Really pretty!

Wow !! You do a great job growing roses in pots: lots of blooms and many petals. What are the ingredients in your potting soil and what fertilizers you use? Thank you. Your username severe_novice should be changed to Success_roses.

I have more to add but the technology wasn't letting me last evening. I will try again.

Wow..those are some beautiful plants!

I think you are no longer a novice! Smiley face

Thank you all for your kind words. I'll try again after I lost a message with lots of pictures and comments. Frustrating. I am not a big fan of this Houzz platform, truth be told, but here we go again.

Olivia Rose

Julia Child

Good as Gold

Early case of BS due to the late frost, probably got weakened. All others got it too, then again, I didn't spray either. I did a belated spray very recently and hope to slow it down.

Coral Drifts

Did not disappoint, the phone camera in this light doesn't do it justice. You can see them from Africa and maybe neighbors think I'm a bit over the top, but when it comes to landscape plants, I like them to be seen and get attention. No subtlety for me here. LOL

Climbing Pinkie

Just beautiful pictures! You are a bit ahead of us. I just got my 1st bloom of climbing pinkie Yesterday.......

@strawchicago z5,

What soil and fert do I use?

Whatever you said! :)

I tried to follow your expert advice after picking your brain a while ago and reading some of your threads as you seemed to stand out as an expert on these forums. It worked! :)

The soil itself...it's a combination, not all are the same. The Easy Does it Pot is probably due for a change. When I planted it three years ago I put it in some soil were there had already been other annuals. And yet it did great.

But overall, it's a mixture of Pro-mix, soil conditioner, and Perlite in some, then I have Soil3 in a couple of others which you once approved.

https://www.soil3.com/

This one seems weird to me, it is rather dark rich (composty) and quiet a bit sandy too. But Plum Perfect seems happy in it.

As for fert, I try to follow your Khalid method, if you remember. :)

Magic Mills in early spring or Rose Tone, then some MG 20-20-20 with water soluble, I did this a few times, and soon it will soon be time to hit it with some Lengbeneite after the first flush ...but in general, I aim for water soluble every week. I laid off the Nitrogen version and used some orchid with high P once, until I got Jack's for bloom and now I am switching to that for water soluble because I am afraid that anything high in N will make a salad and less bloom.

It seemed to have happened with Olivia Rose. It grew like gangbusters with lots of healthy foliage and the blooms seemed numerous too (they were) but they did not all opened at once and compared to the monster foliage they were a bit underwhelming. But a pretty, healthy rose, nevertheless.

I also wonder why the bloom browned preamaturely around the edges. There was no sun to scorch it, in fact we had an unusually cold, overcast spring. Maybe I overfertilized?

EDI in the vase with a few violas.

EDI and Dee-lish + companions

Dee-lish is taking over as my favorite this season even though EDI remains at the top especially because it opened up most of its blooms at the same time which I love because I get the much coveted coverage. Nothing frustrates me more than a bush that opens a few buds at a time here and there, to the point you never have the bush reasonably covered.

If so, I'd much rather cut them off and bring them inside. Then again, only Dick Clark lasts in the vase, which is the one who has been begging me to shovel it because I don't like how big and clunky it is, and its tacky color. But it's a vigorous thing.

A few better pictures, hopefully...

Good as Gold and Julia Child together

Climbing Pinkie who needs a twin to the left

Olivia Rose with not quite enough open blooms to cover the monster foliage it grew

Premature browning around the edges don't know why...

Coral Drifts ...

More Drifts, can't get enough of them, such good performers.

First bloom of Plum Perfect, a late bloomer...

Also, I am waiting for the Fairy to arrive ....:)

... and for Belinda's Dream to do something. She's coming up with a few buds but she is so far underwhelming in its 3rd year. It was a band, maybe that's why. Then again, so was EDI and that one is going to town.

So that's my 4th year. Maybe 5th, I am not sure exactly.

Thank you all for encouraging me not to give up when I wanted to throw in the towel!

Just FYI, my cl. pinkie is about the size of a VW bug and looks to have no intention of stopping!

@Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley

Mine has been there for a few years now and it took a while to get established. This year didn't seem to grow any longer but it bloomed much better.

Oh my gosh! Are you so excited?!?! Everything looks so good, cl Pinkie especially

Well done Severe novice !! You have really done a great job growing beautiful roses.

I love your Good As Gold rose!

Severe_Novice Zone 7B GA Your roses look fantastic !! As to browning of edge of petals, that's from too much potassium. Note the brown edge on below orange Versigny bloom when I put too much sulfate of potash.

Muriate of potash (potassium chloride) is even worse in causing browning of edge of petals due to its higher salt.

@strawchicago z5,

Do you think any of my regular fertilizers had too much K? Tyhe Magic Mills and the MG? Did I use too much?

Because I am yet to apply the Lengbeneite.

So beautiful!

Congratulations @Artist-FKA-Novice Zone 7B GA , your roses are looking awesome!

Also I love the combo bouquet with EDI and the violas, the colors really complement each other!

Very interested in the discussion of Langbeinite after the first flush, somehow I had missed @strawchicago z5 's prior explanations about that fertilizer ingredient. Seems to be high K with sulfur and magnesium. Now I'm wondering whether to order some or not, so I'm curious to know more about it!

Severe Novice - well done!! Your roses look great!! My favorite is your Easy Does It!! I love that bright orange...but they're all wonderful...those Drift roses are WOWZA!!!

Straw - beautiful bouquet...love your Versigny!!

Carol: thank you for your kind words. You are the outstanding positive life force of this forum.

seasiderooftop Re-post what I wrote years ago since you missed out:

Langbeinite natural mineral with NPK 0-0-22, sold cheap on Amazon for $15 per 5 lb., it has 22% potassium, 10% magnesium, 22% sulfur, and only 3% chloride (chloride is the salty part and plants break out in rust when the chloride is high and potassium is low).

Langbeinite is also listed on fertilizers as Sul-Po-Mag (Sulfur-Potassium-Magnesium).

The salt index of sulfate of potash is 43, salt-index of Muriate of potash (potassium chloride) is 116, and salt-index of monopotassium phosphate is 8.4, data taken from University of IL. extension.

Langbeinite is cheaper and lower in salt than SOLUBLE sulfate of potash, see below link: "Potassium sulfate (K2SO4) is usually manufactured by reacting the chloride with sulfuric acid. Sulfate potash magnesia (K2SO4 · MgSO4) is essentially a mixture of potassium sulfate and kieserite with 18% K and 11% Mg. This is a useful fertilizer to apply to nonchloride crops when there is a need for Mg."

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/potassium-fertilizers

For sulfate of potash NPK 0-0-50 with 18% sulfur used on my HIGH MAGNESIUM CLAY. I used 2 TBS (diluted in water) to reverse blackspots on Golden Celebration. Jess in South Africa with acidic clay also duplicated my result of reserving blackspots with the same dose.

To induce blooming using NPK 0-0-50 (potassium at 50), I use 2 TBS along with gypsum (calcium sulfate) . Here's the result of 40+ blooms on Frederic Mistral in spring flush. Even with 18% sulfur I had to use vinegar to dissolve it in my alkaline tap at pH 9.

Sulfate of potash with 18% sulfur made leaves dark green and shiny.

Monopotassium Phosphate NPK 0-52-34 has zero sulfur, so it was even harder to dissolve in tap-water, I had to use 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 TBS of fertilizer per 3-gallon bucket of water. It did make Sonia Rykiel break out in more blooms, so instead of one bloom per branch, I get 2 to 3 blooms per branch. The quality of blooms is better with monopotassium phosphate NPK 0-52-34, but afterwards THIS CHEMICAL HARDENED MY CLAY. Its high Phosphorus is even more INSOLUBLE than potassium, and this chemical has zero sulfur to soften my clay. I don't recommend this if someone has alkaline clay.

Muriate of potash (potassium chloride) is 3 times more SOLUBLE than sulfate of potash, data taken from an on-line agricultural source. This also has NPK 0-0-50 but no acidic sulfur. It's also very salty at salt-index of 116. I tested it during heavy rain. I tested it as granules, along with gypsum and it worked great in making blooms larger, see below result.

If one surpasses 2 TBS of this fast-dissolved chemical, one gets brown edges on light colored blooms. Below blooms were achieved with 2 TBS muriate of potash along with 1 TBS gypsum sprinkled around the bush, done once a month.

Langbeinite has 22% potassium, 10% magnesium, 22% sulfur, and only 3% chloride. The 10% magnesium helps to retain potassium in the soil, rather than being flushed out. Magnesium is alkaline & hard to dissolve in tap water, thus best used with acidic rain.

Since Langbeinite has 1/2 amount of potassium compared to sulfate of potash, 1 tablespoon might not be enough to induce blooming for stingy roses.

Langbeinite's 10% magnesium, 22% potassium, and 22% sulfur (for growth and dark-green leaves) is comparable to my using sulfate of potash with 50% potassium in my high magnesium alkaline clay.

Severe_Novice Zone 7B GA With regard to your questions: "Do you think any of my regular fertilizers had too much K? Tyhe Magic Mills and the MG? Did I use too much? Because I am yet to apply Langbeinite."

Under acidic condition, such as all-day rain, Langbeinite will release too much potassium which cause brown edge on petals. Langbeinite is best given in tiny frequent doses (no more than 1 tablespoon at a given time) rather than a heap around a rose bush.

However, Langbeinite's release of potassium is MUCH SLOWER than sulfate of potash. The worse offender is Muriate of potash (potassium chloride) which is many times more soluble than both sulfate of potash and Langbeinite.

For that reason, MG-Soluble for plants at NPK 24-8-16 has the cheap & fast release potassium chloride, versus MG-Soluble for roses at NPK 18-24-16 has the more expensive & slower-release sulfate of potash, thus less browning of petals if one uses a diluted dose.

Mills Magic Mix is safe since it has Langbeinite (Sulfate of potash-magnesia).

Ingredients in Mills Magic Mix: Alfalfa Meal, Blood Meal, Fermented Citrus Rinds, Cottonseed Meal, Feather Meal, Bone Meal, Sulfate of Potash-Magnesia. NPK analysis is 6-5-1.

NOTE: a potassium of 1 is quite low, so Mills Magic Mix won't cause browning of petals like SOLUBLE fertilizer with potassium chloride (muriate of potash) with salt index of 116. This is even saltier than chemical nitrogen fertilizer, so I always avoid any fertilizer with potassium chloride. Potassium chloride is sold cheap in my zone 5a ($15 per 40 lb.) as a salt to melt the ice off my side-walk in winter.

Thanks so much for this recap! That's fascinating about the reversion of black spots with sufate of potash! I will keep that in mind if and when I have to deal with blackspot! Great to consider the role of sulfur, and effect in various soils, as well.

Your Frederic Mistral blooms are gorgeous! Wonderful display in both bouquets.

@Artist-FKA-Novice Zone 7B GA Your roses look fantastic!!! I am in GA too. where do you live?

@MasLovesRoses_z8a GA

I am in north Atlanta, Mas. Wouldn't be so nice to have a fellow rosarian just around the corner...:)

I saw your beautiful terraced garden. Gorgeous!

@strawchicago z5

I have a few question for clarification purposes.

1. At some point I used MG All Purpose Plant Food for water soluble (I also used Easy Feed from Mills and and one for Orchid with 0 N, so I won't get salad) . Do you think it was the K in that MG that produced the browning.

2. I just applied some Langbeinite, as they are now towards the end o their first flush. I spread a tbls around each bush, both in the ground and in pots, and watered in. I know this will take a while to reach the roots so it's just there for the LT. Can I use Jack's Water soluble for flowers next (every 7-14 days especially for pots, as they advise) or should I buy MG for Roses waer soluble. In pots, it looks like you have to feed very regularly, it doesn't work to just spread some granular organics once a month. You have to keep feeding and I wonder what is the idea water soluble for the rest of the summer.

3. To reverse BS (I need that! ) should I buy sulfate of potash or will Langbeinite do? Then again, the Lang will take a while to disolve. Do you have any specific rec for the Sulfate of Potash purchase?

strawchicago z5 I hope you received my message sent to you today. I'm new in this forum but I've been reading here for a while and I want to thank you for your insight on roses.

This info. its very helpful as usual. I will try to get the MG-Soluble for roses at NPK 18-24-16 to use it in diluted dose.

@Artist-FKA-Novice Zone 7B GA I live in Suwanee. Are you anywhere near?? :) Would love to have a rose friend nearby.

@MasLovesRoses_z8a GA

Well...define "near'." :) Certainly nearer than so many of these lovely ladies here. How nice it would be to have everyone in once place, and every week-end we would visit each other's gardens and obssess IRL to heart's content. Then again, we might not be doing anything else then. :)

I am on the Roswell/Marietta line. So a bit further than what would qualify as conveniently close...but wen there is a will there is a way. I would love to know more about your garden and your goals with it. It looks beautiful!

Since you have all been so nice and I was told to change my name since last year - I finally decided to do so. Just an Aspiring Rose Artist Formerly Known As (FKA) Novice.

Long name, but clumsy beginnings should be acknowledged. :)

Straw - thanks so much for your help to everyone...you never say no. :) :) I really love your latest bouquet...one of my favorites!

Artist - are you Severe Novice? :)

@rosecanadian

Yes! :) See two posts above.

Oh, you certainly deserve the upgrade to your name!! :) :)

Artist-FKA: With regard to your questions:

1. MG All Purpose Plant Food for water soluble & Easy Feed from Mills & Orchid fertilizer:

I cannot find the ingredients in Easy Feed SOLUBLE fertilizer, so I suspect it has potassium chloride. Lilly Miller's used to have sulfate of potash, then they switched to potassium chloride and it took me a long time before I could find the label on-line. I checked the ingredients for Orchid food, and most of them have potassium chloride. Yes, K in MG-plant food is potassium chloride and that would cause browning of petals. If the label of a fertilizer is hidden, there's a good chance it's the cheap & salty potassium chloride.

2. water soluble for pots:

I checked Jack's Blossom Booster NPK 10-30-20 and it has monopotassium phosphate, low-salt index of 8.4 (compared to salt-index of 116 for potassium chloride), but it also has potassium nitrate with salt index of 69.5 (compared to sulfate of potash salt index of 42).

3. To reverse BS:

I tested 4 different sulfate of potash and I like Kelp4less best (easiest to dissolve due to higher % of sulfur). Next best is granular brownish Southern Ag. (this dissolve quickly), and hardest to dissolve is Alpha chemicals (10 lb. for $20). Since last summer I found a better way to dissolve potassium fertilizer than using vinegar: I used the microbes (fermenting bacteria) in alfalfa-tea to make potassium available to roots. Bacteria is used in landfill to degrade plastic, and the fermenting bacteria in alfalfa-tea also break up the hard-bonds in potassium fertilizer, making it available to plants.

I save those HUGE plastic jugs (laundry detergent or large juice bottle), rinse them well, then store water to ferment alfalfa (takes 2 days). I use 2 TBS of alfalfa meal plus 1 TBS sulfate of potash per gallon of water. The acid (sulfur) given off by the fermenting bacteria will make sulfate of potash available to plants. Fermenting bacteria (from alfalfa tea) also give off vitamin C (essential for plant growth), plus B-vitamins (for plants' health), plus sulfur (for growth).

So you can get sulfur (an essential plant nutrient for growth) from: expensive sulfate of potash OR acid given off by decay of organic matter such as alfalfa meal soaked in water.

TO REVERSE AND TO PREVENT BLACKSPOT: Since 2012 I grow 140+ own-roots in pots first before transferring into my dense clay. Each year I test different fertilizers (both organic and chemicals), aiming for the best health and most solid roots for zone 5a winter survival. These are what I notice for the past decade:

1) The higher the salt, the worse the health. Salt zaps out potassium, and potassium is essential for health and blooming. Potassium regulates water osmosis. The healthiest roses in pots was the year that I tested ORGANIC Nature's Care soluble fertilizer NPK 10-6-3 with Hydrolyzed feather meal, MEAT and Bone meal, Blood meal, and Sulfate of Potash. Blood meal is high in iron. I supplement that with sulfate of potash to UP potassium level in pots. This fertilizer is the fore-runner in my daughter's 8th-grade science projecting in growing seeds from 6 different soils and fertilizers.

2) The worst health is with any fertilizer containing potassium chloride, it's like dumping salt into your pots. Roses are such water hogs, and salt defeats water osmosis (essential for lush leaves and blooming).

3) Osmocote PLUS NPK 15-7-12 is fast in inducing blooms (even on tiny rose rootings), but not best for health due to the fast release of phosphorus (Ammonium phosphate), and the high salt index of Ammonium nitrate of 104. Tiny rose rootings broke out in blackspots the minute rain hit.

Fast release of phosphorus and too slow release of potassium UP diseases. Potassium is essential for disease prevention, and it competes with phosphorus and calcium for absorption.

4) I root roses from cuttings, and I use these tiny rootings test different fertilizers in pots. The best health on tiny rootings was when I tested Tomato Tone (higher potassium than Rose Tone) as granular application on top, plus watering with Nature's Care soluble fertilizer NPK 10-6-3 for nitrogen.

Rose Tone is cheap on Amazon at $20 per 18 lb., plus using sulfate of potassium (dissolved by fermenting alfalfa tea) is equivalent to the more expensive Tomato-Tone.

@Artist-FKA-Novice Zone 7B GA bummer we are not even in the same county. LOL. Maybe we can meet up when the Atlanta Rose Society does its show? Or in one of the garden tours?

@MasLovesRoses_z8a GA

That's a good idea. I just attended the one on May 7th. Have you been?