I have a ROS "tree" that was the picture of perfection until I fertilized my yard a week ago. The leaves are browning on the edge and the blooms seemed stressed, as they are falling off rapidly. It's whole appearance is listless. Could it be that the fertilizer caused such a reaction? I see no bugs, by the way.
The fertilizer was Scotts with Winterguard. 32-0-10 is the analysis.
We just moved into this beautifully landscaped home and the thought of doing damage already has me sick...
Thanks for reading,
Paul
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
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You didn't say where in the world Dalmington Gardens is. UK? I'm going to assume you are in fall, since you applied a winterguard product. I looked up Scott's winterguard, since a high nitrogen fertilizer seemed all wrong to me for this time of year and it is a LAWN fertilizer. Trees and shrubs are at the opposite end of the plant scale from grass.
32-0-0 is a very concentrated Nitrogen source with no other nutrients. It probably burned your ROS from being too concentrated. But applying a bunch of N to a shrub in the fall was the last thing you wanted to be doing anyway. It should be shutting down, preparing to go dormant in the winter. All that N, tends to force a bunch of new tender growth which will then be winter killed, perhaps damaging the shrub as well as the new growth.
Best thing you can do at this point, after the fact, is flush as much as you can through the soil - just keep watering heavily. Do NOT add any more N, probably ever. The ROS didn't need any fertilizer anyway. I have one next to my house that is in a little strip of terrible soil (clay, rock, and concrete) between house foundation and driveway. It's been there about 8 years and is thriving, covered with blooms and getting huger all the time. I have NEVER fertilized it.
Next time, ask us first!
32-0-0 is a very concentrated Nitrogen source with no other nutrients. It probably burned your ROS from being too concentrated. But applying a bunch of N to a shrub in the fall was the last thing you wanted to be doing anyway. It should be shutting down, preparing to go dormant in the winter. All that N, tends to force a bunch of new tender growth which will then be winter killed, perhaps damaging the shrub as well as the new growth.
Best thing you can do at this point, after the fact, is flush as much as you can through the soil - just keep watering heavily. Do NOT add any more N, probably ever. The ROS didn't need any fertilizer anyway. I have one next to my house that is in a little strip of terrible soil (clay, rock, and concrete) between house foundation and driveway. It's been there about 8 years and is thriving, covered with blooms and getting huger all the time. I have NEVER fertilized it.
Next time, ask us first!