Help with what to feed Sambucca 'Black Lace'

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

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.

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?

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

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.

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?

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.

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%

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!

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.

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.

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

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

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?

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

Anything fertilisers thatmakes the soil more acid then?

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.

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.

Top dressing is different from feeding - ie fertiliser?

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

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.