Down here there's a commercially branded organic fertilizer called Texas Tee. The ingredients are listed as feather meal, ground grains (the usual suspects), and blood meal. It is well known that blood meal is a fast acting source of nitrogen; ground grains will take about 3 weeks to show results; and feather meal takes forever to decompose. So what this mix amounts to is a fertilizer with quick greening qualities and other ingredients that will extend the effective life of the fertilizer for months. The application rate is about 15 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Just guessing based on the contents, I would say that would be 8 pounds of grains, 5 pounds of feather, and 2 pounds of blood per 1,000 square feet. So assuming you blend it in small amounts with larger amounts of grains, you could mix blood meal that way.

Hi Seaweed: So glad to hear from an experienced rose-grower with 160+ roses like you. Thank you for reminding to be gentle & diluted with new-band ... tiny roots are sensitive to fertilizer damage. The bone meal I used for that Gallica-rose-band was Encap brand, with NPK 6-9-0. I checked their website, and the instruction was, "For Potted Plants: Apply 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp. per pot." I used more than that .. thus the phosphorus burn. The advantage of organics like horse manure NPK 0.44 - 0.17 - 0.35 , and corn meal NPK of 1.6 - 0.65 - 0.4 are: they are balanced, plus low-dose, won't burn plants. Some info. from the below link: "phosphorus is as fertilizer, but it is also used in weapons, the herbicide glyphosate (aka Round Up), baking powder and detergent among other things. A review of scientific literature reveals that most, as in 75 - 95%, of the phosphorus fertilizer applied to crops is not taken up by the plants. It will mostly stay in the soil. However, significant amounts are washed or eroded away into adjacent streams where they wreck havoc with aquatic systems causing large algae blooms killing lakes. Phosphorus Fertilizer Bans - In an effort to reduce the damage caused by phosphate runoff and resulting algae blooms in lakes, a number of local, state and provincial governments have banned phosphorus fertilizer for lawns. A series of random soil tests in WI showed phosphorus levels were always adequate for lawns with a average P level two and half times that needed for healthy lawns. Restrictions exist in Manitoba, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Maine, New Jersey, New York, and Florida. Phosphorus is an extremely reactive element ... The phosphorus ions used in fertilizers are negatively charged. The first thing phosphorus does when it hits the soil is draw positively charged ions to it. These turn into new insoluble compounds, and these compounds do not move in the soil. They sit there, insoluble and out of reach of plant roots. Plants may be surrounded by reserves of phosphorus, but these reserves are either inaccessible or insoluble so not suitable for plants to uptake." http://www.the-compost-gardener.com/phosphorus-fertilizer.html More info. on phosphorus: "High Available Phosphate Reduces Root Colonization - Interestingly, research has also shown that, when soils contain high levels of available phosphate, the degree of root colonization by mycorrhizal fungi diminishes. This effect only applies to available phosphates. Insoluble phosphates are unavailable, and do not affect mycorrhizal development. " Paul of Fine Gardening Magazine said it well, see link below: "Professor Chalker-Scott goes on to say this: “I believe this is what has happened in many landscapes that feature roses. Well-intentioned, yet misguided, homeowners over apply phosphate and other fertilizers, insecticides, and fungicides until the soil system is so impacted that it becomes non-functional. Without the beneficial soil organisms, roses become more susceptible to nutrient deficiencies and opportunistic diseases, causing rose aficionados to add even more of these chemicals.” One more reason to just treat roses like any other plant. After all Roses Are Plants, Too. Happy Roseing - Paul. Here is a link that might be useful: Roses and the myth of 1 cup of bone meal

Sharon: THANK YOU FOR THOSE FANTASTIC PICTURES !! I also did red-cabbage test today Sat. 7/25/20. Distilled water boiled in red cabbage is actually acidic according to on-line info. "Pure distilled water should be neutral with a pH of 7, but because it absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it's actually slightly acidic with a pH of 5.8." From your pictures above, the grayish blue solution is alkaline with pH 7.5. My pH 7.7 clay is a bit bluer (tested by Earth Corp. soil testing company). Black, gray, or clear solution is neutral pH .. means it's a fantastic buffer (good for plants). I tested COMPOSTED grass clippings and it's clear water above black solution. Buffer is great to neutralize the acidity of rain. Clay buffers better than sand/loamy soil, but the best buffer is composted organic matter. Coffee is also a buffer (at first pinkish, but after 20 min., it's a clear solution). COMPOSTED plant-matter is very alkaline and neutralizes acidic rain well. COMPOSTED leaves decompose to alkaline pH, when I stuffed a bunch of leaves in LOAMY & fluffy soil .. the next year that got converted into HARD CLAY, very alkaline. Green grass clippings stay fluffy longer (more nitrogen & more acidic). Brown leaves are considered "carbon" in a compost pile, and decompose to alkaline pH & hard like clay. My tap-water in red-cabbage is VERY BLUE, it's at pH 9 as stated on village's website. I also tested baking soda and it's more blue than my tap-water. I tested paver's sand or yellow coarse sand, and it's slightly alkaline. I tested composted manure and it's very alkaline (from the lime added to deodorize and kill weeds in the bag). The pH of composted manure is just as alkaline as my clay at pH 7.7. Your LAST pic. is slightly acidic. Rain-water is even more acidic & reddish purple. Rain water here is pH 4.5. I also tested some drops of vinegar and it's fuchsia red around pH 3. All my rooting-soil for cuttings are black or clear solution at neutral pH (they have lots of yellow sand or vermiculite mixed in). The clay taken from diseased & black spotted roses are slightly acidic, rather than blue like my pH 7.7 clay. I had tested 5 different roses with black spots in the past, and the soil taken from the root level is pinkish in red-cabbage juice. It's either acidic rain can't drain well from that spot, or else there's NOT enough buffer to neutralize the heavy rain going down.

There are a couple options in Garland if you're on the east side of DFW: Don't know if the Rohde's organic products will be much less expensive, but the nursery alone is worth a visit if you are looking for natives. You can check prices and reviews for much of their Greensense line on Amazon. Edit - looks like not all products available at the brick & mortar are offered in the on-line store. There's also the old family-run Roach Feed & Seed in downtown Garland which is an authentic feedstore, but caters more these days to urban pets and gardens.