
> Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2000 19:02:34 -0500
> To: rose-list@mallorn.com
> From: Margot Kane <margotk@mindspring.com>
> Subject: [Rose-list] Fertilizing
> Reply-To: rose-list@mallorn.com
> 
> I would love to know the different fertilizers that people use.  Last year
> I had a lot of growth but not a lot of flowers - clearly, I am doing
> something wrong.

Roses are pigs.  They will eat anything.  I used Osmocote Pro last year
which is a timed-release product.  Its nitrogen concentration was 20% which
was a bit too 'hot.'  But I will tell you that, in spite of a lot of
vegetative growth which produced no blooms, I had more flowers last year
than I have ever had.

This year, I'm using something I got on sale at a local ag supply house,
it's Apex Gold, 16-5-9, with micro-nutrients (aka trace minerals), which is
supposed to last 5-6 months at an average temp of 70.  I intend to
supplement that with intermittent dosings of fish emulsion and Super-Bloom
which is something like a 55% concentration of phosphorous which is the
element that you need for bloom production.  I only use Super Bloom 4-6
weeks before a show.  What I like about the timed-release products is that
the roses get fed a little every time they get watered.  I got turned on to
timed-release by Tom Liggett and Mel Hulse.  Tom has been using it in the
nursery business for years and Mel uses it at the SJHRG for their 4500+
roses.

FYI, in fertilizer formulations, the first number is nitrogen, the middle
number is phosphorous, and the third number is potassium.

-- 
Julia
Visit the San Diego Rose Society at
http://www.geocities.com/sdrosea

_______________________________________________
rose-list maillist  -  rose-list@mallorn.com
https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/rose-list