Chicky Poo, Fish Blood & Bone etc, which one do YOU use ?

I use chicken poo on mine and seaweed fertilizer for my daylilies,oh and rose fertilizer on my roses plus horse manure now and again(lucky enough to have some friends who have horses), good soil here though as used to be allotments.
Whatever you use on yours Annella certainly works,your gardens beautiful :-)

I use Bone Meal. It is a slow release fertiliser and I use it on shrubs, herbaceous perennials in spring and grass grown naturalised bulbs after the bulbs have flowered. For special plants like favourite rhodos and camellias I used Lidls rhodo fertiliser two years ago with good results. I always sprinkle and mix bonemeal in planting holes for shrubs and HPs. We had solid clay but years of adding peat, which had been spread over both areas of lawn on either side of the drive but not properly incorporated there by the former owner, cow dung, home made compost and growing potatoes everywhere to break it up means we now have a first class growing medium. The farmer who supplied me with a loaded cart of cow dung every year for seven years thought I must be growing mushrooms. When my son was at uni he had to take in a soil sample from the garden and his lecturer said he had never come across a better soil and asked where we bought it. Hard labour and double digging for all those years paid off. Also in to the mix went a lot of spent lime mortar from an old building. I try not to use anything artificial in the garden because we have created a wild life haven. We were planning for the long term and not everybody can wait for the results we got but the following advice should help new gardeners. Get hold of a book like a Dr Hessayon, sneak a peak when you are in the garden centre if you do not want to buy one and find out what type of soil you have. As I planted my garden, I felt it was as important to know what each plant needed in which to grow well as it was to check on the size and shape ten years on. A hole twice the size of the root ball filled with its chosen growing medium will give it a chance to adapt to its new home. I know many will disagree with what I have said so its your garden do what works for you. I use seaweed extract on my veg.

Thanks Simbad, my soil is clay and horrible! I'm guilty of sometimes using nothing at all, although I do feed the lawn :-))

Thanks Scotsgran, I will look at your Home page later :-))

Wow you have done well to grow that garden on clay. It is beautiful.

Thanks Scotsgran I tried to improve the soil in the borders as I dug them out, now I just work on the place I want to plant.

I don't use either - they stink and I can't abide it lol

What a lovely garden you have Annella :o))

Hywel , I agree, the chicken pellets can be pongy on a warm day :-))
Thanks Floribunda

Annella, your garden is just perfect, and I do think that sometimes fertiliser can be overused, causing weak sappy growth. Some soils, especially clay, don't need it. They only need soil improver, and as you say you see to that as you plant. It seems to be successful, so if it ain't broke ......!

I tend to try and add manure etc each year and then extra round the roses (they are really old and need a bit more tender care!!) and tend to use my wormery stuff (liquid out the bottom!!) for the veggies as they are growing.

Interesting to get all this advice and opinion! I am particularly interested in Mad's comment about clay not needing fertiliser and it causing weak growth. I shall remember that, because I am very liberal with the chicken pellets, the blood fish and bone and whatever else is on special offer! I fear I do overdo it a bit, but that's me generally! lol Mind you, I do think that the roses and clematis benefit from an annual feed and I think I will continue to do that. As I have said elsewhere, Molly the Jack Russell particularly likes the smell of chicken poo and runs around the garden trying to eat up as much as she can! yeuch!

by the way, welcome Scots Gran! Hope to see some photos of your garden soon!

I agree Karen, working on clay I'm not always sure the years I,ve not bothered to add anything are any worse than the ones I have. But I will now refer to this blog for advise. Thank u all :-)))
Ps Welcome Scots Gran & get some pics of your garden on here :-))

Thanks Karen and Annella I was a member at a rather unfortunate period for the site. I was very enthusiastic about it but backed away as I am too old to be bothered by what was going on. I have kept a watching brief and taken an interest in what everybody has been getting up to. I miss Cliffo, he was quite a larger than life character and I hope he is alright. I was tempted back by the advice (maybe wrong in my opinion) given to someone. I am a very busy lady these days so the camera will need to wait.

Scots Gran your advice was brill thank you, If you find time I would like to see your garden pics :-)))

Like Scotsgran( welcome back) I use little more than bonemeal and for the same reasons.
A very nice garden Annella.

Thanks Bulbaholic

I use concentrated chicken manure - it comes as a smelly coarse powder in plastic sacks (marketed as 6X) and is very strong. At planting time, each plant receives a pinch of 6X and a little bonemeal (but no bonemeal for ericaceous plants). In early spring, a light scattering of 6X over the border is lightly forked in. Heavy feeders such as clematis, paeonies and roses get a bit more 6X. Yes it pongs but it does the trick

I use fbb when planting and a very small amount of slow release stuff in pots. the rest of the ground just gets compost bin doings. there is a danger to use too much 'feed'. the plants can only take up a certain amount the rest washes out in to the ground water/ ponds/streams and lakes. This can be a major problem.

Rose feed for the roses, chicken manure for borders and lawn, tomato feed for vegs, pelargoniums, fuschias, and various other plants (potted plants) as it is a well balanced feed, bonemeal or blood fish and bone when planting or as a top dressing.
Andrew have not seen 6X is it available at most GCs or nurseries?

I'm interested in that one to Andrew,not seen 6X

What an interesting blog this is turning in to Annella. Why no bonemeal for ericaceous Andrewr ?

Our local Notcuut's stock it but that's the only local GC that has it. Last lot I purchased, I bought online.
I think bonemeal is alkaline so I err on the safe side and don't give it to the acid lovers

I was advised to use it when planting all of my shrubs and perennials. It helps your plants to grow new roots to establish themselves. It is very slow release so it is almost impossible to burn anything and it does not give an instant boost and encourage new top growth which could be vulnerable. I am thinking most of the shrubs and HPs are planted in the dormant season when you would not want top growth, rather you are trying to establish a root system to give the plant a good foundation. On the other hand quick fixes are necessary for annuals to make sure you get maximum benefit from a single season plant. That is when things like phostrogen come in to their own.

Thanks for all your comments. All very interesting advice :-)))

2 short 6X stories :-
1. I once bought my mum a large sack of 6X for her birthday - my dad nearly fell off his chair laughing !
2. I stored 1/3 of a bag of 6X in a big sealed tub for 6 months or so and when I opened the tub the fumes nearly took my head off ! ...lol
Damned good stuff though. :-))

It sounds it Muddy!
Last year I asked for a ton of gravel for my birthday :-)))

Lol ... :-)