My husband believes in feeding anything that doesn't move while he is fertilizing the roses in the spring. I noticed today that our Esperanza looks so much better than the neighbors. More blooms that are also much larger than the neighbor's and also dark green lush foliage. Must be the molasses he likes to add to the rose fertilizer.
Hi TxLadybugg
Are your esperanza already blooming? They are pretty. I'm right down the rode from you in Portland and mine just started greening up and getting lots of leaves. I don't think I have blooms yet though. I used hibiscus fertilizer on them a couple of weeks ago I think and usually hit them with some MG plant food. I never tried molasses but have been reading some on DG about it. What type of molasses does your DH use?
Patty
Hi Patty,
Yes, our esperanza has a massive amount of blooms. I have noticed a few blooming around town, but not like usual. I'm sure it's the drought affecting them. My hubby likes to garden, so our plants get feed and watered on a regular basis.
I buy molasses by the gallon at Lowe's. It's not expensive and the plants seem to love it. We use a lot of organic meals as well. Fish meal, cottonseed meal, blood meal and alfalfa pellets supplement the water soluble chemical fertilizers. We exhibit roses so we do everything we can to have happy plants and feed the soil.
Jan
My dog would love visiting your garden, LOL. He gobbles up every bit of anything smelly, like fish or cottonseed meal, that I put out. I must say he is rather fond of alfalfa pellets too; you would think he is a horse.
Bet your garden is lovely, that esperanza is outstanding.
Where do you find fish meal? I always use the soluable fish emulsion, but boy does it leave my hands smelling fishy. Just used some yesterday.
A little place on highway 624 between Corpus Christ and Orange Grove has it cheaper than anyone else. $36 for a 50# bag. Garden Corner is the name of the store. There are a couple of other places that carry the big bags, CO-Op in Orange Grove and Naylors. Not too many want it in bags that big, so it's a shop around thing.
I don't like fish emulsion. It has more salt in it than fish meal, due to the processing methods. One thing my soil doesn't need is more salt.
Thanks!
Patty, next time your here I'm going to have to give you a bag of the alfalfa pellets that has fish emulsion, seaweed, cottonseed, mollasses already pressed into the pellets.
TxLadybug, do you guys use the mollasses as a root feed? other than the pellets I use, I've not used the liquid for root feeding just foliar..seems like it would be better on the root.
Rj
Rj, is there a brand on your alfalfa/fish/etc. pellets? I would love to google them and see if they are available elsewhere.
Unfortuneatly, it is a local made product for SouthWest Fertilizer-
It is called Earth Essentials, but so far cannot be found elsewhere. I have saved a bag to photograph just in case one comes accross it.....
RJ How cool that you can get alfafa pellets with all that stuff included. Yep I want some; that would be the easiest way to get all those things I want to add to the soil. You are so lucky that you live in the big city where you can find things like that.
Craig has a golfing buddy that lives in Houston now. I need to get him to go play golf with Les while I stop by and see you and visit the nurseries again.
You back to work this week or still playing in the garden on vacation???
Rj
Yes, the liquid molasses is mixed in with our water soluble fertilizer and pumped around the base of the plants. We mix our fertilizers in 32 gallon trash cans, then use a sump pump with the hose attached to feed. We have way too many plants to mix it up a small amount at a time. We only feed the molasses a couple of times a year, during rose show season.
It seems to really give the plants a boost. Dark green foliage and lots of blooms. This is a small section of our rose garden yesterday.
Okay, thanks..yeah I hear ya. I have the sump pump too, with 2 water faucets that are both split, 4 hoses.
I was able to get some info from the bag. I'll put a couple of photos on.
ingredients
and....something I hadn't noticed before. this is new, as I've examined the bags before because so many people are interested. So for you curious folks..lets see where this leads, and perhaps you can post results!
There is a landscaping company out of Bellaire Texas called Earth Essentials. I wonder if they are the ones that make this product. I WANT SOME!!!! Trip to Houston already churning . . .
and the break down.
The plants are apes over this..I usually toss early spring, late spring after rain, and once late summer. I also mix my own potting soil, and sprinkle this in.
Well I cross posted . . . so maybe not the same company.
