I found a post on the Rocky Mountain Gardening thread at GardenWeb where someone mentioned putting “Sul-Po-Mag” on their roses. I was curious and found the information below from a google search. I wonder if my roses need something like this to make them flower better?
Sul-Po-Mag (0-0-22)
Sul-Po-Mag also known as K-Mag NATURAL (Mosaic) is the commercial name for the mineral otherwise known as sulfate of potash-magnesia (langbeinite). Contains 22% soluble potash, 22% sulfur and 11% magnesium. A quick release source of potassium, Sul-Po-Mag also makes a good addition to soils that lack sulfur. Broadcast 5-10 lbs. Sul-Po-Mag per 1,000 sq. ft. OMRI Listed for use in organic production.
K-Mag NATURAL is virtually 100% water soluble, meaning crops have access to three essential nutrients:
Potassium – Essential for protein synthesis and protein formation. It improves the flavor and color of fruits and vegetables, and promotes drought tolerance, winter hardiness, and disease and insect resistance.
Magnesium – Resides at the heart of the pigment-containing molecule, chlorophyll. As rates of photosynthesis decline, so do quality and yield.
Sulfur – Remains a key element in crop proteins. It is a requirement for nitrogen fixation in legumes and vital to vitamin synthesis in all plants, important determinants of crop quality. Without sulfur, onions, garlic and mustard would not possess their distinctive flavors.
I got this reply on GW:
* Posted by greenj1 on Wed, Mar 14, 07 at 13:41
stevation who asked about sul-po-mag —
there are a number of ways to apply the Sulphur : Potassium : Magnesium components of sul-po-mag, and I’m not going to argue about different brands here because the point is what the components do for the roses. I use a equal amounts of blood meal, bone meal, and epsom salts to get the mix I like. 1 cup per bush, applied at the base and mixed in with the heel of my workboot, so nothing too technical about that. Also all my roses are growing in 40% organic matter (compost, aged manure, overwintered leaves) mixed with Denver Clay, in raised beds. All the beds are maintained with 1″ of water /week during irrigation season, so the organic matter is extremely important for maintaining appropriate moisture levels. I disturb the soil as little as possible, and companion plant with xeric perennials like nepeta, or semi-xeric annuals like cosmos.
last year I had good results just adding compost on top of the soil, but due to variations in the moisture levels toward the last part of the summer I rebuilt one bed and added the sul-po-mag on top after rebuilding & mixing more fresh compost into the clay. This bed underperformed last year, we shall see if the remix helps this year