I feed my young, potted-up rooted cuttings fish emulsion at 1/4 the strength recommended on the label until they're well established in the pots, then half strength. At times I've substituted all purpose soluble Miracle Gro when that was all I had on hand. It didn't seem to hurt them. With good potting soil, I wouldn't worry too much about the pH unless your water is very alkaline or acid. The soil mix is pH buffered. And if the light green leaves are new, I wouldn't worry about them either. It's normal for some roses to produce light green new growth, and others to produce red, plum, purple, or even orange new growth. With a good feeding schedule they should all end up a healthy shade of green in the end.

Hi Judith: Muriate of Potash is potassium chloride, salt index of 116.2, very high, that's the stuff we use to de-ice in zone 5a winter. I would not use that stuff on any plants. Sulfate of potash has salt index of 43, NPK 0-0-50, plus the sulfate part which makes it more water soluble. The safest potassium with no salt would be chop-up banana peels soaked in water. Banana peels NPK is 0-3-42. MiracleGro Moisture Control potting soil (blue bag) already has slow-released fertilizer for 3-months, no need for additional fertilizer. What it doesn't have is calcium, essential for root-growth. I put granular gypsum bought from Menards on top of my roses ... after 1 month of spring rain, that didn't dissolve. Gypsum is 22% calcium, and 17% sulfur, but it varies with brand .. some brand contains less sulfur, and never get dissolved. The soluble gypsum from Kelp4Less dissolved easily in my tap water, pH 8, so I suspect there's more sulfur % in that one. The instant green-up and deepening of bloom colors most likely is from the sulfur %. I would dissolve the gypsum you bought from the feed store at the rate of 1 tablespoon per gallon, if it doesn't dissolve, then is best used in the ground. Roses Unlimited recommends mixing in 1 cup of gypsum in the planting hole. If the gypsum you bought from the feed store still doesn't dissolve, I would put less than 1 tablespoon of vinegar per gallon ... any more roses will wilt in the heat. Putting vinegar in the heat is risky, less is best. So far 4 studies pointed to calcium and extra potassium as essential in best root-growth: U. of Kentucky with Peters 20-10-20, same with U. of Mass with marigolds. Two additional studies: one with hydroponic lettuce, with the best result Masterblend 20-18-38 with added calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt). This was done hydroponic, no soil, thus the logic for Epsom salt. Another experiment is done by Ohio Link NTD center on New Guinea impatient flowers. Here's the tested ones: Peters-water-soluble 20- 4.4 -16 Daniels-soybean-base 10- 1.8 -2.5 Osmocote 3-month release 15-4-10 5-month slow-release 15-4-10 The best performance is Peters-water-soluble (NPK 20-4.4-16). The worst performance is organic soybean base, too little potassium. Potassium mobility is a 3, somewhat mobile, and gets leached out. Potassium is essential for root growth, that's the only extra fertilizer one needs besides calcium for best root growth. MiracleGro potting soil has plenty of nitrogen, I get a gigantic dark-green Excellenz von Schubert from a band, I had to chop off 2 feet of growth, before planting in ground. The safest bet: chopped up banana peels soak in water for potassium, and gypsum powder at 1 tablespoon per gallon (low salt index of 8). Plus MiracleGro Moisture Control potting soil (blue bag), which already have slow-released fertilizers. Less fertilizer is best for young bands. Below is Gene Boerner, bought from Roses Unlimited end of June sale, fertilized with the above approach. Picture taken few days ago, so it's 3-weeks of growth:

I am really torn on this one. In the early season I love this plant. I love the blooms. They are gorgeous. HOWEVER, now it is is entirely covered in powdery mildew, a few blooms, but it doesn't look pretty. I havent sprayed for powdery mildew, but usually it is just BS that is the culprit here.. so I think that says it is pretty suseptable to PM. In conclusion: When it is good it is REAL good, but when it is BAD it can be pretty bad. I have waffled back and forth shovel pruning this one out. But I went to the time and expense to order it from Vintage and the 3 years in growing it... The jury is still out. Marleah

With the real estate listing idea, is it everyone re-doing the same kitchen, or everyone picks a different listing and works from that? I thought it was the former when it was originally proposed, but either would work. I actually have a sports fan kitchen ready and waiting--I did it for the tract home thread (not thinking sports fan, but it is incidently in my college colors), and it didn't quite work (mostly because I was thinking the home would have an open or quasi-open floor plan, and I couldn't figure out how the kitchen colors would fit into the larger space). But since we just did a color-themed DAT, I think we should do something different for this one. Marcolo, I think that there is some truth to the in crowd/out crowd idea. Some of it is driven by indivduals who want to be cutting edge. Some is driven by the industry, since remodeling is significantly driven by things being identified as dated (if nothing was ever dated, we'd all keep our stuff until it wore out, and where's the profit in that?). In clothing fashion, I have seen so many trends come and go, and be completely reviled, only to come back again with a different name 15 or 20 years later(bell bottoms, flares, boot cut; hip huggers & low rise). I have photos of me from high school in outfits that would have been the height of fashion two years ago. I've seen this happen so many times that I no longer take clothing fashion at all seriously, and laugh at those who do (waiting for my daughter to hit her tweens). Design cycles in kitchens are much longer, and so things stay out of fashion much longer.