I need to add acidity to my flowers bed for roses. What should I use?
Hardiness Zone: 6a
Tina Butler From Cincinnati, Ohio
Answer:
Tina,
There are a number of ways to lower your soil's pH. Pine needles, shredded leaves, saw dust, sulfur, cottonseed meal and peat moss are all good choices. Peat moss is the least desirable of these options because it tends to be expensive and it really doesn't add any nutrients to the soil. It's also a non-renewable resource. If you already compost leaves or pine needles, often just adding in some more compost to your soil is enough to lower the pH. Most forests grow in slightly acidic soil-especially pine trees, so adding in a little soil from these areas also works well. Roses also love the acid found in used coffee grounds. If you're not a coffee drinker yourself, local coffee shops are usually more than happy to let you recycle their grounds if you ask. The addition of chemical fertilizers will also have an acid-adding effect to your soil.
Ellen
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In our black soil of Texas, rumors of how well the roses which received every day's dish water, which would be alkalinic, may mean that the black soil is more acidic? Can't afford any test that costs anything this season. However, my roses stopped blooming this year, even though I followed suggestions of turning peanut shells and banana peelings into the soil...nothing. The leaves seem o.k., not sickly, but not large and dark green, which may just be the variety, which I have forgotten after having it for so many years. It died back all the way two years ago and this year's growth is all that came back. It used to get black spot but I broke my organic rule for it alone and gave it systemic black spot fungicide, which worked, but no blooms all year ! Anyone have suggestions? : , (
OAK LEAVES, CEDAR NEEDLES OR PINE NEEDLES ARE HIGHLY ACIDIC. CAREFUL....TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING IS AS BAD AS NONE! ROSES LOVE BANANA PEELS TOO FOR POTASSIUM.
I use coffee grounds and banana peels. My roses have gone crazy by doing this with the peels. They have grown so much and so many buds at one time on one stem! Just beautiful! I just plant the coarsley chopped peels around the base of the plant and within a few weeks you will see a big difference. I planted two new plants this year that I got at Big Lots. I have already had flowers on them and they are producing more. Try it, you will love the results! Now all I have to do is figure out how to get rid of the Japaneese Beetles!!
Try Miracid--it is by the Miracle Grow folks. You mix it in the water you put on them--easy to control how much they get. (You can use it every time, or every other, etc.)
The other alternative is to get a soil test and follow the recommendations.
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