Before fertilizing, be sure to WATER the night before.

LIQUID FERTILIZING BY GARBAGE CAN

Use a 33-35 gallon size can

2 Cups Miracle Grow, Rapid Grow, K-Mart brand, or Kirkland (Costco's brand) water soluble fertilizer
2 Cups Fish Emulsion or MaxSea
2/3 Cup Chelated Iron (liquid)
2 Cups Epsom Salts (use only twice a year)
10 Cups Alfalfa pellets (use only twice a year)
After putting ingredients in garbage can, add water with nozzle on jet force to top of can. Apply 1 gallon to each rosebush, 1/4 gallon to each miniature.

If you want to make an alfalfa "tea", put 10 cups alfalfa pellets in garbage can, fill with water and let "seep" 3-4 days. You may need to cover the can to keep in the stench. On the day of applying to the rose plants, add the remaining ingredients, mixing well.

DRY FERTILIZING

1 cup Superphosphate or Bone Meal
1 cup Blood Meal or Hoof & Horn Meal
1/2 cup Osmocote or other timed release fertilizer
2 cups Ironite
2-3 cups Mushroom Compost
2-3 cups Chicken Manure
1 cup gypsum (once yearly)
2 oz. Ortho Systemic Rose Food (once yearly)
1-2 cups Alfalfa pellets (twice a year only)
3 oz Epsom Salts (twice a year only)

Mix ingredients in bucket and apply to each rose bush. For miniatures, divide bucket contents among 5-6 minis. Turn ground over with trowel and water well.

LOCATIONS TO FIND INGREDIENTS:

ALFALFA PELLETS:

T & M Feeds/Martin Bros. Supply, 232 Shoreline Highway, Mill Valley. Phone number: 388-2025
Pet Arcade, 4136 Redwood Highway, San Rafael. Phone number: 479-7515
Arena Feed Store, 7546 Redwood Highway, Novato. Phone number: 892-1030
Pini Hardware, 1107 Grant Avenue, Novato. Phone number: 892-1577

EPSOM SALTS:

Drug Stores: most will carry the small cartons
Horizon (formally Automatic Rain Co.), 63 Larkspur, San Rafael. Phone number 454-4313.
(Horizon carries 50 pound sacks of Epsom salts, as well as other large quantities of fertilizers and hard-to-find pesticides and fungicides.)

CHELATED IRON---LIQUID:

West End Nursery, 1938 5th Avenue, San Rafael. Phone number: 454-4175
Sunnyside Nursery, 130 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo. Phone number: 453-2701

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Last Modified: 1/26/06