Madame, may I present Mr. Shovel

On Sunday deciding to remove roses was surprisingly easy - possibly from some quirk of mood or attitude. I had sunk the shovel next to 'Madame Scipion Cochet', a Hybrid Perpetual from 1872, in preparation for digging up her nearly leafless body. HP's usually aren't very black spot resistant, and though not horrible she could probably benefit from fungicide spraying - which I don't do.

She had a few leaves but only at the ends of her canes. I could put another more deserving plant in this spot. Perhaps it was time for the grand experiment to end. Perhaps Hybrid Perpetuals really aren't meant for my no-spray Florida garden. She looks decidedly unhappy. Do you see a rose in this photo? Neither did I.

Then I noticed several flower buds - six to be exact, and then I noticed absolutely no evidence of alfalfa around her. I wondered, "Did I pass her by when I was doling out the pellets?" I couldn't remember feeding her, but I can't remember a lot of things the day after I do them. Maybe I didn't feed her a few weeks ago with the other roses, and that's why she looks so pathetic. I was really giving her the benefit of the doubt because all evidence of alfalfa is gone everywhere in the garden.

Hmmm, with six flower buds she's definitely trying hard. OK, decision to shovel-prune rescinded. I gave her a bunch of alfalfa pellets (again, I think), nipped the ends of some of her non-producing canes and gave her a reprieve.

However, I left Mr. Shovel behind to remind her how serious I am and how easy she can be compost.

P.S. See the lemonade I made out of lemons? My birdbath column got broken quite a while back, and I haven't had the heart to throw it away. Well, I took a new look at it on Sunday and decided to stick it in the ground broken end down - in other words, upside down. Not too bad, ya think? Now I need to buy another glass ball for the other pedestal.

Planting a rose in Florida sand

Dani asked a very good question on Sunday . What do you use to amend the soil?

She has a new ‘Florida Cracker Rose’ that needs to be planted . I don't grow that rose, but I grow 'Louis Philippe' also known as 'The Florida Rose' . In commerce it’s usually called ‘Louis Philippe’, but pass-along roses often go by local names . The reason I wonder is that I know 'Louis Philippe' is tolerant of sandy soil and root-knot nematodes, whereas other roses that I grow are less so . So I'll go out on a limb and assume that Dani's rose is ‘Louis Philippe’ and that she has sandy ground . This is what I do . 

• I dig and turn the whole area around the rose’s new spot, say about 4' x 4' – not just a hole big enough for the plant - and down at least two lengths of the shovel head ( deeper would be better ) . I do this because the native soil is usually compacted plus the amendments need to go as deep down as possible and out from the plant as well . If I come across any good-sized tree roots, I leave them in place, kind of hanging across the hole, hopefully, low enough so the rose fits . Once I get it dug and turned over I amazingly seem to have more soil, but it’s really the same amount just fluffed up and not compacted anymore .
• Then I remove enough of the sand so that the amendments will fit .
• I should also say that I have started laying down a thick layer of newspaper in the bottom of the dug-out area ( which requires removing the soil out of the hole ) . The newspaper will slow down the downward water flow and eventually decompose, but in the meantime the roots won't be able to move through it and will get well established in the amended area before they venture out into the native ground where there isn't much nutrition and where danger may lurk . Eventually and slowly all this good amended stuff will migrate deeper so keep applying the compost as a topdressing in the spring .
• For 'Louis Philippe' in this size area I would spread one bag each of compost ( homemade or bagged composted cow manure - not mushroom compost which I've read is bad for roses ), soil conditioner which is pine fines ( ground up pine bark - Fafard is one brand ), and store-bought topsoil over the dug area . For roses other than 'Louis Philippe' I’d remove more sand and add more than just one bag of each amendment, because they're probably more susceptible to nematodes and need all the organic matter they can get . Not all areas of Florida have root-knot nematodes, but you have to have a soil test to know if you don't . According to the UF / IFAS Extension, these nematodes don't like the acids that are released by decomposing organic matter . Organic matter improves water and nutrient retention and is the food for the microorganisms which digest / decompose it, changing it into a form that is usable by the plants . This decomposition process takes about three weeks . That's why they're slow-release . Plants like microbe poop . So add the organic matter, and the microbes will come .
• Then I sprinkle several ( approximately 4 ) cups each of alfalfa pellets ( remember my post on alfalfa and all the minerals it contains? ) and Milorganite ( earthworms love it ), a cup of epsom salts, and about four cups of some organic fert such as Rose-Tone or Holly-Tone over the bed . This may seem like a lot of "fertilizer", but it's all slow release and is going to transform this sand which is devoid of nutrients and leaks like a sieve into a fertile sandy loam that will hold some water . Actually, you aren't feeding your plants with all of these amendments . You are creating a new environment where they can send out their roots easily and absorb the nutrients they need . 
• Incorporate all of this together by turning it over and over until well mixed . A fork works good for this . The sand will not look decidedly different when you're done . In fact, it will look disappointingly the same except for the clumps of black "dirt" and bits of alfalfa scattered through it, but in six months it will all be uniformly black . In a few years it will be even better .
• When the area is done, dig a hole for the plant, add three dollops ( about a tablespoon each ) of bone meal around the edge of the bottom and a cup or two of both alfalfa and Milorganite . 
• If you have mycorrhizae ( Rooter's is a brand I buy on Amazon.com ), sprinkle the wet rootball with a teaspoon or so, making sure that the granules are touching roots . 
• Then back fill and flood the whole bed with water a few times . None of the amendments will start doing their job until they are wet . Water the rose daily for about a month . Dry dirt is organically inactive dirt . So add mulch to conserve moisture . In my garden it doesn't require much daily water ( a 30-minute micro-misting ) to keep the dirt moist/damp . I think the daily misting keeps a steady flow of moisture migrating down through the soil so even if the top seems a little dry at the end of the day, it's OK, but with mulch it should stay damp . 

This just seems like a lot of work, because it is . Fortunately, sand is pretty easy to dig in . I have never just stuck a rose in the ground without amending the area, so I can't say what will happen if you don't do this, but maybe you can if you've ever planted a rose before and it slowly croaked . Sadly, amending just a little hole won't really accomplish much . ( I always think of those innocent roots going out into that cruel world of compacted sand, and I shudder. ) I never said growing roses in Florida was easy, but it is very doable . Besides the strenuous work there's only one downside to all this amending . It is that the beautiful new soil and the worms that will live in it will be an engraved invitation for armadillos - at least in my neighborhood...  But that's another post .

Alfalfa

It's been a while since the roses were fed. I think around the middle of February was their last meal. A few are looking a little spent after their heavy blooming. The other day my friend was going to the feed store on her lunch hour, so I asked her to pick up 50 pounds of alfalfa pellets for me. The bag cost $11.10. The fellows at the feed store made a comment about the alfalfa, and she said, "Oh, no, it's not for my horses. My friend feeds it to her roses!" They couldn't believe it and then had a big laugh about it. Imagine giving perfectly good horse feed to roses!!

Dummies.com offers this about alfalfa meal.

Alfalfa meal: Derived from alfalfa plants and pressed into a pellet form, alfalfa meal is beneficial for adding nitrogen and potassium (about 2 percent each), as well as trace minerals and growth stimulants. Roses, in particular, seem to like this fertilizer and benefit from up to 5 cups of alfalfa meal per plant every ten weeks, worked into the soil. Add it to your compost pile to speed up the process.

Wikipedia says:

Triacontanol is a growth stimulant for many plants, most notably roses, in which it rapidly increases the number of basal breaks.

DavesGarden.com says:

Alfalfa provides many nutritional benefits not only for plant use, but for soil organisms as well. One very important ingredient is triacontanol, a powerful plant growth regulator. Orchid and rose growers make an alfalfa tea and spray it directly on as a foliar fertilizer. Alfalfa is very high in vitamins, plus N-P-K-Ca, Mg, and other valuable minerals. It also includes sugars, starches, proteins, fiber and 16 amino acids. Approximate analysis is 3-1-2. Alfalfa helps plants create larger flowers and increases the tolerance to cold. Make alfalfa tea by soaking 1 cup of alfalfa meal per 5 gallon of water.

Dry alfalfa is a good slow-release source of nitrogen, but since you will be "digesting" it by letting it ferment in water, the resulting tea is a soluable, fast-acting nitrogen source. Also, by making alfalfa (or manure) tea, you don't have to worry about weed seeds sprouting from the fertilizer. Orchid and rose growers use alfalfa tea as a foliar spray. If you grow delphiniums and irises, they also love alfalfa tea. Some iris growers mulch their beds with alfalfa meal. And an additional benefit for delphiniums is that the Epsom salts in the tea help to ward off slugs and snails. In addition to nitrogen, alfalfa supplies enzymes and trace elements that are not present in chemical nitrogen fertilizers.

I am applying alfalfa pellets to my garden beds this weekend. In the past I have applied it in the form of alfalfa tea (soil drench) at the rate of one gallon per bush. I mix it in a 32-gallon trash can with about 16 cups of alfalfa pellets. (Recipes vary.) The pellets provide nutrients to the plants over a two to four month period while the tea is an immediate source of nutrients because of the fermentation process used in making the tea. I have never used it as a foliar spray, but I should give it a try one day.

A study on the International Society of Horticultural Science website reports that application of alfalfa pellets seems to be a tool for control of root-knot nematodes.

When I first saw the list of minerals, enzymes, vitamins and amino acids contained in alfalfa, I was amazed. Why does alfalfa contain all the beneficial things listed below? Because of its root system which can grow deeper than 15 feet and is able to fix nitrogen in its root even in poor soil. Here's a fact sheet to check out.

Here is Mr. Inkpen's list of Alfalfa ingredients:

Triacontanol (growth stimulant)
Vitamin A (high concentration)
Thiamine
Riboflavin
Pantothenic Acid
Niacin
Pyridoxine
Choline
Bentaine
Folic Acid
co-enzymes
Crude proteins (16 - 25% in dry alfalfa)

Amino acids (% in alfalfa meal).
Tryptophan, 0.3 %
Aspartic Acid, 2.3%
Threonine, 1.0 %
Serine, 1.0%
Glutamic Acid, 2.7%
Proline, 1.2%
Glycine, 1.1%
Alanine, 1.1%
Cystine, 0.2%
Valine, 1.0%
Methionine, 0.3%
Isoleucine, 0.8%
Leucine, 1.6%
Tyrosine, 0.5%
Phenylalanine, 1.0%
Histidine, 0.4%
Lysine, Total, 1.1%
Arginine, 1.1%

Minerals (contained in dry alfalfa)
Nitrogen 3.75-5.5 %
Potassium .75 - 3.5 %
Phosphorus .3 - .7%
Calcium 1 - 2 %
Magnesium .30 - 1 %
Sulphur .2 - .5 %
Manganese 30-200 ppm
Iron 20-250 ppm
Boron 20-80 ppm
Copper 5-20 ppm
Zinc 20-70 ppm

And here's his recipe for Alfalfa Tea:

The Mix:
Choose a garbage bin or barrel with no leaks and a tight fitting lid. Position it in an out of the way place - you don't want to have to move it once it's full. For a full size garbage bin (20 gallons) add 16 cups of alfalfa pellets or alfalfa meal (4 cups to every 5 gallons or 22 litres of water)

Add 1 - 2 cups of Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate crystals) (or one quarter to half a cup to 5 gallons) Optionally, add two tablespoons of Iron Chelate
Fill with water, put on a tight lid to prevent mosquitos from breeding in your "swamp"
Let stand for one week until it bubbles with fermentation. Your nose will tell you that it's ready.

Some garden friends I know use alfalfa meal/pellets as their only fertilizer. It is certainly an economical one.

Ding dong, the ditch is dug. Er, I mean rose bed.

Bottom line is, it was a witch of a ditch! I have a whopping 102 inches between the driveway and the property line. I had killed the grass last September (sorry, neighbors), meaning to work on it in a timely manner, but this was as timely as I could manage. The bed is only about 12 feet long. No sense in digging out shaded ground unless you're name is Hercules, and mine is definitely not even though my 85-year-old neighbor across the street thinks otherwise. I must admit to feeling pretty good about myself when I quit working last Sunday although I will also admit I hobbled to a very hot shower and was in bed by 6 o'clock. I figured I'd be barely moving on Monday morning, but au contraire, I felt fine and even felt better about being 60. This digging may well have put to bed my feeling of having one foot in the grave!

Back when it was still hot weather, I did some digging and pick-axing in this bed. Oh, what an agony. The ground was dry and rock hard and bearing abundant chunks of limestone, i.e., rocks! I have been spoiled by soft and penetrable Florida sand. Hitting a rock causes a sort of cartoon effect in me like Roadrunner hitting a wall. Very aggravating. I managed to remove one shovel depth in that attempt.

This time I knew it would be a double dig project. Dig out a shovel deep and heave it in the pickup. When that level's done, go back and repeat. I think I got about six running feet done when I figured the truck needed to be emptied. Driving around to the field behind my house, I was a tad concerned about what DH would think with the front end of the truck so far up in the air. Then each and every shovelful that went into the truck had to come out of the truck. Did I say double-dig? Quadruple-dig seems more accurate. (Just a note: I don't just dump it but neatly fill in low spots back there.) Then back to the driveway and digging another couple of rows, but the suspense was killing me. I had to see what was below the surface of the next layer which is my M.O. My particular brand of attention deficit disorder only allows me to continue doing the same behavior for so long at which point I must deviate and do something different.

So as I said, my intention was to dig and flip and break up. Hmm, I hear you asking, what breaking up is needed for sand? That is a great question. The answer is none. This ground, however, was not normal sand. It was more like mortar mix. Awful stuff! Dead stuff. No bugs, no worms, no roots. Yuck! Doing the flip-and-break-up revealed more thick layers of white clay and something that I think is called marl, a hodgepodge of compressed strata of mostly black 'something' mixed with little chunks of white and orange clay. I just couldn't leave all those chunks of clay in the ground, broken up or not, so I had basketball practice with the chunks and the truck. I stink at basketball. Again I was concerned about what DH would think if he heard all those dings on the truck, but I was getting tired and those chunks were heavy. One of them was as big as a football. I walked that one to the truck. From that 7'x8' area I filled up the truck again, and drove my super cool truck with its nose in the air back into the field. Miraculously, I got it empty again. Monday I moved another truckload of the next three linear feet, and today I finished the digging, but the truck sits full in the driveway, nose high in the air, waiting for me to return tomorrow. Whoa, there definitely should have been more fanfare with that statement.

**I finished the digging.**

This is where I must advise you not to do as I do but to find the right way to do it. As I was looking at all this yucky high-pH clay, my brain decided to apply a lot of powdered sulfur to the bottom of the bed, figuring that any roots that went that deep would find some acidity, so that's what I did. And even though they say earthworms will just appear in a garden bed that's been organically prepared (and I've seen it happen), I knew no right thinking earthworm was ever going to put his tootsies in this stuff, so I also decided to apply a whole lot of Milorganite to the bottom along with ground pine bark (soil conditioner) in hopes of this nutritious layer migrating down even deeper, as everything else does in Florida soil. Afterwards I googled 'calcareous clay', and sadly, I read that it neutralizes sulfur, so today I threw on more sulfur. Like I said, you probably shouldn't do this, but it made sense to me.

The next step toward 'White Maman Cochet' and 'Mrs B R Cant' having a permanent and cozy home is for DH to go get some composted horse manure from the sweet lady with a broodmare farm who loads it into our truck and doesn't charge a nickel for it. Yes, sir, she's the sweetest.

P.S. Here's a couple of pics of the new bed. I measured the bed when I was done. It's actually 14 feet long and narrows to 5 feet at the curb. I'm thinking I'll put White MC toward the street end and Mrs B R on the inside. I had trouble finding the surveyor's stake which is sunk several inches below the surface which is why the edge bulges on the right side. I've got five Evergreen Giant Liriopes to arrange on the street edge as I did on the other side of the driveway in the main circular garden. The area behind this bed and alongside the house will be covered with weedcloth and pine bark mulch. I have to cut off those oak suckers and heavily cover and mulch that area around the tree trunk, desperately hoping to limit the continued emergence of them. If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them. I may add a picket fence on the property line for a future climber - but maybe not.

Garden work

As usual, I didn't get done what I thought I wanted to do, but I did get stuff done. I put out the epsom salts in the back and side gardens and some of the front before I ran out. I will have to run out tomorrow and get some more. I have found that Walgreens has the best price. I paid $2.99 on sale for a 6 lb bag of very fine crystals that are easier to apply than the kind from the garden stores. I also put out sulfur on my lime-y back garden. I went to Seminole Feed to get it today and there decided to buy the wettable sulfur (very fine powder) in a 25 lb bag for $20.99 (cheaper than 4 lb of large granules for $8.99) since I've read that the finer it is the faster it lowers the pH. Just be careful not to breathe it. I did the front garden a few weeks ago with the large granule soil sulfur, so we'll see if I can see any difference. Oh, I also got a 50 lb bag of alfalfa pellets. Good stuff!!

I also moved 'Madame Scipion Cochet' out of her pot and into the ground. I should have taken a photo of this Hybrid Perpetual rose bush. She is leafless (well, there was one yellow one which I removed), but she has lots of swollen budeyes. I'm very curious about how this rose is going to grow. Her canes go out and around, or that's the way it seems so far. I also moved 'Martha Gonzales' from a 3-gallon nursery pot into a nice heavy ceramic pot that's taller and wider. This means I have only one rose in a pot that needs to be in the ground...er, at least until next weekend. That's when three new roses are coming home with me. 'Lilian Austin', 'Cl Clotilde Soupert' and 'Souv de St Anne's'. Hopefully, I'll get them in the ground the same day but maybe not.

While I was out today, I went to a nursery to get some Evergreen Giant Liriope, but instead I did a risky thing. I bought an azalea for the spot - a $9.99 azalea to be exact. Thankfully, azaleas have shallow root systems, and hopefully, the roots of this bush won't go much farther than the 16" or so that I dug down, removing the powdery fine, light gray sand that I know is bad for azaleas. The spot is right at the base of an oak tree, so I had to dig around the roots with my glove-covered fingers to get out as much bad stuff as I could. Then I sprinkled some sulfur around, added peat moss (unfortunately already pH adjusted up) and composted manure to the bottom, then filled the rest with newly amended, old amended soil that I had removed from the hole and, of course, put the azalea in the middle. This azalea is a 'Duc de Rohan'. A few weeks back I had scribbled its name on a stickie note by my computer after reading good things about it. It's a salmon pink flower, and the tag says it blooms from November to February in Florida. Maybe that's why I wanted it. I can't remember now. It's a long bloom time for an azalea. The plant I bought had spent blooms on it as well as open flowers and buds, so maybe I can believe the tag.

This area of the garden needed an evergreen bush, because there are four hydrangeas in this bed which are bare for an awfully long time. I will say though that I am starting to admire their silvery grayish branches that practically glisten when the light is right, especially the 'Limelight' hydrangea paniculata.

Oh, and I replaced the leaky hose that ran from the hose bib to the timer with 1/2" poly and two hose-end adapters. So now that section of the garden can be watered automatically again instead of using the hose and 10x more water! Of course, how much easier it would have been to have done it this way to begin with, but, alas, I didn't know what hose-end adapters were for. What can I say?