SHOP PRODUCTS
Houzz Logo Print
jim1961_gw

Roses & Stuff #12 ( Sept 2015)

Hi all, new thread...lol

This bent short necked Easy Does it bloom is still on the bush... Yes its faded but still on the bush since opening on September 13th...lol

Comments (95)

  • strawchicago z5
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Birds poop in my 3 bird-baths. I like the low one (just a plastic bowl), better than the pedestal. Always enjoy seeing Sam's garden. Forget to add that I put alfalfa pellets 1st (pH 5.8), then red-lava-rock on top (pH 8.2) on Madame Isaac Pereire to achieve such health. Alfalfa pellets plus garden lime (pH over 9) was REALLY LOUSY, but alfalfa pellets plus red-lava-rock was the perfect-combo, also worked on Souv. du President Lincoln rose.

    Found a document by Texas A & M on how SOLUBLE calcium promotes growth in plants. Just a touch of calcium & magnesium via pea-gravel is BETTER than garden lime, since it's slower-release. Texas A & M experiment uses calcium chloride, the same ingredient in Azomite. Yes, I witnessed growth-explosion with Azomite on several plants, including my mint. Too bad that compost doesn't have calcium, unless minerals is added. Many on-line reports re-enforced my observation that throwing egg-shells in my compost heap doesn't break down, even a year later.

    "Research has shown that applying soluble calcium

    with urea, an ammonium form of nitrogen, can

    improve crop production. Calcium increases ammonium,

    potassium and phosphorus absorption, stimulates

    photosynthesis, and increases the size of sellable plant

    parts. It also makes the use of nitrogen more efficient,"

    http://publications.tamu.edu/SOIL_CONSERVATION_NUTRIENTS/PUB_soil_Using%20Soluble%20Calcium%20to%20Stimulate%20Plant%20Growth.pdf

  • rosecanadian
    8 years ago

    Yes, Straw - let's be prayer partners. What should I pray for in your case? I really need prayers for my vision and my weight. What an awesome idea!

    I love birds in the yard. Every morning I see robins in the yard eating the worms that come for the coffee grounds.

    Carol

  • Related Discussions

    Roses & Stuff #4 (2015)

    Q

    Comments (106)
    Good choice, Msgirl !! I was about to warn you that Mary looks best in cold weather ... in hot weather above 80 her bloom has black-button when old, plus fade to white. Sharifa is worth $20, it's one-tenth the size of Mary. Cold-zoners complain that Happy Child is wimpy .. so it would be great for warm-zoners, plus compact & nice yellow. Golden Celebration is another fragrant yellow, except it's a climber, and is HUGE as own-root. Your Claire Austin and Tranquility are both perfect-form, very nice. About thrips: Switching from lime (pH over 9) to Azomite (pH 8) might help. A few people report that Azomite repel insects. I tried to find the salt-index of Azomite, couldn't find it. So I googled for the salt-index of calcium-chloride, a major component of Azomite ... no number was given, except for the fact that calcium-chloride is very bitter, plus salty. Something that bitter would make flowers less edible, and less tempting to insects. Jim: Would you start another thread? Thanks.
    ...See More

    Roses & Stuff #6 (2015)

    Q

    Comments (119)
    I think that was a end of the year bouquet...lol... Notice all the blooms that was the year I grew Mister Lincoln in a large container until September when I planted him in the ground... OK I'll start a new thread.... lol
    ...See More

    Roses & Stuff #7 (2015)

    Q

    Comments (98)
    That compost looks good, 3 yards for $60 is great bargain. Here the cypress mulch is $40 per yard, that's years ago. Thanks, Sam, for the pics of flowers in your garden. I don't have Heritage nor MayFlower so I enjoy seeing them. I love the deep colors of your cosmos. I used to have cosmos but the colors were faded pink in my alkaline clay, and I'm allergic to them (cosmos is related to ragweed). Wilbur is a delight to see, I wish I have a miniature stuffed-animal that looks like Wilbur to enjoy. My kid is into cats so I will have buy her a stuffed cat. We gave away her BIG stuffed-cat, but I'll get her a tiny one for her upcoming birthday. Your Mayflower is so big & lots of petals on that one. "Greasy" is good stuff. Salmon bits is greasy (high in Omega-3 fatty acids), but that gave 120+ blooms per flush on Bailey's Young Lycidas. To get shiny & glossy foliage, the fatty acids in cracked corn really helped with the shine on the leaves. To make such BIG blooms with zillion petals, more energy is required. What gives energy? Chemicals alone? No, I can't imagine sending someone to work with a drink laced with chemicals. I would send something substantial: fats & protein & fiber keep a person full, and it helps to give energy for roses too. Alfalfa is high in protein, fiber, plus some fat. Fish meal is high in protein, high in fat. Cracked corn is very good in producing zillion petals: that's high in protein, fat, fiber, and minerals. Red-lava-rock is solid, if there's acidic rain to break down, same with pea-gravel: solid minerals, if there's rain to break down. Fish meal is fast to break down, that works great for alkaline-tap for Bailey in LA. Fish-emulsion is even faster, since it has acid added. Acidic Cracked corn and alfalfa pellets broke down too fast in acidic rain, and gave my roses black spots, due to the release of acids. For acidic rain, I use ALKALINE & slower-released like red-lava-rock for potassium, and pea-gravel for a vast array of minerals. Below is Excellenz Von Schubert that Seaweed in CA grew In full-sun, fertilized with fish emulsion. Seaweed uses Gardner & Bloom organic potting soil for EVS rose, it blooms lots for her, despite her low annual rainfall of 11" per year:
    ...See More

    Roses & Stuff #10 (2015)

    Q

    Comments (79)
    Very good planning, Jim. I get burnt out answering those questions in other threads .. your thread is more enjoyable (honestly happy with just a few stable friends). Sure, I learn too when I answer those questions, but I'm done with that, and I just want to relax. Although Prairie Harvest can take acid, I pushed it too much by putting more gypsum (calcium sulfate) and sulfate of potash (21%) .. and it got 2 leaves of blackspots in this humid & rainy weather. I forgot that Prairie Harvest gave me 2 blooms, plus 3 buds .. it secreted plenty of acid in doing so, time for something alkaline. I'm going to put Prairie Harvest into my alkaline clay. I messed up that pot with so many experiments ... I have to undo the damage. In contrast, Cloude de Soupert and Reve'd Or. are dark-green and going-nuts with pea-gravel, plus 100% healthy. The above experiment is to prove that having acidic pH doesn't help, it's SUPPLYING BALANCED NUTRIENTS that matter. I'm more relaxed on growing roses to do crazy experiments, and I don't care if they lose all leaves, as long as I learn something. I used to be so upset last year when my kid didn't get straight A's, now I don't care if she has a B. Life is about learning, and doing a better job the next time. If we don't make mistakes, we learn zero in life. There are so many myths in rose-world: phosphorus for bloom, Epsom salt, roses need it slightly acidic, and roses need spraying & nitrogen fertilizer. I honestly would be better off just ignore everything they say, and just the basics: fluffy soil & organic fertilizer. Jim, time for a new thread.
    ...See More
  • Samuel Adirondack NY 4b5a
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Neat guy. I used his seed starter method in totes.

    https://youtu.be/0ycETgNRe5kk

    Gary pilarcheck you tube video about mixing white vinegar with eggshells (pulverized). The gets the readily available calcium.

    Or in the compost.

    I just sprinkle eggshells on the soil.

    He also does a magnesium video.

    Cool

  • Samuel Adirondack NY 4b5a
    8 years ago

    I get my eggs from a friend at work . they are those brown ones that straw says are so good.

  • rosecanadian
    8 years ago

    That was interesting. I think that I'm going to get a coffee grinder.

    Only thing is that at the beginning he says

    1 tbsp pulverized eggs + 2 tbsp vinegar

    Later he says

    1 tbsp pulverized eggs + 2 tsps vinegar.

    So I wonder which one it is????

    Carol


  • Samuel Adirondack NY 4b5a
    8 years ago

    I think tsp.

    Carol

    Your rose pictures were so good.

  • rosecanadian
    8 years ago

    Thanks Sam!! Roses are so much fun, aren't they!!!

    Thanks for the tsp clarification.

    Also, I think that the crushed up egg shells will be good grist for my worms.

    Carol

  • jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
    Original Author
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I'll pray for you also Carol...

    We have a lot of worms here in the backyard. Not so much at the side of the house but I will work on increasing worm population in that location...

  • strawchicago z5
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Sam, thank you for that neat video. I think he means 2 tablespoon vinegar and 1 tablespoon eggshell. It takes lots of vinegar to break down hard-stuff. I use vinegar everyday in my garden, to break up rock-hard-clay. I poured 4 gallons of vinegar on a sand-cherry tree, but it's still alive, the next step is to BOIL vinegar. Walmart, only 5 min. from me: always sold-out on vinegar, foiks here have hard-well-water, and they use vinegar to unclog shower-head & gardening. Every few months, I would put vinegar in a zip-loc bag and tie it up around the shower-head, to dissolve the calcium-deposit, so we get stronger-water-flow.

    Carol: I keep a mental note of people when I pray for them .... I treasure that pic. of yours posted years ago, to pray for your eyes & weight loss. The only prayer I ask for: God please give me the wisdom to take better care of my only daughter.

  • rosecanadian
    8 years ago

    Thanks, Jim. :) You guys are all awesome! I just love worms.

    Straw - does she like being in the gifted program? My kids were both in the gifted program too. One loved it, the other didn't. So the one that didn't, got out of the program. My kids have had sooooooo many problems with anxiety and depression (mostly genetic). I was praying that my aunt, Elizabeth Williams (who was childless and very religious), who had died would intercede for my one child. She wanted to die (she has Asperger's Syndrome - which is known for causing depression/anxiety big time). So the next day after I asked my aunt to intercede, I saw an infomercial about an anxiety program. One of the people touting it (she had been through the program) was a woman named Elizabeth Williams. (how strange is that). I bought the program, and worked on it with my daughter (took about 3months). My daughter will always be more suceptible to stress/depression - but she's tons and tons better. The program is Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety. I recommend it to people all the time.

    But, certainly I will pray for your daughter. :)

    Carol

  • jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
    Original Author
    8 years ago

    Prayers for your daughter Straw! Hi Straw,Carol, and Sam...

    Easy Does it is turning pinkish and the other bloom with short bent neck fell off today... Bloom opened Sept 13 until today... (lasted 14 days on the bush)


  • Samuel Adirondack NY 4b5a
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    heritage
    cosmos

    Hey Jim have you ever been to the place called on Williamsport PA where they get the natural gas? Just curious? I heard its a good place on TV.

    I like the pictures of that Lake.

    The wasps are a big part of my garden they drink like a bird from the bird bath.

  • jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
    Original Author
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I started a NEW thread...

    I went to Williamsport Pa. many years ago...Can't remember much from that trip though...

    Great pics of your rose and flower Sam!

  • Samuel Adirondack NY 4b5a
    8 years ago

    Here is the compost pile waiting for a big dose of leaves!

  • jim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
    Original Author
    8 years ago

    I started a new thread...

    Cool Sam! I might shred some leaves this fall and throw on our rose beds... Thing is they often blow away...lol

  • strawchicago z5
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Jim: I love that sunset-color of Easy Does it .. Great that it lasts for 14 days. I would love find such color in many petals for the vase.

    Sam: Thank you for the pics. of your garden. Cosmos is my favorite !!

    Carol: What a testimony to prayers!! I used to subscribe to Angels-magazine and Guideposts, but I stopped both since they were getting too trivial, rather than Bible-based (yes, deceased loved ones can be angels to help us).

    My kid stays at the gifted program since she likes her friend. She turned down Science and Math Academy (STEM) school, since she doesn't want to make friends all-over again. She's much happier than last year, I put her on herbal drops (Thyroid Edge liquid with stinging nettle & others), and that gets her going strong in the morning. Her friend who was depressed & was helped with prescribed thyroid medication.

    NOTE: The liquid magnesium chloride (from sea-water) also has boron, chlorine, and sulfate. It was effective to reduce appetite right before dinner (due to its alkalinity), but when I tested 2 more doses before bed-time, I got dizzy. So I won't recommend more than 400 mg (or one eye-drop).. no side-effect at that dose. It's quite cheap, a bottle lasts a year.

    NOW magnesium oxide-power has the most % of elemental magnesium, thus MOST effective for deep seep, plus the LEAST side-effect. 1/2 teaspoon of powder is enough to supply magnesium per day for good sleep. The Mg-oxide powder form is more gentle on the stomach, and doesn't upset nor cause bad diarrhea like magnesium pills. It's dirt-cheap so I plan to test on roses in pots. Cloude Soupert's last bloom in the pot balled .. I'll test my high-magnesium clay first, if that doesn't work on stopping the balling, then I'll test magnesium oxide powder. Betty White is in my high-magnesium clay: no balling whatsoever, even during heavy rain.

    THANK YOU, Carol and Jim, for praying regarding my daughter's school. God answered your prayers immediately last night. Last evening I had 400 mg liquid magnesium chloride before dinner: that cut down stomach acid, and I ate less. For before bed-time snack, I drank Kefir with 1/2 teaspoon magnesium oxide powder, plus stinging-nettle for my hayfever ... WOW !! the best sleep ever, vivid dreams, no hayfever. So I will be giving my daughter Kefir with magnesium oxide before her dinner. If she can sleep well, she can handle school better.

    Thanks to last night's great sleep ... I went for 1/2 hour walk with my kid, plus 2-hours walking during shopping at 3 stores. Lots of energy left to work in the garden. My Italian Fly-Flot walking shoes help a lot. If anyone has wide-feet and need to walk for 4 hours a day, Fly-Flot has the best cushion ... more comfortable than running shoes (I met my husband at a running club). Below is Betty White's 1st bloom, opened during heavy rain:

  • rosecanadian
    8 years ago

    Wow!! That was a fast acting prayer - just like mine was for my daughter. Yeah, I know that leaving friends would be a really hard thing to do.

    I wrote down the info on mg. I'll try it next time I think about getting new pills. My husband could use that too.

    Love your Betty White. I have one too. I got over the balling problem by cutting it short in the fall, so that it missed the heavy rain, and bloomed later. I was very happy with it!!

    Sam - I really love my wasps too. They eat aphids and never bother me. I have quite a few wasps.

    Carol

  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    hello Strawberry Hill


    thank you so much for inviting me to this forum, I have read through all the posts and loved all the stunning info, everyone's beautiful roses and enthusiasm...and the prayers... :)


    I hope it's okay with everyone else to have a new person in this discussion-group?


    A little bit about me


    I stay in Riebeek East, a very tiny village close to Grahamstown, South Africa. (this photo was taken the day I first got here)


    Hopefully soon I'll be able to add more photo's...especially once my roses start to open up their buds. I'm waiting for a good rain to start adding Sulfate of Potash, which the local nursery in Grahamstown so kindly sourced for me. Except I might try that sooner on Graham Thomas because he showed me a few BS leaves today...

    ps: Stawberry Hill, should I perhaps just go ahead and do that with all my roses, instead of waiting...? And just water them well as you suggested in the other forum where you posted all the info? (I still have all the info- the gypsum. molasses and Sulfate of Potash)


    I'm an illustrator and work for a media company, on freelance basis. And I love what I do. the art, and the gardening.


    I was fascinated to learn about Magnesium as well as brewer's yeast, which I have started taking for painful feet which feel swollen (but isn't)...and the Brewer's yeast I just started taking because I tried that for my roses, and thought it might be good for me too, and then ended up enjoying the taste...so great to read that it is actually very good for me.... :)


    I will have to try and get hold of some other form of magnesium as suggested above, because the one I've been using gives me diarrhea...(Miracle Magnesium - oral liquid) (by Body de Ox) (maybe I'm using too much...)


    I also have a weight problem (and have been told I snore terribly!), and will try this walking pledge, but I'm not sure if I will be able to keep the pledge seeing that my only activity is running around in the garden and I just don't enjoy walking where people can see me...I know...weird...and there aren't even a lot of people here...only 6 cars leave for work to Grahamstown at 6 am...


    I will pray with all of you.


    When I'm in my garden, I see God everywhere. I have a small pond at the bottom of my garden, with a tiny river constantly feeding it, (and sometimes I'm scared it may flood)...but most of the time I've been here the pond was bone dry. There are wild geese and ducks and a million frogs and many other beautiful birds and dragon flies...it feels like being in paradise.


    I see God in all of this. In each rose petal, every little insect and animal and bird.


    It's only when confronted with some people that it feels like hell is on earth.


    So I prefer being a hermit. And being able to meet other like minded people in this forum is a real blessing, to know there are kind people with love in their hearts around, even if we're a million miles apart.


    thank you for this.








  • strawchicago z5
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Jessjennings: What a wonderful message your wrote! I love it! I echo your sentiments. "It's only when confronted with some people that it feels like hell is on earth."

    I love the pic. of your town in South Africa. Very lovely and cozy.

    Sometimes I wish I'm a big & tall guy so I won't be so paranoid when walking alone. When I was 9-month pregnant, I walked everyday to ensure healthy birth .. only 5 min. from my house I was attacked by a pit-bull dog. It pinned me down and clawed me on my back. Luckily the owner was there to stop the dog. Later on I learned that the same pit-bull dog bit the leg of a boy and tore his pants.

    Yes, I'm a hermit since my family demands lots from me. This forum is time for myself, plus my garden. I feel God's presence whenever I sniff a rose. My Catholic patron saint is St. Teresa (the little flower). She loved Old Garden Roses when she was alive. When she died, there was a strong rose-fragrance at her funeral, which was witnessed by many.

    Magnesium oxide and magnesium stearate both cause diarrhea, if used more than 1/2 teaspoon. I tried all types: magnesium citrate, magnesium chloride (from seawater). Magnesium chloride has the least side-effect, but nasty & bitter. Magnesium chloride is VERY EFFECTIVE in suppressing appetite, it reduces stomach acid immediately, so one doesn't feel hungry. One day I shopped all day, didn't eat lunch. Rush home to cook dinner. I was out of time to eat for energy, so I put some magnesium chloride (liquid) in some juice, drank it, and was less hungry (less stomach acid). I tried that for a week, and ate MUCH LESS for dinner.

    Graham Thomas DEMAND lots of potassium to bloom. A rose grower in Texas had the same problem, until the nursery told her to use high potassium & high phosphorus chemical fertilizer. Yes, sulfate of potash & gypsum & molasses actually works better with tap-water than with rain, since the solution is acidic to neutralize tap-water ... most tap-water is alkaline due to municipals adding hydrated lime to stop pipes from being corroded, plus to deodorize.

  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    I found a few old photo's that I'd like to share :)


    One of my first roses here - Blue Moon


    My dearest cat, Bollie...there are 8 others, all special in their own way, very close friends, as well as a cheeky tame totally free range hen, which lays one egg per day. And really messes up my house... :)


    my Dutch neighbor's naughty goat Chocco. He is quite a guy...



    Some giant sunflowers that I grew when I first started my little garden with the small mountain/hill at the back.


    Pigs and Nguni cattle - they are gone now, sold - they were also my neighbor's cattle (on the opposite side of the dam) and I really miss them, they are so beautiful



    a double rainbow shortly after I moved in here (I had to play in Photoshop to make the colors stand out more)


    the 'busy' road going past my house with the village in the distance. Taken at sunset on one of my rare walks.

    my view, with my tiny log home left. (the good thing about a tiny house is that it only takes 10 minutes to clean)...all these were taken about 3 years ago. On the other side of the fence there is a slope going down where the little dam is. I had the fence extended closer to the dam now, where I just planted more trees.

    the trees in the background are all Karoo Acacias. The lawn is Kikuyu and grows one inch per day. Not my favorite plant, especially because it spreads and grows at least 15 inches deep with really hard and strong roots, very difficult to remove or mow. But it keeps the soil happy, with millions of earthworms underneath.



    this is the kind of thing you see on the way to Grahamstown. Riebeek East is situated between game lodges. To the other side on the way to Port Elizabeth (but quite a distance) you will find Addo elephant park. Unfortunately there aren't any elephants around here. There are monkeys and baboons though (in Riebeek East), so I can't grow pumpkins or corn ..ever...


    thank you for having a look at my photo's.



  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    thank you Strawberry Hill :-))))


    also for the advice about the Magnesium (yes, I just knew it - I was taking far to much...)


    and as far as the Sulfate of Potash, gypsum and molasses 'recipe' goes, I'm tackling Graham Thomas first thing tomorrow morning. I already gave him a dose of gypsum about one week ago, so this time it'll only be the molasses and Sulfate of Potash.


    The attack-by-pit-bull that you experienced sounds like a nightmare - and at 9 months pregnant! I'm so sorry that something like that happened to you....yes, walking on my own scares me a lot...being attacked by a dog or violent people along the way is always a possibility...




  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    ps - what you wrote about Mother Theresa is so beautiful... she was...IS ...(we only leave our bodies behind)... such a beautiful being... :)

  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    I actually looked at the label now (at last), and see it is Magnesium Chloride (horrible taste yes...), and contains trace minerals: Calcium, Boron, Manganese, Potassium, Selenium, Zinc)


    I'm going to take some right now. Only much much less than I did previously :)



  • strawchicago z5
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I treasure your pics. very much, esp. your cat and the beautiful scenery. What are the beautiful animals in the last pic? Thanks for the info.

    With regard to what you wrote: " The lawn is Kikuyu and grows one inch per day. Not my favorite plant, especially because it spreads and grows at least 15 inches deep with really hard and strong roots, very difficult to remove or mow." I will look that up, so many exotic plants I never heard before.

    My lawn (grass) here is very deep (6 inch root), it was a pain to pull them up to plant roses, until the rosarian Karl Bapst told me about MULCH film .. thick black plastic to put down and kill any deep-rooted plants by blocking out water, plus solarizing (heating up the soil). Below is a picture of MULCH film I use, if you don't have that, any thick-plastic would do. It takes only a few months to kill any grass or short weeds, when you pull up, you get compost, and the soil is very fluffy, ready to plant.

    http://www.menards.com/main/more/lawn-garden/landscaping/mulch-film/p-1690425.htm

  • strawchicago z5
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I love your pic. of the double-rain-bow. WOW !! Will have to use that for my computer screen-saver. Thank you.

    Below is black plastic "Mulch Film", only $6 to make a large rose bed, and I re-use the plastic again. Black plastic kills the grass and converts them into compost: nice and fluffy, rather than rock-hard-native clay. It takes 6 months (we have cold winter, 20 deg. below zero), but no work except to hold the plastic down with bricks.

    The payoff? Save myself from the labor of pulling deep grass out, plus no need to pay for yard waste.

    "Mulch Film" or thick black plastic solarizes grass into good soil. I put "Mulch Film" in the fall, let them sit through the winter, roll up in spring, and got fluffy soil:

  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    this is such a great idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was thinking of using cardboard boxes, but that requires first getting hold of that, plus adding soil or compost on top otherwise the wind blows them away...and ants love making homes underneath them when they don't have soil on top and get watered often....This will definitely be used from now on :)))


    thank you for this excellent idea :)


    my clay is also rock hard. If I do this now, it will definitely be ready by the time I need to replant 3 of my roses in about 9 month's time, just before spring.


    the animals are Impala antelopes - a very common bush buck around here :)


    My favorite animal to spot when going to Grahamstown is the bush pig (warthog)



    Unfortunately I haven't taken these photo's, they are just too fast for me and my camera :)



    They always have their tails up,like little antennas when they're running.


    And although the look cute, the are deadly.



  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    I see the photo's I tried to copy-paste from Google didn't attach sigh....

  • strawchicago z5
    8 years ago

    Jessjennings: I love that naughty goat Chocco ... he looks mischievous. My sister traveled to South Africa few years ago .. she loved it, and she enjoyed New Zealand too. I watch Rick Steves Travel Show to Europe .. it gets boring after a while: old building, castles, food, lodging, etc.. I really want to see the outdoor & wild animals so I'm going to borrow South Africa or New Zealand travel-show from the library to watch. I'm grateful for the pics. you post, that gives me some ideas for family-TV-time.

    My favorite magnesium for best night sleep? RAW almond milk. I use a cheap blender (KitchenAid), put 1 cup of RAW almond, plus 3 cups of water. Go from puree to liquefy speed in 3 min., strain with a mesh-wire-strainer (the type you use for soup). It takes less than 10 min. I use the milk to eat with cereal before going to sleep. The solids I soak it overnight for a second straining & second use, before I give to roses. I have to mix the solids with soil, since animals love that and dig it up.

    Hubby's ex-roommate visited us. The guy is same age as me, 54 year old, but he's still wearing his high school jeans, really skinny. He's a vegetarian: have a RAW salad everyday: lettuce, cucumber, radish, plus shredded cheese, beans, and full-fat salad-dressing. The magnesium in RAW vegetables really help to lose weight. I was 110 lbs. when I was 6 months pregnant, I craved for salads, so I ate RAW salads everyday (RAW watercress, kohlrabi, Boston lettuce) ... I could not gain weight, so the doctor ordered me to gain weight. I had to stuff myself with chocolate cake to achieve 115 lbs. before giving birth. At that time I also craved for raisin bran cereal (high in magnesium) .. and salmon. That's all I ate while pregnant: salads, raisin bran, salmon. Years later I gained 20 lbs., and lost it again with the same approach. I firmly believe that magnesium is the key to losing weight, since it's alkaline and reduces stomach acid (less hunger pangs). Best magnesium is RAW almond milk & RAW salads.

    Now I know why British royals go to South Africa for vacation, it's such a beautiful country.

  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    hello Strawberry Hill :)


    I have another question.


    been busy (still is) with the roses. I gave 2-3 teaspoons Sulfate of Potash for each rose (already gave gypsum last week - plus in all the new holes one cup gypsum), but then re-read your instructions and now I'm doubting myself (again). In your info below, you said 2 teaspoons per small rose in a pot. Should I add more to a big rose, already established, like Graham Thomas, etc?


    I gave each newly planted rose 2 teaspoons after planting it and watered it in very well.


    But am not sure...some roses are so big already, maybe I should add more? And how much water is required afterwards?



    I don't want to use chemical fertilizer (too salty for clay, and too high in phosphorus), so I sprinkle blood meal NPK 12-0-0 (8 teaspoon), 2 teaspoon of sulfate of potash NPK 0-0-50, and 2 teaspoon of gypsum. 4 x 12 = 48, that's close to 50. So I use 4 times more blood meal to achieve equal nitrogen to potassium. That's once a month on top of a tiny rose in pot.


    I am adding molasses as below tomorrow, with some more water. we are having a really hot day today. Rain predicted for Thursday.


    Instead of bone meal, I used blackstrap molasses diluted in water (1 tea per gallon), and water every other day. "Wholesome Organics" molasses has 15% calcium, 20% potassium, and 20% iron, plus other trace elements. NPK of molasses is 3-1-5, high in potassium, plus good % of phosphorus, nitrogen, and calcium. Plantation brand and Wholesome Organics are molasses without salt added.


    This morning I saw a thick basal break in Prairie Harvest rose, which I received as a tiny rooting, shorter than my thumb 2 months ago. Now it's over 1 foot tall, and gave me 2 blooms, and 6 buds which I pinched off for root-growth. See below Prairie Harvest basal break which shows how potassium and calcium in a 2:1 ratio produce thick stem, pic. taken today Oct 9:


    I came back to my previous post and corrected to 1 teas. molasses in 2 gallon of water (7,57082 liters) . I used 1 teas molasses per 1 gallon of water and that caused iron-stain on the leaves of Gina's rose (brownish edge on leaves).





  • strawchicago z5
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Hi Jess: My roses in pots are really small, less than a foot, plus they are own-roots (wimpy like alfalfa sprouts). Yours are grafted on Multiflora and can take more acid. I agree with you on increasing the dose, but always use sulfate of potash in a balance ratio with gypsum ... 2 to 1.

    I used too much sulfate of potash by itself one time, and roses had tons of blooms, but poor quality. That's the logic of using it together with molasses (has phosphorus and trace elements like iron), plus gypsum. But if you already have gypsum in the planting hole, or sprinkled gypsum before, then just use sulfate of potash and molasses only.

    I pre-mixed molasses & gypsum & sulfate of potash for roses that have nothing in the planting hole.It's good to keep powder-fertilizer dry, it's easier to sprinkle powder and water that in, than as a diluted solution. For my big 3-year-old Golden Celebration, I sprinkled 1 and 1/2 tablespoon sulfate of potash around the bush, and gave it 2 gallon of water.


  • strawchicago z5
    8 years ago

    Jessjennings: THANK YOU for your posting in Organic Rose, I appreciate that very much. You came just the right time, when Jim leaves the forum over the issue of blackspot strains. I stood up to protect rose nurseries and variety of roses. I's sad for people to believe in the myth of blackspot strains, and buy nothing but Knock-out roses. Austin roses and fragrances really lift me up, so do friends who enjoy the same hobby.

  • rosecanadian
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Hi Jess!! Welcome!! I'm a newbie here too. I was on holiday for our Canadian Thanksgiving. Just got back from visiting my family who all live in Edmonton (about 3 hour drive north from where I live). We had a wonderful time! We went to a corn maze with my sister, her children, my two children and my husband. It was so much fun! And what I did was bring along a huge bag of rose petals (left overs from my hybridizing). So, we go in teams. My sister and I are one team. My husband and my nephew are another team. My two daughters and my niece made the last team. My sister and I always come in last every year. This year, however, we didn't take as long as we usually do, because we dropped rose petals on paths we had already taken! So that way we didn't waste time going over and over the same ground. I bet we were the only people with rose petals there! :)

    Straw - Jim doesn't come on this forum anymore?? Oh that's a shame. :(

    I bought some raw almond milk. I'll try it tonight.

    Jess - maybe if you went walking with a wide brimmed hat, your face isn't recognizable, and you would feel less exposed to other people. That might work. :)

    Carol

  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    Hi Strawberry Hill and hello Rosecanadian :)


    what a privilege it is, to be here talking to you.


    Rosecanadian, the corn maze trail sounds fascinating and such fun! I have never heard about that before.... Around here people don't do fun things like that anymore....


    Something else I'm starting to dream about is to make my own kite and let it fly - when the winds start blowing - I've loved doing that as a child, and that's something else no one seems to even remember any more. It's just TV (I don't have one and I don't want one)


    I'm sorry to hear that Jim left the forum, and is only planting Knock-Out roses. I read somewhere they are particularly susceptible to Witches Broom disease?


    As for the idea of the large brimmed hat - many thanks, I like the idea and will try and get one... :)


    I have just finished planting all my new roses, and followed your excellent advice Strawberry Hill.


    After using Sulfate of Potash as you directed, NO MORE BLACK SPOT ON GRAHAM THOMAS!!!!!!!! :) This makes me soooooooooo happy...


    All I need to do now is to add some molasses to each rose planted. I bought a Sharifa Asma and I see her bloom is almost white. That isn't how she is supposed to look....and I'm sure the molasses will 'fix' that.


    no poisons needed that will kill all the beneficial insects! :)


    I also still need to add some sulfate of Potash to the Liquid amber trees (3), but my back is broken now. I think it was the huge pot that I had to put stones in and drag all the way to where it has to be...and sawing of a huge log to put into the pot for better drainage... (something like Hugelkultur) - I read about that somewhere and will send the site when I find it...will search for it I might have bookmarked it...


    thanks so much for the info Strawberry Hill. So I gather that it's best to use a little often, once per week, rather than a lot once a month. that makes good sense....


    I have added some Sulfate of Potash around a little tree (Budlejah Saligna) that was transplanted by a bad gardener and he broke the roots. the poor thing was struggling for about 2 months now and I tried everything else (epsom salts, sugar water, molasses, I can't remember what else) ...two days ago I added the sulfate of potash and the few leaves it was still clinging to is looking alive and bright...


    and as far as David Austin roses (and Heritage roses) go, I can't see my garden without them...they are just too beautiful not to plant :))))









  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    ps - I've used the idea with the huge log in the centre (in the site mentioned above), planted vertically inside a huge pot for a Holy Bamboo, Nandina domestica - it will hopefully grow very tall (2 meters +) and create shade for Pat Austin :) ...in the meantime she will be shaded with 80% shadenet.


    If this won't work she'll get a new home in more shade next spring....


    Will let you know if this works... :) It's the first time I've done this....

  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    and this is just a beautiful garden I'd like to share with you


    http://www.gardenvisit.com/garden/derek_jarman_garden_prospect_cottage_dungeness


    I hope to be able to paint my little log home like his...when the planting stops and I have some $ :)


    and maybe if I'm really lucky I might find an old boat somewhere as well....


    http://wp1139200.server-he.de/raetherei/tag/derek-jarman/


    http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/sep/24/derek-jarman-garden-dungeness-alys-fowler

  • strawchicago z5
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Jessjennings: Thank you for those wonderful links. The second link is in German, so glad that I took 4 years of German in high school & college. Derek's garden is so beautiful in full-sun. I love that low-cost-gardening with Hugel blogs .. the guy posted that info. in this forum before.

    Carol: That story about dropping rose petals in a corn maze was great !! I enjoy that so much. We used to drive 3 1/2 to 4 hours to Michigan for family re-union, but now my family of 8 older sisters and 2 younger brothers (plus 1 deceased older brother) are scattered across the country. Big family isn't better, the bond is weaker and more superficial than a small family. I prefer a small forum where I see people as my friends, than a big forum which I was nit-picked by strangers who like to control.

    Jim left for many reasons ... our winter is coming, and we all are busy with family, plus the blackspot (BS) strains' confusion. I was stressed out yesterday over that BS issue, didn't water my pots, was behind schedule in taking care of my family ... I was distracted, puzzled, until Prairie_northrose cleared things up with her excellent info.

    Your visits are a relief ... there are more interesting things, such as South Africa and Edmonton, Canada, than the blackspots overload. The myth of blackspot strains benefit no one, but Knock-outs with its claim of resistant to many blackspot strains.

    Jim will plant other roses besides Knock-outs. The point I made was OTHER people buy Knock-outs only, being misled by its claim of resistant to many BS-strains. And nurseries are afraid to sell other types, for fear of being hassled about giving customers BS strains. You are right about Knock-outs are susceptible to RRD (witches broom virus). I'm tired of seeing Knock-outs everywhere. I was happy when a shopping center replaced Knock-outs with some pretty Pampas grass. Austin roses are like fragrant cute baby-dumplings in my garden .. I like to sniff them, it's a temporary passport to heaven.

    Sulfate of potash with magnesium, sulfur, and super-high in potassium ..... that did amazing things to my garden. Potassium helps with photosynthesis, esp. in shade, so Austin roses, being bred in a foggy & cloudy climate, needs more potassium. My roses in partial shade (down to less than 3 hours of sun) are blooming way-more this year with sulfate of potash. I notice Blackspots gone with the new leaves sprouting (fertilized with sulfate of potash & gypsum in a 2 to 1 ratio). Potassium is known to help with disease-prevention in plants.

  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    Hi Strawberry Hill


    been in the garden ... again ....


    I had a look at Google photo's of Edmonton, Canada, it is truly beautiful...


    Have I read correctly, are you in Hawaii?


    And yes, I didn't enjoy the previous forum where people nit-picked you - I started just skipping their posts to read yours instead. I also noted that they never posted any photo's of their own roses or gardens, but insisted to be right about everything all the time... not nice....

  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    ps - I bought 2 trays or really scraggly, thin stemmed almost dying- looking Cosmos flowers, and decided to treat them the same way as I did the roses... Hopefully they will pick up. Will send photo's if they do :)

    and another yes - I agree - having a few close, like-minded friends are more valuable than being among many people or even a big family.... it's strange isn't it - one ends up actually feeling lonely in a crowd, where people can't bond or don't share their inner lives and thoughts and not love or understanding either....?


  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    another ps: I am also 54 years young :)

  • strawchicago z5
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Msdorkgirl is from Haiwaii ... she used to post here everyday, but she's taking an accounting class plus working full-time, so she's off from forums.

    I'm northwest of Chicago, in the suburbs next to the Fox River. Will have to take pic. of my town's river, plus the water-dam. So glad that you are the same age. Women best friends are each other, even with the married ones. My best friends are my daughter 1st, then my husband. But my daughter doesn't care for roses, she likes video games.

    Women are nurturing emotionally and spiritually .. Women can live happily single, but men can't ... plenty of studies on that. We nurture & support other people well. One of the place I quit working, the women threw a goodbye party to me, they were so supportive !! Then when I had my child, the women (strangers in a running club) threw a baby-shower party for me. I like both yours and Carol's nurturing spirit, and I am the same way ... I'm always there for people when they need me. I remember how lonely it was when I was single. That gift of loneliness is what opens my heart and make me a good & steady friend.

  • rosecanadian
    8 years ago

    Jess, I'm glad you like the idea of a large brimmed hat. Let us know if it helps.

    I'm going for a 1 1/2 hour walk with my dogs at the off-leash area. They love to run there, and since it's cooler now, I love going for long walks every day.

    Here is my youngest dog, Zephyr. He's 3 1/2 years old.

    Here's my middle-aged dog, Toffee - he's 7 (brown) and my senior dog, Jellybean - she's almost 12.

    They're all standard poodles.

    I'm 53 years young!

    Yeah, Straw, I'm going to bring roses petals to the maze every year. I threw some rose petals up in the air in the maze, and this little boy backed away. So I told him that they were just rose petals. He started yelling, "Mom!! She has rose petals!!!" He thought it was quite neat. :)

    Carol

  • strawchicago z5
    8 years ago

    I adore your dogs, would love to see them again, and again, in future threads. I started a new one since this is getting long.

  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    I also adore, no ADORE your dog friends they are just beautiful :) and I really miss having a dog friend, but since mine had to be euthanized about 15 years ago I'm still in mourning...it was a huge gentle giant Alsation.

    Did the little boy shout 'mom, she has rose petals' out of fear or joy? I hope it was out of joy...

    Yes Strawberry Hill, you are so right.... loneliness has many gifts. I used to be very lonely when I stayed alone in an apartment in Cape Town, and then again for many years in the company of a friend (husband) who didn't want me in his life. But all of that brought me to a point in my life where I really appreciate the things that really matter. Good friendship, something that most take for granted....it is worth more than gold. The beauty of everything in my garden, the sky, my health, all my animal friends and the roses....

    People like you and Carol :)

    thank you for that - the warmth that I feel when we communicate... :)

    I typed into Google images: 'Chicago, in the suburbs next to the Fox River' - the place where you live Strawberry Hill is so lovely...

  • rosecanadian
    8 years ago

    Jess - oops!! I meant with joy! (chuckle)

    I love Alsations. They are so beautiful. Do you have a picture of him? I haven't had a dog die yet. My idea was to have more than one dog, so that when one dies, I won't feel so terrible. Not sure if it will work.

    Maybe it's time you get another dog? Then you'd be out walking again, and you'd have more company. I always want to have a dog. If you got one, would you get another Alsation?

    Yes, I'll post more pictures of my dogs. :)

    Carol

  • strawchicago z5
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    JessJennings: Carol also posted the above in my new thread "Winter Journal ..." One's conscience or soul lasts unto eternity. For example, if a husband cheats on a wife, sure, the wife gets hurt temporary... but people don't know that the offender's soul and conscience hurt forever for his sin, either on this earth, or in the afterlife. That's why I researched on NDE (near-death experience) and put in my Pinterest board:

    https://www.pinterest.com/clonewar/hope-for-the-suicide-near-death-experiences-nde/

  • rosecanadian
    8 years ago

    I found that a little scary - the part about the end of times coming. That really scares me.

    I had a Godly experience once when a Franscican brother was having lunch with my family. He was showing us his rosaries. When he showed us a particular one, I felt Glory. I felt a strong sense of awe. I mean really strong. There was no mistaking God's presence. So I told him to be careful with that rosary since it's very special. He said that it had been blessed 3 times by Pope John Paul II. This was many years ago, but I am still amazed by the experience.

    I remember seeing a show on NDEs. This one person said that he felt himself floating up to the ceiling during his surgery. He had died. But, then he was brought back to life. He told everyone what had happened. They didn't believe him. But then he said that he saw the surgeon flapping his arms like a chicken. This surprised everyone since this surgeon would keep his hands near his chest and point with his elbows. This would look like flapping chicken wings.

    Carol

  • strawchicago z5
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Carol and Jess: I love the stories Carol shared. Thank you. There's a cardiologist, Dr. Maurice Rawlings, M.D. who wrote a book on NDEs. Most patients hate it when Dr. Rawlings applied electric shocks to revive them, except for this mail-man who screamed "Don't stop, I'm in hell." The experienced scared the doctor so much that he became a believer and wrote the book on NDE.

    Later on Dr. Rawlings (a Protestant) got to know a Catholic priest. The priest said, "Do you want to experience the holy spirit?" .. then the priest read a passage from the Bible, and Dr. Rawlings had the most hair-raising spiritual experience. Once a devout person "tune in" to God, the Holy Spirit leaves behind a "heavenly sense" that lasts forever, like the blessed rosary, or the powerful bible passage, or roses and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux's funeral. See below link:

    http://www.littleflower.org/therese/st-therese-faqs/

    "Experience has shown that St. Therese's "shower of roses" is both figurative and actual. As she was dying in the convent infirmary, Therese could look out and see the rose bushes blossoming. She loved roses. She had thrown rose petals as a Child before the Blessed Sacrament. As she reflected on her quiet, hidden, and gentle life ending, she believed in faith that God had great things in store for her. She believed that her mission was only beginning as she entered the fullness of life with God. She explained: "After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth. I will raise up a mighty host of little saints. My mission is to make God loved..."

    Shortly after her death, the rain of roses began. Sometimes roses literally appeared, and sometimes just the fragrance of them. Cures of painful and fatal diseases and many other miraculous experiences were attributed to her intercession. "

  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    thanks so much for this post Strawberry Hill.. It made me cry tears of joy and love to read this....



  • jessjennings0 zone 10b
    8 years ago

    Also for Carol's sharing of her experience,many thanks...


    I came back here by accident...didn't know there were more posts...many apologies Carol and Strawberry Hill.......