topic Rose of Sharon Treei in Garden

Rose of Sharon Treei

SusanBalto — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 20:51:49 GMT

I have a Rose of Sharon tree I planted in the ground it will be three summers now. It didn't bloom at all last year, and Phillip said the second year it would. It continued to grow and had lots of leaves, but no blooms. It gets plenty of sun and water, and I fertilized it about 1-2 times a month. Can you give me any advice for this?

Re: Rose of Sharon Treei

JustJazzmom — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 21:14:24 GMT

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

Re: Rose of Sharon Treei

SusanBalto — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 21:25:13 GMT

It's just MiracleGro Liqiufeed

Re: Rose of Sharon Treei

scotnovel — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 22:08:00 GMT

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

Re: Rose of Sharon Treei

Kachina624 — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 22:34:02 GMT

I have a CF Rose of Sharon that was so pathetic when it came, it was too small to put in the ground. Grew it in a pot it's first summer, and then into ground. I think it bloomed its second summer. It's now 7-8 ft tall and it's always covered with blooms. It grows in full desert sun and gets water on my drip irrigation system.

Re: Rose of Sharon Treei

JustJazzmom — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 23:24:08 GMT

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.

Re: Rose of Sharon Treei

tototwo — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 16:42:40 GMT

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.