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kippy_the_hippy

Encouraging the Big Girls to Grow

Kippy
9 years ago

As you may know, I have a row of big girls that can handle some shade they have all been planted in the past year or less. If I am using a fish emulation with kelp. Any idea how often I can fertizile to encourage growth? Just how weekly weakly is OK?

I know most of you think I have lost my mind wanting not only big girls but giving them a kick in the pants and putting them too close, but I really need that big green wall so at horns yesterday Today some one jumped a fence or locked gate and killed our rooster and most of his ladies. It was not any type of wild animal other than the human kind. And yes the sheriff and anyone else we could think of has been contacted. We are looking in to security camera systems as well. The gates are a problem, only 4 feet tall guess we will have to see what our options are there

The roses are:

Cl Cecile Brunner
Cl pinkie
Lady banks
Felicite et perpetue
Phyllis Bide
Opal Brunner
Perle door
Rita Sammons
Pink Gate as baby band
Alister Stella gray


Are there any of these that do not like fertilizers?

Thank you

Comments (13)

  • Lynn-in-TX-Z8b- Austin Area/Hill Country
    9 years ago

    Kippy,

    I am sorry to hear that your mother's yard was invaded and your animals were destroyed. Honestly, I would keep an eye on the neighbor (s) who would possibly be most annoyed or impacted by the early morning noise that roosters make. There is no excuse for the actions of some possibly sleep deprived individual (s) or barbarian.

    We have security cameras and I am guessing that they are fairly easy to install as it took my husband less than an hour to add one to the back of our home on the covered patio. I must reveal that he is the guy who fixes almost everything inside or outside of our home, but it just did not seem that difficult. A variety of alarms are available on Amazon, or if you have an alarm system, many of the companies offer video surveillance with their security systems.

    I hope you get to the bottom of this and more importantly that it never happens again.

    Lynn

  • Lynn-in-TX-Z8b- Austin Area/Hill Country
    9 years ago

    Oh,

    Regarding the roses and growth. I don't know what makes them hurry along in growth, but some varieties just grow fast. I was looking at Sally Holmes yesterday and was astounded that this those was received as a band last Fall has what looks to be a 5' cane already. I have seen grafted versions of this rose offered too, which gives a head start.

    I was told that Rita Sammons remains on the smaller side....

    Lynn

    This post was edited by desertgarden561 on Tue, Jun 10, 14 at 9:21

  • Kippy
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks Lynn

    I listed Rita cause she is in with the big girls, but yes she should stay smaller.

    I did some checking on cameras last night, I have to find out what is the max distance I can run the cable for them. I will need about 200 feet to get down to the bottom of the property. I would have to run that down in a conduit most likely so that is a lot of digging a trench.

    I have a really good idea exactly who it was, they had a kiddie party on Sunday (this includes a lot of beer and getting stoned) and I guess they had some serious hangovers.

  • seil zone 6b MI
    9 years ago

    Oh, Kippy, that's terrible. I hope they find them and punish them. To kill an animal for no reason like that is just sick!

  • nippstress - zone 5 Nebraska
    9 years ago

    Kippy, that is just heartbreaking to hear about the rooster and hens they killed. It must be frustrating to know who did it and not be able to pull together the proof. And I have to add - who has a child's party with lots of beer and getting stoned? In my day, children's parties were about cake and ice cream and playing silly games. It sounds like you may have a long-term problem on your hands.

    As far as encouraging the big girls to grow, I suspect in your zone that copious and deep watering will be the biggest factor. You already have plenty of heat, and as I understand Kim's "weakly weekly" fertilizer regimen, it's a solution of no more than 1/4 to 1/2 the recommended dosage of liquid fertilizer poured on the base of the roses. You could add some alfalfa at the base but be sure to keep it away from the main canes of the roses (learning from my own mistakes - smile).

    Heartiest sympathies about the neighbor problems.

    Cynthia

  • roseseek
    9 years ago

    I'm sorry Kippy, that's terrible! As long as you've planted them properly, kept them appropriately watered and put down at least the minimum food desired, heat and sun are the two most needed requirements to kick-start your wall into growth. Alfalfa contains a growth hormone which helps stimulate them to grow, so teas, meal, pellets (though ALL rodents LOVE alfalfa pellets!), anything which will provide the hormone it contains will help jump start them. But, HEAT combined with the other resources is what kicks butt getting them going. Until there is enough to get the good stuff in the ground cooking and the plant pumping, they're going to sit there looking as if they are disinterested. You can watch them start responding to the increase in heat. They'll tell you when it warms to where they want it. Until then, all the fertilizer in the world is going to result in little response. I know you needed to get them planted, but starting them off in nursery cans where the soil would be warmer than the ground would push them faster. Kim

  • ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
    9 years ago

    I'm so sorry Kippy, that someone could do this cruel and mindless thing to you and your birds. Booze and drugs are probably responsible for the majority of atrocities that are visited on society.

    I have found that plenty of mulch has made a difference to the roses that didn't have enough. I don't know where it all goes, since I'm constantly putting on more. I would say that in a hot climate mulch and adequate water are the two most important things, although fertilizer will certainly give them an added boost.

    Ingrid

  • kentucky_rose zone 6
    9 years ago

    Alfalfa tea? Sorry about your animals.

  • roseseek
    9 years ago

    That's easy, Ingrid. Organic material "digests", releasing its resources to the soil. The higher the heat, the greater the moisture level and the greater the available nitrogen levels are to the bacteria and fungi, the faster they "eat" it. In the old Newhall garden, I could go through three inches of horse manure mulch in less than three months when I kept it wet. The smaller and greener the material, the faster it digests. Of course, that doesn't take into consideration the amounts which blow away in the higher winds; wash away with erosion or are thrown all over bloody Creation by birds, squirrels, etc. But, yes, a good layer of water permeable mulch, kept away from the crowns of the plants so it doesn't inhibit their activities can make a world of improvement. Not only does it retain moisture (presuming there IS moisture and any over the mulch irrigation can get through and beneath it); suppresses many weeds; but also breaks down to release Humic Acid (which releases more rock nutrients from the soil and helps condition it), N-P-K and other micro nutrients. It's how you "create top soil". Kim

  • thedogsLL
    9 years ago

    That's totally awful. I have to wonder about how the human race is raising it's young....
    A thought on running the cable? Try putting it in garden hose on top of the ground. I know it works for the "invisible fence" type of pet containment, and lasts for at least a couple of years, how many depending on the quality of the hose used. I've also advised clients to use it when they need to cross a pond or marshy area - protects the wire from critters, looks inconspicuous, and is easy to get to if you need to make repairs or whatever. You just screw the ends together to get the length you need.
    Lynn T

  • Kippy
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you all. It has been quite a week at moms. Who knows, maybe they had no idea that a hen and a rooster looked different. Poor old rooster had no chance to run he was so old. Most of the neighbors have stopped by, one sad yesterday morning when he realized that the days of drinking coffee and hearing the rooster are over. We know a lot of people would hate to have a rooster nearby, but this one was old and as friendly as could be. He would call the girls for the treats the neighbors would bring them and if you crowed to him, he would reply. It was common to hear people passing and the crow call.

    It also makes us not feel very safe in a big section of our yard. If someone in a fit of rage would jump the fence and club the hens, what would they do to us if they were mad about their own dogs barking at us.

    I have been looking that the camera options and I think the easier place to run a conduit for camera cable is right down the middle of the veggie garden walk. It is fairly straight run from a room I could keep the recorder in. I just have to figure out where I could put one and not have trees blocking.

    Kim, I agree about moving up pot size, but with summer heat and mom watering, it is safer to just pot up to the 1g and skip the 5g over the summers. I get super busy with my real job in the summer and mom either floods or forgets to water pots. I gave them all some fish fertilizer, all are busy growing and happy, I just want a big hedge now...... I am going to look in to replacing our 4' chain link gates with something taller, even though the fence is only 4 feet tall, I will let the hedge grow to 6' and pretty sure the year + old Cl Cecile will have no trouble with a taller profile.

  • ratdogheads z5b NH
    9 years ago

    Sorry to hear about the violence :( Anyone cruel enough to hurt a defenseless animal is a menace to society and needs to be caught and punished.

    This might not suit your needs, but I thought I'd mention it. My neighbor who has had trouble with neighborhood dogs going after his chickens installed cameras that required no wiring. He said they are available anyplace you would find hunting equipment. They are motion sensitive, battery operated, and just have an internal memory card. He has them mounted on tree trunks.

  • Kippy
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Rat dogs

    We tested one of the game cameras. They do work great but want to be north facing and the street is north facing. So we got every car that drove by. Lol.

    I am going to put up signs that say under 24hr security camera etc. You would be amazed at how much just posting signs change what people do.

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