Give your Roses a Treat!

By Becky Leugemors, FBMG F1998

 

Recent research has found nitrogen to be extremely important in the blooming cycle, even more so than our old buddy phosphorus – which in high amounts ties up our nitrogen, making it unavailable to our plants.

 

So give the little dears a wonderful treat with several varieties of slow release nitrogen in the form of beneficial compost, cottonseed meal, cattle manure, and alfalfa. Alfalfa contains triacantanol – a growth hormone favored by rosarian societies. There are several products out there that contain the above nutrients – one type even contains some sulfur to help all the acid- loving plants such as Roses, Azaleas, Camellias, Hydrangeas, Magnolias, most Hollies, etc.

 

Roses try to entice beneficial microbes into the root zone and onto their leaves with little gifts of sugars and carbohydrates, to protect the plant from pathogenic microbes such as black spot. The beneficial composts from Nature’s Way Resources are full of the good little guys – ready to go to work for the roses. And the 50/50 compost is also a fantastic potting soil – it holds enough water without having too much. It has an extra amount of composted woody components for a heavily fungal-dominated microbe count – meaning that all shrubs and trees will really love it, especially the Roses! We are finding wonderful products available to keep our little friends happy, healthy, and blooming their little heads off!