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Mar 21, 2016 10:09 PM CST
Name: Lyn
Weaverville, California (Zone 8a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Level 1
You do have one thing going for you ... Whistling you are playing with 'Dr. Huey'. It has a reputation of being able to "root like fire" and is almost impossible to kill.

Have fun.
I'd rather weed than dust ... the weeds stay gone longer.
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Mar 22, 2016 6:55 AM CST
Name: Porkpal
Richmond, TX (Zone 9a)
Cat Lover Charter ATP Member Keeper of Poultry I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Dog Lover Keeps Horses
Roses Plant Identifier Farmer Raises cows Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
I am still not sure it is all Dr Huey... Not all the leaves shown look alike.
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Mar 22, 2016 11:09 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Brenden Reinhart
Flushing Michigan (Zone 6b)
Ok, now has anyone ever made a fertilizer for their roses? I am reading phosphorus is the main ingredient, or the primary attribute. Just wondering. I believe animal bone mean is rich in that.....how morbid....haha I swear I love puppies and things
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Mar 23, 2016 7:05 AM CST
Name: Neal Linville
Winchester, KY (Zone 6a)
Bulbs Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Roses
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
I use bone meal. I recently found a 20lb bag of Hi-Yield brand that is 0-10-0 and very finely ground powder. At first I didn't care for the powder because of the dust, but it watered in nicely without having to cultivate it into the surface of the soil, and I do like that. I have to work it in or my dog will follow me licking it off the ground! Hilarious!
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi
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Mar 23, 2016 7:40 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Brenden Reinhart
Flushing Michigan (Zone 6b)
So phosphorus is the main focus for roses?
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Mar 23, 2016 7:47 AM CST
Name: Neal Linville
Winchester, KY (Zone 6a)
Bulbs Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Roses
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
They do like some nitrogen and potassium too, but blooming plants in general respond well to a higher ratio of phosphorus. I also give them some alfalfa pellets and compost.
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi
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Mar 23, 2016 8:27 AM CST
Name: Sharlene Sutter
St. Gallen - Switzerland (Zone 6a)
Garden Ideas: Level 1
I am using an 8-7-6 organic fertilizer at the moment. The last was also an organic but 7-7-5. They mainly sell pre-mixed fertilizers which is sometimes very irritating. Right now I am looking for bone meal but since the BSE scare a couple of years ago, is an impossibility to find! Plain old Super Phosphate - forget it!! Oh they do sell it but only to the farmers in bulk 100kg bags!
Co-founder of www.dasirisfeld.ch in Oetlishausen, Switzerland
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Mar 23, 2016 10:12 AM CST
Name: Ann
PA (Zone 6b)
@sunnyvalley, Are those your roses in your avatar? They are so beautiful!
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Mar 23, 2016 11:03 AM CST
Name: Sharlene Sutter
St. Gallen - Switzerland (Zone 6a)
Garden Ideas: Level 1
Thanks Ann - yes they are - the photo was take mid November '15 when I cut off all the remaining blooms in the garden before the first snow.
Co-founder of www.dasirisfeld.ch in Oetlishausen, Switzerland
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Mar 23, 2016 11:28 AM CST
Name: Neal Linville
Winchester, KY (Zone 6a)
Bulbs Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Roses
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
I had some Job's organic tomato fertilizer with an analysis of 4-7-5 (or thereabouts), full bags leftover from last year, and I went ahead and used that around some of the roses. That sounded like pretty good proportions for roses, I'll pick up some more when I see it.
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi
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Mar 23, 2016 12:50 PM CST
Name: Lyn
Weaverville, California (Zone 8a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Level 1
What to feed your roses is really a difficult question to answer because it depends on your soil, which can vary a lot within your own garden. Most gardeners report success with given fertilizers and rose foods based upon what they have observed in their gardens .... even the experts because not all variables can be identified and soil make-up varies a lot both in the texture and make up.

Some gardeners never have to feed their plants because they are already gardening in very fertile soil, so the addition of compost and mulch is sufficient to supply the needs of the plants in their gardens.

Others, have to add other fertilzers, either organic or chemical, to provide for the needs of their plants and what works will vary. So most of what we share is what we have found works in our gardens.

I can share some generalities, but it is wise to have a soil test.

Re: Bone meal ... the product sold in the US today is very different than the product that was sold before the mad cow disease scare. It has much fewer nutrients and can provide little benefit to the plants if your soil has sufficient phosphorus already in the soil. Soil particles tend to hold onto phosphorus and too high a level of phosphorus can actually inhibit the uptake of other nutrients needed by the plants. Personally, I think the current product being sold is really not all that useful for growing roses. It may be very good for other plants that have a higher need for phosphorus.

The soil particles do not hold onto nitrogen. The nitrogen you add leaches through the soil beyond the root zone and is not available to the plant. Nitrogen is what feeds the soil the most, but if used in too high of a quantity ... i.e. a high number, it can 1) burn the roots of a plant and thus stress the plant, or 2) it will feed the plant in such a way that you get more foliage than blooms. Also, too much nitrogen will stimulate soft, weak growth and a less sturdy plant.

As compost and mulches placed on top of the soil decompose, they are returning nitrogen to the soil. If, however, you have poor soil, which I did when I first started my garden, adding nitrogen is one of the ways to make both the soil and the plants healthier.

When I first moved to the mountains, I did not have access to many of the good fertilizers now available with lower numbers. So, I had to use what I could get. The numbers were outrageously high. I just diluted it so that the fertilizer I used did not have a negative impact on either the soil or the plants.

Plants also need potassium, which is the third number in most rose foods. For the most part, they don't need much. Zuzu's banana peel placed at the bottom of her rose holes is an excellent source of potassium. In the early years, I used to freeze my banana peels and then in spring run them through the blender and then added water to the mix and gave my roses a banana shake to give them added potassium. Unfortunately, this practice drew skunks to my garden, so I had to discontinue this practice.

In my case, I have magnesium poor soil, so my plants benefit from a dose of epsom salts in spring.

Neal is correct in that it doesn't matter if a plant food is called tomato food or rose food. Roses can't read, so they don't know that they have been given tomato food. It's what's in the food that they respond to for nutrients.

For young plants, I have been taught to "feed often and weakly". This practice avoids the burning of the roots and still provides the nutrient needed on a regular basis.

What I am saying, is we can tell you what we have seen works in our gardens, but you will have to find what works in your garden.
I'd rather weed than dust ... the weeds stay gone longer.
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Mar 23, 2016 1:04 PM CST
Name: Lyn
Weaverville, California (Zone 8a)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Level 1
I forgot to add that none of the above addresses the ph of your soil. Roses prefer a neutral ph, but can grow well in soils that are slightly more acid or more alkaline. That is a completely different topic.
I'd rather weed than dust ... the weeds stay gone longer.
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Mar 23, 2016 3:35 PM CST
Name: Cindi
Wichita, Kansas (Zone 7a)
Charter ATP Member Beekeeper Garden Ideas: Master Level Roses Ponds Permaculture
Peonies Lilies Irises Dog Lover Daylilies Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Our local university gurus are saying exactly what Lyn said, and local nurseries and big box stores are now carrying a fertilizer that is something like 15-0-10. Our area has too much phosphorus, and if you move to a house where someone fertilized every year, you can really have a problem with your gardening. It screws up the waterways too.
My dogs know if I use bloodmeal, and if it's under the plant, they'll dig the plant out. I've lost a few plants that way, so I stopped buying it. I can almost train my dogs, but not the skunks and coyotes. Angry one of my labs now likes to roll on plants after I use fish emulsion. Sticking tongue out
Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
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Mar 23, 2016 3:51 PM CST
Name: Neal Linville
Winchester, KY (Zone 6a)
Bulbs Charter ATP Member Cottage Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Irises Roses
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Garden Ideas: Level 2
I didn't fertilize at all for the first 6 years here. The soil here is already fertile and mulch and compost made for happy plants. After years of crowding and growing more plants that have higher fertility needs, I finally broke down and started using some organic fertilizers.
"...and don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." Rumi
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Mar 23, 2016 5:46 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Brenden Reinhart
Flushing Michigan (Zone 6b)
You guys are so amazing. Genuine folks, that I know, we're raised correctly by your parents. From you guys, any natural pest control, no chemical, I'll never ever use pesticides, never even with a revolver to my head. I raise monarch butterflies, they helped me see the much broader pictures of life regarding the biological habitats.
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Mar 23, 2016 7:52 PM CST
Name: Cindi
Wichita, Kansas (Zone 7a)
Charter ATP Member Beekeeper Garden Ideas: Master Level Roses Ponds Permaculture
Peonies Lilies Irises Dog Lover Daylilies Celebrating Gardening: 2015
I'm a beekeeper, and I plant areas for the bees, so I end up with loads of butterflies and hummingbirds also!
Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
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Mar 24, 2016 3:32 AM CST
Name: Sherry Austin
Santa Cruz, CA (Zone 9a)
Birds Bulbs Region: California Dragonflies Foliage Fan Irises
Keeper of Poultry Roses Photo Contest Winner: 2015
bhart90 said:
Thumb of 2016-03-19/bhart90/26f380


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As of August last year hope that helps.


For what it's worth... This first picture looks typical of the foliage and stems of Dr. Huey to me.

These two pictures are two different roses, right?
The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us.
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Mar 24, 2016 5:39 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Brenden Reinhart
Flushing Michigan (Zone 6b)
Henhouse said:

For what it's worth... This first picture looks typical of the foliage and stems of Dr. Huey to me.

These two pictures are two different roses, right?



Yes, I found out AFTER I uprooted 1 that she said "o and they went wild" so I looked up that word "wild" to find out what she meant......yea, they are..... still going to replant this weekend.
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Mar 24, 2016 5:41 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Brenden Reinhart
Flushing Michigan (Zone 6b)
Also, what do you guys think about using this stuff as part of my medium for the roses in particular, would you call it compost or use a different word.
Thumb of 2016-03-24/bhart90/7402f6
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Mar 24, 2016 8:21 AM CST
Name: Cindi
Wichita, Kansas (Zone 7a)
Charter ATP Member Beekeeper Garden Ideas: Master Level Roses Ponds Permaculture
Peonies Lilies Irises Dog Lover Daylilies Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Oh YEAH. I would call that a gold mine. Thumbs up
Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

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