Raft Island Roses

Roses blooming today. $16.50 each with discount. Open 10-5

Supposed to get these 1g Hellebores by the end of the week. They will $21.95 each. Some may be cutback. We will see

Remember I post what I do and what works for me.

Regarding the Tagro, moodoo, and black mulch stuff. When I get returns on roses, those 3 ingredients are often what I identify as the problem.

Too much of them causes a problem. Sometimes folks think if a little is good, a lot is better. It is the drainage. I have got returns and when I water them the water sits at the top for ever and doesn’t properly drain.

That doesn’t happen with the mix I use so if it works for me I assume it will work for you.

We take returns with no questions asked and no receipt. I don’t like trying to play hardball with people who just don’t know.

95 percent of returns are because of the soil. And those things at the top are overused.

Where we live it rains everyday for months it seems. And I do not recommend heavy amounts of anything that holds water for roses.

I never recommend any kind of compost even though the right amount may be beneficial, because some folks get the ratio wrong.

Could I use tagro, mushroom compost, moodoo, or other stuff? Sure we have used chicken manure and horse manure in the past and it works as long as you mix in other stuff that airates the soil. Pumice, perlite, even sand or sawdust is needed if you use that thick stuff.

What you want to avoid is a soupy, sludgy, soil mix. You say yours isn’t like that, cool. Tip of that yo! Some can’t seem to get it right and too me the pros are outweighed by the cons.

Good day

Some advice from a DM. This is the Queen of Rose growing from the great North of me (Seattle). She has different approach and I always listen to her even when we disagree. In fact, when she disagrees it makes me think I could be wrong. And to be honest that doesn’t occur very often.

She has grown roses since she was a child. Her parents grew roses. Her brother? I think. And her son is a great man and very impressive rose grower. I may dog certain rose societies and rose chat rooms, but this lady and her family are top notch and I never dog them.

This family promoted us when we first started and has been a blessing for me, my Dad, and Raft Island Roses. Ao without further ado. Mrs Caroline F of the Seattle Rose Society and Master Rosarian.

How many nursery people are posting rose stuff at 1 am? Me that’s who. Kinda sad really when you think about it. Goodnight or good morning I guess.

It isn’t a big deal around my area, but it is a good idea to stop dead heading now.

This is a little controversial to some, but not to me.

We never, ever do a prune right now. Think about it. When you cut a rose you are telling it to grow. Why would you want to be telling a rose to grow when nature is telling it to slow down love.

I have heard folks say you do a light prune now so the roses don’t get whipped around. I reply to this with, what about climbers?

Some say the roses get nutrients from rose hips through out the winter. I don’t know about that either because what if birds eat the hips? So the roses lack nutrients then?

In the NW we get plenty of natural fertilizer though the rain. So what do I do here? Nothing. Leaves will fall on their own. I just let the roses do their thing. With one exception.

If you are surrounded by a bunch evergreens you may have noticed they are starting to shed a little. Especially cedar trees. The cedar shedding drops a ton of brown dead stuff. It always happens and it is nothing to fear.

But cedar trees thrive in acidic soil. And they contain a lot of acid in their discarded needles? Leaves? Whatever those things are.

Anyway, a handful of lime around each rose helps neutralize the acidity around your roots. It is good.

If you want to argue about this that is fine, just send to my text or direct message me. I don’t want people getting confused by the know it alls who don’t know stuff.

I am talking to Northwest people here.

I was really ticked the Seahawks lost so I started messing around with this Muse App. Kinda done with those goofy pictures for a while.

Know this. I will never have AI write in my feed. I have a specific tone and don’t want anyone or anything messing with it.

Win or lose I will go out on my own terms.

We don’t use this stuff. For those wondering that last photo is black mulch. Maybe you love this stuff. Bless your heart.

If you must use this stuff because an “expert” told you how great it is just don’t use much of it. But as I said I wouldn’t use it at all.

What do I know I have only grown over 100,000 roses by hand? Good night.

For the fertilizer we mix these elements together and give the plant a handful
every 3 weeks or so starting in April. Don’t fertilize now. Planting now is great. In the Northwest I mean.

Dig a hole 18”x18”

Then remove 1/3 of the native soil.

Mix the 1/3 native soil with the planting mix (1/3 perlite, 1/3 compost, 1/3 extradite bark.

Put 1/3 of the soil mix in the hole. Take the rose you got from me in the hole and back fill. If you are in the NW planting the bud union at ground level or just above is perfect. Water and don’t do anything else. Let the plant adjust.

This is what we recommend for fertilizer options in the northwest