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Help with what to feed Sambucca 'Black Lace'

Warwickshire, United Kingdom Gb

Help with what to feed Sambucca 'Black Lace'

It's all go in my garden at the mo' so I'm sorry for asking quite a few questions lately but I'm new to gardening and finally things are coming together.

I bought my Sambuccas last year and it's growing well now and I thought I'd feed it Tomorite to get the flowers this year. However helpful husband fed it with chicken manure pellets a couple of weeks ago. I would like to know if it's ok to feed it soon with the Tomorite or will it all be too much feeding?




Answers

 

Unless it is in a container I wouldn't be feeding it at all.

13 May, 2012

 

Agree with MG - now its had the chicken pellets, leave well alone. The most mine get are a top dressing of Growmore in March, turned into the ground.

13 May, 2012

 

May I expand the question please...I have just bought one that will be container grown, So what would be best, a general slow release?

13 May, 2012

 

They normally do very well without a lot of feeding. You have probably done plenty already

13 May, 2012

 

Thanks! - Glad I checked on here.

Have a friend that swears, by feeding her youngish Sambucca's with 'Growmore' that it's accelerated the growth and flowers. Haven't the heart to tell her now that it's just the way they are.

I know all the fertilisers contain different amounts of things but what actually do Chicken pellets do as not many gardners I know use them.

13 May, 2012

 

I have had mine in the garden for 6yrs now and flowers every year and I dont feed it at all Annelise.

They are stunning.

Mine is now getting a bit tall.

When should I prune ?

Or tidy up?

13 May, 2012

 

I cut mine down just as it started to shoot,seems ages ago now,because it was getting too tall.I did read somewhere that if you cut them back too hard they wont flower,but mine has buds and seems ok,and never fed it in 5years either.

13 May, 2012

 

Hi Annelise this is the composition of chicken pellet manure as opposed to growmore

Typical analysis of dried and pelleted poultry manure:*
N** (nitrogen) 4%
P** (phosphorus) 2%
K** (potassium) 1%

Typical analysis of Growmore:
N** (nitrogen) 7%
P** (phosphorus) 7%
K** (potassium) 7%

13 May, 2012

 

Interesting Moon growe, thanks for that info. I have meaning to check out the amounts of NPK in products.
Can't see why someone would opt for the chicken pellets then? I'm off to stock up on the Growmore!

13 May, 2012

 

They are organic and growmore isn't so they would appeal to organic gardeners. I have used them and they are fine. They come in bigger containers than Growmore and you just put more on. You would need to add extra potash for fruit and flowers if you felt you needed to.

13 May, 2012

 

Oh, of course I forgot they are organic. I bought loads of boxes on offer when I started gardening as couldn't be bothered with all the countless products available . My sister told me about the Tomorite recently so I'll just stick to those two for now.

13 May, 2012

 

Pimpernel - even in a tub, I'd just give it a topdressing of Growmore around April.

14 May, 2012

 

Thankyou Bamboo, that will have been done at the nursery I got it from I guess..So leave well alone till next year.

14 May, 2012

 

I was told to stop using chicken pellets as most of my plants are acid lovers, and aparently, the pellets make the soil alkaline. Is that true?

14 May, 2012

 

Yes, it is. Best not used more frequently than once or twice a year.

14 May, 2012

 

Anything fertilisers thatmakes the soil more acid then?

14 May, 2012

 

I've not tried this as I don't need to but watering acid loving plants using two tablespoons white vinegar to 1 gallon water is supposed to work well... Other than that mulch with bark or pine needles.

14 May, 2012

 

Annelise, if you're using chicken pellets only twice a year, it won't be an issue. Plants in the ground don't need frequent feeding, a topdressing of something in Spring is usually sufficient. The best way to keep plants healthy and growing and flowering is to add humus rich materials to the soil - richer soil, better plants well, except for those that prefer poor soil.

14 May, 2012

 

Top dressing is different from feeding - ie fertiliser?

MG Very interesting Re: vinegar - only heard about adding sulphur.

14 May, 2012

 

Note to self, stop using verbal shorthand - Annelise, when I say top dressing of fertiliser in spring, what I actually mean is a handful or 4 of Growmore (or similar product) chucked around the base of a shrub and then either raked into the soil or turned in lightly with a fork.

15 May, 2012

How do I say thanks?

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