Hi I have been growing desert roses for 18 months now, started with seeds which have flowered, but sadly not the colours they were supposed to be, but I love them all, grow mine in terricotta pots and well draining soil, also I keep mine nice and bushy, nipping them after winter, they are in full sun but we are starting to go cooler at night so some of the leaves are yellowing, a chinese gardener told me to give them fertilizer every 2 weeks until winter and they love potassium to give big flowers. I only water my big pots weekly but the smaller size more often when very hot and dry, I find our local markets have a great range and also Bunnings they are very addictive and always on the look out for a new colour, good luck on growing the little beauties

I did live in the burbs in Houston for almost a decade, and if I see your gardening area correctly, the rose is planted right next to a cement slab. (And the weepholes in the brick wall in back of the rose?) The problem is, or at least may be, that the slab may be affecting the pH of the soil. And that pH may be affecting nutrient uptake by your roses. (Also there may be some chemical treatments done to the perimeter of your house before you moved in. First, call the Texas County extension agent and ask him or her about getting a soil test for that specific soil (forget about any suggestions that you should take samples from all over your yard, that's for grass growers). Also ask that the test check for nutrients in the soil.

Those 4 were crisped beyond any hope...although I still can't bring myself to toss them. BUT, I have hope again... I now have 2 Fourth of July seedlings and 1 Graham Thomas from hips I recieved from a forumer on here and am hoping for more, as these are the seeds I planted last week. It's amazing the differences I can see from the miniature ones I murdered (that's the only way I can think of it LOL) Larger leaves, thicker stems, etc. Now...everyone keep your fingers crossed I don't screw these up. Julie

Got curious about compost tea. This is the second time I checked. Early this summer time I spent 1 hour researching but was disappointed. Here's one link from United Kingdom on compost tea (unbiased, NOT sponsored by compost-tea industry): http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/gardeningadvice/11121288/Compost-tea-does-it-really-work.html " What did they find? In a glasshouse study on lavender and choisya, none of the compost teas had any effect on growth or on susceptibility to botrytis (grey mould) or spider mites. Sometimes plants treated with compost tea were taller, sometimes they were shorter, sometimes there was no difference. Sometimes plants treated with compost tea were of higher quality, but often they weren’t, and treated choisya plants at one nursery were significantly worse. In short, the effects of compost teas were “extremely inconsistent”. Other links from U.S.A: http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/compost-tea-does-it-work/ From University of New Hampshire: https://extension.unh.edu/articles/Does-compost-tea-really-work From University of Vermont: http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/composttea.html Excerpt from above link: " It’s not clear whether it’s necessary to aerate during compost tea production. Aeration can speed up the production time, but it may also add to equipment cost and complexity. There are claims that aeration helps kill off the organisms that can cause illness. Very few studies have compared aerated and non-aerated compost teas. Some recent research. A 2-year study by the Rodale Institute and Pennsylvania State University evaluated the use of aerated compost tea for disease suppression and crop stimulation in grapes, potatoes, and pumpkins. During year one, approximately 50% suppression of powdery mildew was observed in the compost tea treated grape plots. A slight reduction of gray mold, along with an INCREASE in the level of downy mildew, was observed in the compost tea treated plot during the first year at one of the vineyards. Compost tea failed to suppress powdery mildew on Howden pumpkins in year one, but reduced the number and size of pathogen colonies in year two. Compost tea did not reduce severity of late blight on Superior potatoes when disease was present in year two. " http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/composttea.html *** From Straw: FOR ROSES, just spraying with alkaline tap water alone is enough to suppress mildew, as testified by Roseseek (Kim Rupert) in CA and rosarian Dave Boyd in HMF. For mildew, just plain tap-water spray (alkaline pH over 8) is enough to contain mildew, as rosarian Dave Boyd in a dry climate (only 13" of moisture per year) testified in HMF: http://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=3.4748