Thats great to hear Moses. I am aleays looking gor a good product with less work

I totally agree with your approach, Moses.

Osmocote 6 Month Feed is a little pricey at about $35.00/8lb. resealable bag, most places, but considering the saving in labor, I consider it an economical fertilizer.

Did you ever notice how many potted nursery plants have Osmocote pellets lying on top of their potting medium's surface? It is used extensively in the nursery plant industry.

Do any of you remember the old Chamblee's Rose Nursery when Mark Chamblee owned it? Sometimes his gallon roses came with enough Osmocote upon the potting mix's surface for three pots. I can only assume that because of his need to water his stock there in Texas quite frequently, along with the heat intensity, that the nourishment the roses were getting escaped the pellet casings of the Osmocote rather quickly and thus the over abundant use of it was necessary.

Moses

”Did you ever notice how many potted nursery plants have Osmocote pellets lying on top of their potting medium's surface?”

Osmocote brand? - I never noticed.

The Osmocote pellet is distinct. When it swells it expands considerably, about triple the diameter of a dry pellet. When the pellet is exhausted of nutrients it splits and collapses and then shows the hollow interior of a semi-transparent plastic shell. The plastic shell does not disintegrate quickly and can stay intact in undisturbed soil for about 3 years or so.

This characteristic of Osmocote can create problems because a plant whose pellet feed has exhausted its nutrients as is prescribed under its stated capacity, can visually appear that it has recently been applied. This presents a predicament to the Rosarian who has been applying a fresh Osmocote feed to his roses which was interrupted, leaving a number of roses unfertilized. Upon returning to the fertilizing task at hand remembering where you left off cannot often be clearly known since expired, exhausted pellets can look freshly applied. A closer examination should clear up the dilemma, because missing fertilizing a rose that only gets fed once a season, and is passed over accidentally, can create concern for the bush months later if it under performs as a consequence.

The other long feed rose food that is in popular use is the Miracle-Gro Shake 'n Feed Rose & Bloom, 3 Month Feed. The disadvantage of this feed is that it must be applied twice a season. This presents problems for the Rosarian if he uses a respectably deep mulch (2-3" deep), since the second application must be applied to the soil surface below the mulch, not upon the mulch. This means hoeing through the rose bed when growth is well up applying the fertilizer. Broken canes and snapped of rose buds are inevitable collateral damage, not to mention the scratches, pricks, and skin tears the Rosarian must endure.

The pellets within the Miracle-Gro Shake 'n Feed Rose & Bloom 3 Month Feed are dark blue/green. They are not alone in the feed, these pellets are ingredients included in a mix containing particles of variously dark colored nutritional constituents, one of which is worm casting pieces. The only pellets are the dark blue/green colored ones which completely dissolve away after three months, making it easy to see if a bush has been missed at its second, three month feeding.

I would rather apply my fertilizer once in the spring when the weather is pleasant than in spring and then again in the heat of summer.

Moses

I just ordered enough Osmoscoat for my late summer feeding, How much do you use?

Kristine,

I would store your Osmocote away and apply it in spring, 2025, at pruning time. Instead, I would apply Miracle-Gro Shake 'n Feed for Rose & Bloom 3 Month Feed, now, instead. MG will begin feeding more quickly than Osmocote. Contrary to the claim that Osmocote starts feeding immediately, it doesn't. It is water activated to start feeding once it is kept continuously moist, and when the temperature of the soil is at least 70°F. Then it has to disperse its contents slowly through the soil as gravity and repeated rainfalls/watering triggers it to move to the roots.

Here in Pittsburgh, zone 5/6, I get rainfall at app. the same rate all year long, and growth stops about the end of October, and slows down considerably come mid-September. If my roses needed feeding right now until the October growing season end, the Miracle-Gro would be my best bet.

For you with your longer season and mild winters where winter kill is not an issue, I still think the Miracle-Gro would be your best bet, because Osmocote applied now will potentially keep your roses growing into January as long as the soil temp. is 70° F., long past the time your roses need a rest started.

I would apply the Miracle-Gro at the rate of 1/4 cup per small mature bush, and 1/2± cup for large mature bush, in an area no closer than 4" to the bush's crown, out to about a foot out from the crown. Do this all around the crown, equally scattered as possible. The mulch needs to be scratched back so that the fertilizer makes contact with the soil surface. Just don't dig it into the soil, it may burn, just try to get most of the fertilizer into soil contact. Some may be above mulch pieces here and there, but certcertainly not just on top of the mulch, the mulch being undisturbed. You don't want the fertilizer just being absorbed by the mulch as desolves. Mulch is very moisture absorbing.

Osmocote, 6 Month Feed is applied the same way, but after spring pruning before active growth begins. Same rate per bush and same procedure.

All these instructions seem to work well for me, and the additional advice in regards to your different growing conditions should be taken as just guidelines/recommendations, subject to your special wisdom, since you grow such outstanding roses.

Moses

Ben,

If there's an Osmocote Apocalypse, our roses will be in no need of our care where our future rose gardens will be, Post-Apocalypse! It will be just watch them thrive and gladden our hearts, no care required. Osmocote then will be museum artifacts!

Moses

Kristine, I don't think the Osmocote Plus would ever hurt, but I would put it on in the Spring when we still have rain.

In the Fall, growth will slow down as the light ebbs away and the temps drop but I don't think the Osmocote would hurt. I put it in my pots maybe March and September. I would want it to have moisture in the Spring and not sit on top of the soil dry. With my emitters, the soil surface is often dry.

Diane has used sprayers too which is obviously better watering than I do. Jackie in California uses Osmocote and she has more rain in San Fran.

Thanks for chiming in Sheila. Your experience base due to your local growing conditions to Kristine is invaluable. How much do you apply per bush?

Moses

I follow the directions, Moses, and thought your amounts above sounded fine.

For RVR band sized roses there were directions to count the pellets. Maybe 10 for a one gal pot for a baby rose.

Mosed and Sheila, great advice and I will take it and switch to something else fir the fall. I sure appreciate the imput.

I use Osmocote in my waterlily and lotus pots when I am potting up the tubers. I add topsoil then the osmocote, then the tubers, then more topsoil. Many waterlily producers use it. It seems to work better and last longer than the Pond Tab fertilizers. I've never has issues with burning and my tadpoles seem to be fine in the waterlily/lotus tubs etc. The Flower and Vegetable Osmocote is good for producing flowers. The Dynamite brand works fine too. I used to use Dynamite brand before I used the Osmocote. About 1.5 Tablespoons per gallon pot.