Fertilizing Roses: When and How

excerpted from an article written by

Jill Barnard, American Rose Society

  

This copy was generated by the Ashland Garden Club and distributed through Ashland's Bed and Breakfast Network. The entire article may be read online at the American Rose Society.

Fertilize established rose bushes immediately after pruning by incorporating organic amendments into the soil.

A.R.S. basic recipe, per bush:

• 1 cup bone meal or superphosphate (0-20-0)
• 1 cup cottonseed meal
• 1/2 cup blood meal
• 1/2 cup fish meal
• 1/2 cup epsom salts (magnesium sulphate)

Water thoroughly first, then spread the ingredients evenly around the bush, under the drip-line (outer perimeter) of the bush. Scratch lightly into the top 1-2" of soil and water well again. In warm climates with long growing seasons (January-February pruning and blooms through November-December), a second application is beneficial in early September for fall bloom cycles. About two to three weeks after spring pruning and adding organic amendments, new growth will appear. Chemical fertilizers, whether liquid or dry, can be applied at this time, and will provide an instant food source for this heavy feeding period. How often to apply is a subjective decision, based on the amount of time and devotion you have, but once a month should be the minimum.

HOW Often

How often you fertilize your roses is determined by your rose growing style. Are you a Casual Rose Grower, a Dedicated Rose Grower, or an Exhibitor?

Read the American Rose Society's full article for the details.

 WHEN

Whitening Make-up Stained Towels

What's your tried-and-true method for getting make-up stains out of towels? Does it work?

To Introduce Yourself, Comment On This Blog

Welcome to Innkeeping 101! We thought it would be good to exchange greetings and introductions, as if we were meeting for the first time over coffee. You can do this by using the Comment feature below this entry.
 
Tell us who you are, the name of your bed and breakfast, its size and where it's located, and anything else you'd like us to know. 

Signing up and commenting here at Innkeeping101 is another way of putting the URL for your Inn out there on the internet. This may help to raise your search engine results, helping guests find your inn easier.  Here's how you might do that:

1. Subscribe to the blog and to the comments so you are allowed to participate. You may also join as a "Follower" although this is a separate step and not really required to make Comments.
2. Underneath the article you will see the word "Comments." You need to click on that to open the Comments dialogue area, if it's not already visible.  
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4. It may take a day or two to appear, as the blog moderator needs to approve subscribers and comments in order to spare us all from spammers.

Water Conservation

Our B&B network sponsored a forum on water conservation. The speaker was Robbin Pearce, a water conservation analyst and inspector for the city of Ashland, Oregon. She had many suggestions for water conservation for both homeowners and innkeepers. Among those are:
1. rainwater harvesting
2. regular audits by a water analyst
3. the use of aerators on faucets
4. low-flow toilets that feature both 1.2 and 1.6 gallon flushes
5. high-efficiency washing machines
6. on-demand hot water heating

These were the tips Ms. Pearce offered the innkeepers of Ashland. Have you tried any of these conservation solutions and did they work for you? What is your community doing to solve the water conservation problem? What can we as innkeepers do to conserve more water?
Please offer your suggestions below in the Comments form, or feel free to ask questions.

Why This Blog?

Ashland Bed and Breakfast Network is hosting this innkeeping forum in partial fulfillment of our organization's educational mandate. The views expressed here are the opinions of the individual posters, and do not necessarily reflect the views or beliefs of all members of the Ashland Bed and Breakfast Network.

This blog is monitored and moderated by the ABBN Educational Committee.

We will reply to questions and comments as quickly as we can. This may not be too often during our high season--May through October.

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