Alfalfa, manure, fish emulsion, coffee grounds, rosetone.....

15 years ago

Is it a good idea to use all of these things, or is that entirely too much for roses? If only a few are needed, which ones are the best? This season my roses have gotten everything on the list except fish emulsion. I don't do the alfalfa tea though. I just sprinkle it on the ground. Should I just stick to a few? I ask because after the recent post on fish gunk, I'm considering trying to buy some today.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (11)

gbebeh
15 years ago
I use all of them personally. I just put on one at a time.
I don't do rosetone though so I can speak of that.

I also put banana peels & egg shells around my roses too.
So far so good for me......

good luck
sam0ny4b
15 years ago
I put the rose tone and fish in the alfalfa tea.
I use Miracle grow stuff and other amendments to the soil separate, Also small amounts of epsom and Lime and Iron I put on directly , not in the tea.
Samuel
Related Discussions
So is using fish emulsion for indoor plants dumb?
Q
Comments (10)
You can try it. Some people say it smells indoors, but I think that must vary by brand as I haven't noticed any particular odor in using it with houseplants. (Neptune's Harvest and Organic O or K, I forget the exact name) I do not recomend it though because all that seems to happen is a whitish mold/fungus grows on the soil surface. Harmless enough, but it is just there eating the fish emulsion and isn't particularly decorative ;-) Anywho it may surprise you, but much of the fish emulsion on the market is *not* purely organic, synthetics are added in the processing for a few purposes, one of which is to raise the N in the product. Not a biggie to me, but may be to purists. Here is an explanation of various ways fish emulsions are made.
...See More
HELP! Homemade fish emulsion gone awry!
Q
Comments (36)
This thread is hilarious and informative at the same time! Thank you all for the laughs and the knowledge! My experience with fish emulsion goes like this. I’ve been growing bonsai for many years and have more than I want to talk about. Some are pretty old and my treasures. When we moved from the big city to the country, we of course brought every single plant and bonsai! We had four box trucks jammed full of plants and one for the house stuff. I carefully arranged each bonsai on their little stands so they’d all look just right even if we were the only ones that could see them. I started the repotting process soon thereafter and of course...used fish emulsion to give them all a boost. The next day, I go back to check on my “babies” and stood there in shock! Thinking the worst about some human vandalism or theft, I notice that each plant had been uprooted and holes had been dug in every pot. Little hand like prints and tracks are all over the place, I follow the trail of destruction to a boggy area near a creek. There lie the remains of several larger bonsai, the fish emulsion bottle and even the bucket! A few choice words later and some tears too, I gathered the survivors and repotted them. Most survived with some very interesting new shapes but I certainly learned my lesson. Fish emulsion is great stuff but never use it if you even suspect that you have raccoons.
...See More
Anyone use Rosetone, kelp meal, green sand, or sulfate of potash?
Q
Comments (13)
Thank you ALL for the info. on potassium. I'm on the look-out for greensand and granite dust. The 7 gallons I received from Roses Unlimited had these shiny, silvery, metallic bits mixed in the soil. I don't know if they are granite dust, please inform. Hi LovemySheltie: Lowe's in Chicagoland sells Rose-Tone. Walmart sells Holly-tone. I prefer Holly-tone since our soil and water is alkaline, and Holly-tone has more calcium. My neighbor grows his tomato in a big pot, he has blossom-rot problem and has to use gypsum (calcium sulfate). I grow tomatoes in the ground - zero blossom-rot, but my limestone soil is barely adequate in calcium. Holly-tone says to use only 1 cup with peatmoss in the planting hole. NPK is 4-3-4, the below excerpt is from the Epsoma website: "Holly-tone, like all Espoma Tone products, provides 12 additional trace elements and micronutrients such as iron, calcium and magnesium. Holly-tone derives its 15 nutrients from organic ingredients including dehydrated manure, animal tankage, crab meal, cocoa meal, cottonseed meal, dried blood, sunflower meal, kelp, greensand, rock phosphate and sulfate of potash." My Holy-tone bag also lists alfalfa meal, and 3% calcium, 1% magnesium, and 2% sulfur - perfect for alkaline clay. My soil in Chicagoland is tested high in magnesium, but barely adequate in calcium. We are right next to a limestone quarry!
...See More
Adjusting alkaline soil pH with coffee grounds for more flowering
Q
Comments (6)
strawberry hill, your post is so interesting. I've never tested my soil but knowing that it's basically decomposed granite (in some places solid granite just 1 1/2 feet down) is a good clue. Growing the right roses for your area, as has been emphasized on this forum over and over, is in my opinion the most important lesson to learn. Having once chosen the right ones, there are still steps that can be taken, as you point out, to fine-tune the results. A lot depends on how much you can or are willing to do. I've found that coffee grounds from my husband's coffee consumption, alfalfa meal and adequate water are the simplest way for me to have good-looking roses. Judicious pruning also has its place. Poisons never will; I'd give up roses first. It's part art, part science and part the will of the roses to live and thrive. It's a little different for everyone, and it is endlessly fascinating. Ingrid
...See More
mehearty
15 years ago
Hmmmm RT in alfalfa tea! I hadn't thought of that.
aggierose
Original Author
15 years ago
Cab I do rosetone, alfalfa, and coffee grounds within a couple of days of each other, or does it need to be spread out?
diane_nj 6b/7a
15 years ago
Coffee grounds are a soil amendment/conditioner. It has a bit of nitrogen (NPK of 2-0.3-0.2). It can be applied at any time, just don't apply it thickly, anything over about 1/2" might crust over and repel water.

Espoma Rose-tone contains alfalfa. I would space out the application of Rose-tone and alfalfa, maybe 2 weeks apart.

Don't go overboard. My Mom has perfectly lovely roses with just one or two applications of Espoma Rose-tone a year (pics of her Autumn Sunset to be posted later...).
PRO
Susan Serra
15 years ago
I've tried an assortment of fertilizers over the years. This year it's only rose tone for me. Not even alfalfa. Messenger too, on occasion, but so far, the roses are absolutely loving the rosetone, looks like a crazy flush will happen in a week or two. I'll be curious to see how the season develops with just rosetone.
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
15 years ago
I apply alfalfa meal several times a year, use the coffee grounds we get daily from our coffee maker on randomly selected plants, ditto the banana peels. The roses seem happy and I am too because I haven't spent a ton of money or time tending to my 80 roses. I know there are more dedicated gardeners who do much more and they have gorgeous roses, so it's really an individual choice. You can probably overdo it but that may not be as much of a hazard with organic products. I hasten to add that's not my area of expertise.

Ingrid
triple_b
15 years ago
We cannot get Rose Tone in Canada, period. ( I even emailed Epsoma and asked them). We do have several organic rose foods and of course I enjoy grossing out the neighbors with using alfalfa tea. Did that today and am awaiting the comments. It wasn't THAT bad as it only sat for one week. Fresh horse manure smell but I have smelled worse. There was a lovely head of foam on top, just like a good stout beer.
aqrose
15 years ago
I can use Holly Tone instead of Rose Tone, right? (I searched for the conversation I remember here previously & couldn't access it.) Do I use the same amount or more or less?
Thanks. :)
diane_nj 6b/7a
15 years ago
Yes.
Same amount.
aqrose
15 years ago
Thanks,Diane. :)

Alfalfa, manure, fish emulsion, coffee grounds, rosetone.....

Comments (11)

gbebeh

sam0ny4b

Related Discussions

mehearty

aggierose
Original Author

diane_nj 6b/7a

Susan Serra

ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9

triple_b

aqrose

diane_nj 6b/7a

aqrose

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Alfalfa, manure, fish emulsion, coffee grounds, rosetone.....

Comments (11)

Related Discussions

aggieroseOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

aggierose
Original Author