The instructions inside the package recommend weekly feedings with a mild liquid fertilizer. The Vintage website says to water in with a dilute organic fertilizer, then follow up a week or so later with a top dressing of a time release fertilizer and a small handful of alfalfa pellets (rabbit food), and highly recommends weekly feedings with a mild, organic liquid fertilizer like fish emulsion or kelp meal added to water.

I have Foliage-Pro liquid fertilizer (9-3-6) and an old bottle of fish emulsion and liquid seaweed. I also have a new bag of granular rose fertilizer that contains alfalfa.

So, following the above recommendations: Should I initially water in with a weak solution of Foliage-Pro, then a week later add a top dressing of my granular rose fertilizer that contains alfalfa, and then switch to weekly fish emulsion feedings -- or ADD weekly fish emulsion feedings in addition to Foliage Pro, or alternate weekly feedings between FP and fish emulsion? I am assuming that all of these feedings should be half-strength or less.

I plan to pinch off any buds for at least a few months (that's going to be the hardest part!!!)

I decided to pot my new vintage bands in good potting mix and wait until all fear of heat was past. I have a sheltered place to put them when the winds start to blow. Bands are extra work but worth all the effort. I am so happy that Vintage has so many VID roses to choose from.

Hope that helps...

Best-
Herding Cats

I put mine in 1-gallon pots this morning, and watered well but did not feed them. I'll keep them in bright shade until this week's heat wave passes. I may wait a full 2 weeks before starting the light feedings, letting them settle into their new homes. The weather forecast calls for 75 again by next Saturday; that's a nice change from 105 just two weeks ago.

We talked almost an hour about this topic. His dad was a farmer and nurseryman for the majority of the last century. He said that nurseries used to sell in native soils or dig up plants to sell in burlap or in bare root in fall and winter. He said he has grown plants in 90% sand with constant irrigation and feeding and because the soil has excellent oxygen capacity, the plants thrive. Redwood compost is also slow to degrade but because of it's expense, it stopped being used for commercial potting on a large scale.

Sorry to go on so long but I wanted to share so you could try for yourself if you want to. With the bagged mix + the 1/4 peat/pumice/sand formula, I get good results and the plants are ready to get out of the 1 gal pots before the soil wears out. The roots grow pretty fast and I don't worry about overwatering because the mix has plenty of oxygen and stays fluffy.

The 10-day forecast promises cooler temps with a few days in the low 80s. Fall is here!

**Other trees closely related to black walnut also produce juglone, including butternut, English walnut, pecan, shagbark hickory, and bitternut hickory.>>

I can't find anything that says redwoods also have them, so I don't know if the friend who warned me was correct or not. I do note, however, that there is nothing growing immediately under MY redwoods, but that may be simple root and water competition. I just don't know.