Shiva wrote:

Cass wrote:


Before we get too far down this road, let's be clear about Osmocote.
There are a number of different kinds. The stuff you buy in the store
around here is only 3 month stuff. That might be fine when you repot,
but it's not much use in the garden except on the short run.

Good of you to clarify. This is the stuff I am using:

http://www.schultz.com/mc_roseflower.htm

The breakdown is Nitrogen 14, Phosphate 14, Potash 16. It also has
sulphur, iron, and manganese. Like Osmocote, it bases its 3-month
longevity on a 70 degree average temp--and I'd say our average is probably
80, so it might not last me that long.

Those little round balls don't vaporize. You can find them in the soil
months later. If you squish them between your fingers, you can tell if
all the fertilizer is dissolved. If the little ball bursts and water
sprays out, your Osmocote is spent. If the little ball bursts and
leaves a tiny granular pellet in your hand, your Osmocote is still
feeding.

It pretty much duplicates this Osmocote product:

https://www.amleo.com/item.cgi?cmd=view&Words=14144

Here is the page for one of the Osmocote Pro products that are advertised
as having "minors." (There was none with the 14-14-14 that Scotts says is
just right for roses.They only offer the one with no "minors.")

https://www.amleo.com/item.cgi?cmd=view&Words=159123

When you read the breakdown, it says:

Guaranteed analysis: Total Nitrogen 15%, Phosphate 9%, Potash 12%,
Magnesium 1%,Sulfur 2.3%, Boron .02%, Copper .05%, Iron .45%, Chelated
Iron .23%, Manganese .06%, Molybdenum .02%, Zinc .05%

So, this product has a few more minerals than the Shultz Multicote product
I am using, namely a minute amount of Magnesium, a really tiny amount of
Boron, some Zinc and some Molybdenum , whatever the hell that is. It also
has decidedly less Phosphate and Potash and just a tad more Nitrogen.

Here are the ingredients for the 14-14-14 Osmocote product:

https://www.amleo.com/help-desk/items/1/14144/msds.pdf

My conclusion is that the Shultz product is pretty good, and has some of
the minors the Osmocote Pro has. It seems to me that the "regular"
Osmocote (not PRO) 14-14-14 product is fine if one adds organic materials,
or even mulches marginally. All of the minors are present in materials
like compost, Mill's Mix, and other solid, organic fertilizer.

I think a good point may be not to ever expect to give your roses all they
need with a single product--particularly when it contains straight
chemical compounds and no "whole foods."

Exactly.

Therefore this morning I put down the Multi-cote and Mill's Mix.

Comments?

Sounds fine. My practices are pretty simple. I never fertilize the same
way twice. Organics are great, and I use a variety every year (fish
emulsion, kelp, alfalfa). Using different products (both organic and
chemical) gets different micronutrients in the soil. Cheap-but-good is
the best plan. I moderate all doses (except Osmocote) to about half
strength. Ironite is cheap and supplies a number of micronutrients
too. Mills Mix is supposed to be a terrific but slightly expensive
product, from what I've heard. I've never used it. It's only available
mail order, right?

You can understand how a nursery wouldn't want to go to all this
trouble, with labor as expensive as it is. So Osmocote Pro or Osmocote
Plus (which I think is a slightly better and more expensive product)
keeps the potted nursery plant alive until it's ready for sale without
any major nutritional deficiencies. For a large garden with 100's or
1000's of roses, just getting something down can be good enough.

Timing can be important when it comes to buying fertilizer. As the
spring progresses, it gets harder and harder to locate a supply of 9
month time-release fertilizer.