Rose of Sharon Treei

What kind of fertilizer are you using? Give me the numbers on the container/bag.

Are you fertilizing it too much? 1-2 times a month seems excessive but I don't know what Rose of Sharon needs.

On 4/1/2014 SusanBalto said: It's just MiracleGro Liqiufeed

Here is the link to Scotts for that product.

A quick glance at that link says that: Fertilizer Analysis is 12-4-8 Or 12% Nitrogen -- 4% Phosphorus -- 8% Potassium.

The 1st number give you green foliage, the 2nd number gives you blooms.

The nitrogen is too high on this product!! That may be why you are getting only foliage and no blooms!

I want you to switch to a lower nitrogen product that is slow release like Espoma Plant Tone which has as its chemical makeup 5% Nitrogen -- 3% Phosphorus -- 3% Potassium.

You will only have to feed your Rose of Sharon once a year in the spring when it is pushing out buds and leaves.

The Miracle-Gro Liquafeed is a quick acting fertilizer see this explanation on this link explaining why a slow release is better for plants than a quick acting fertilizer is.

And for those who hate to open links:
Water Insoluble Nitrogen

The portion of slow-release nitrogen is listed on the fertilizer bag as water-insoluble nitrogen (WIN).

If no WIN is listed on the fertilizer label, assume that all of the nitrogen is water soluble or quickly available (My parentheses-- no WIN # found on the Miracle Gro Liquafeed label) unless the nitrogen includes sulfur coated urea.

Sulfur-coated urea fertilizers provide slow-release nitrogen, but the fertilizer label does not list it as WIN. If the fertilizer contains sulfur-coated urea, include that portion as part of WIN when determining the percentage of total N that is slowly available.

Water-insoluble types of fertilizers release nitrogen over time. They are often applied at higher rates and less frequently than quick release formulas. The initial response of turf is slower than quick release types but these materials continue to provide nutrients over a period of 8 to 10 weeks or more. They will not burn the turf even if applied at high rates and are not prone to leaching.

Substitute the word 'turf' for plants and you will get the idea of why to use a slow release nitrogen product for your plants.

I have 3 CF Rose of Sharon trees in various colors and I've never fertilized any of them. Two of them are over 6 years old and at least 12 ft tall and wide. They got much bigger than I ever imagined. They bloom like crazy from July till frost every year. Absolutely gorgeous and the hummingbirds love them.

I bought my 4th one last year - like I said, I didn't fertilize it, just planted it directly in the ground and watered once a week. It bloomed! only 3 blooms for the season, but it did bloom.