my goodness that is magnificant!wish I could convince my camera to take such great close ups...:0)

Please use new listin. Thank you. Ron S

Please use new listing. Thank you. Ron s

Hi Sharon: Gypsum has double-the-salt at 8, versus lime (calcium carbonate) at 4. Gypsum is slightly acidic, best used to break up rock-hard clay. I throw gypsum around Romanticas (French rose) with dark-green leaves ... they HATE that stuff: become wilted. Both Romantica Liv Tyler and Austin Evelyn broke out in rust when I put gypsum. Gypsum (calcium sulfate) is acidic, the release of calcium is fast, thus driving down potassium. The ratio of nutrients in fertilizer is important, manure has that balanced ratio. Horse manure, even alkaline, kept my roses clean for 3 years ... until the stable switched to wet & acidic straw, and stopped liming. I won't use more than 1 teaspoon of sulfate of potash per gallon ... I learn the hardway, that stuff is VERY HIGH in potassium NPK 0-0-50. Too much potassium without EQUAL ratio of nitrogen, will stunt plants. If you use 1 teaspoon of sulfate of potash, I would also 4 teaspoon of blood meal, NPK 12-0-0 it has iron that stimulate growth. In the past I received 3" band, with zero leaves such as Duchess de Rohan & Mirandy roses. Nothing can make them sprout, not even alfalfa tea, high-nitrogen chemical ... until I put a bit of blood meal. For 3 years I used horse manure as mulch ... it worked well in suppressing weeds, if it's the black-well-composted stuff. The fresher the manure is, the more chance of containing oat seeds. When we have humid weather .. mushroom grow in ALL the mulches (including cypress and $$$ dark ones that smell good), but much less in the red-dyed-recycled wood chips. Even Purdue University article on artillery fungus (similar to black spots), stated that recycled wood-chips is best. Walmart sells them dyed brown, or red. Recycled wood-chips often were treated with fungicide to stop them from rotting. If you use alkaline horse manure, or recycled wood-chips ... there's no need for dusting with corn meal. Dusting with corn meal is effective only if DONE before the humidity starts. Once black spots develop on leaves, the best approach is to ensure balanced-nutrients for new & clean leaves. Dry & alkaline horse manure is the best weapon. I would still use horse manure, but my beds are over-flowed to the max. See below link for the ratio of nutrients in horse manure: perfect for roses, with 0.5 nitrogen, 0.3 phosphorus, 0.6 potassium, 0.3 calcium, and 0.12 magnesium. The advantage of using extra potassium (sulfate of potash), extra nitrogen (blood meal), and extra calcium (lime pellet, or ground limestone) is faster and better root-growth, if done IN THE SAME RATIOS as horse manure. I grew band-size roses in soil amended with compost & manure .... versus MiracleGro NPK 18-24-16 ... versus this approach: 1 part nitrogen, a bit more than 1 part potassium, 1/2 phosphorus, and 1/2 calcium. The last approach yielded thick & strong roots at 2-gallon size, after a few months. Here is a link that might be useful: Composition of manures This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Mon, Jul 21, 14 at 14:30