This organic tonic is a modification of a recipe passed to me by a very wise and 83-years-young rosarian. It assumes your soil pH ranges from 6.5 to 7.5.
8 parts alfalfa meal
2 parts cottonseed meal (arsenic-free)
2 parts ground rock phosphate (or colloidal phosphate; but not super phosphate)
2 parts bone meal
1 part blood meal
1 part Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate)
Thoroughly combine ingredients and apply 1 cup (~ 0.25 l) of mixture for each foot (~ 30 cm) of shrub height. Lightly scratch the mixture into the soil using caution not to harm the roots. Water-in thoroughly. This mixture is good in the spring and the fall, and can be applied as a 'tonic' to all blooming perennials, roses, azaleas and fruit-producing vegetables.
Note: If soil pH is above 7.5 (and it shouldn't be), reduce the Epsom salts by half.
Note: For new plantings, add 1 part Greensand (0-1-5) to the Fall Tonic.
Note: The NPK of the constituents varies by manufacturer; however, on average these proportions will create a 50-110-20 (or approx. 2-4-1 NPK ratio) slow-release, environment-safe fertilizer. It will not "burn" the foliage or contaminate the soil.
Note: Blood and bone meals may attract dogs and cats. If this is a problem, repel with pepper spray around the watering well.
Note: Alfalfa meal is quite dusty. A dust mask and eye protection should be worn when mixing the ingredients.
I apply this tonic immediately after spring and fall pruning (here, late Feb. and late Aug.). It is so effective, supplemental fertilizations are not required but once a month in the spring -- until I let the roses rest during summer's heat.
It is best, if you have a lot of roses, to purchase the ingredients in bulk from the farm & ranch or feed store vis-a-vis the nursery. For example, alfalfa meal at the feed store costs about $8 for 40 lbs. At the nursery, it costs $5 for 4 lbs. - and it's the same stuff, just packaged with a prettier label. Be careful, though. Some feed store alfalfa meal contains salt!
And if you grow roses in pots or sell them commercially, sprinkle 1 or 2 cups of mixture around the top of the pot. When you water the plants, the fertilizer acts like a timed-release mixture that can cost much, much more.
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