Monday, January 9, 2017

FERTILIZER OFFER FOR GGC MEMBERS

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Our February speaker will be Brad Jalbert of Select Roses​, and he has offered to bring bags of his specially-formulated fertilizer for sale to members.

We will have a sign-up sheet at this Thursday's meeting (January 12th) for anyone who is interested.

Brad advises that "a 10 kg bag is ample fertilizer for a well-planted city lot garden." It is "natural-based" but not fully organic because of the trace elements in the mix. 

Christine
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Here is his description:

Select Rose Food (VRS Special Blend) (21-9-15) 10kg - $30.00​
( New improved blend)
·         A premium, natural-based fertilizer. 
·         Custom formulated to promote abundant blossoms and enrich the soil.
·         Naturally slow-releasing with added supplements.
·         Contains all the trace elements your roses need.

The days of feeding high "middle" number fertilizers are long gone. Studies and experience have proven that in areas of high rainfall what roses and many other plants need each spring is Nitrogen. After testing our soil again this year and seeing results of many other soil tests, it's become apparent that the vast majority of our garden soils are very high in Phosphorous (middle number on the bag) and low in N. I have tested this new blend over many seasons and am pleased with the results. The roses fed the high N had better foliage, stronger canes, more basal breaks and more flowers. Rich green healthy foliage is what makes pretty rose flowers, not excess amounts of P or an imbalance in soil fertility. Feeding the proper amount of N to your roses, higher than we have in the past, will help the roses flourish. It will NOT encourage blind shoots or any other old tale for that matter. If in doubt, test your soil. This custom blend for Select Roses and the VRS is  developed especially for us by the local company Terralink Horticulture. They are experts at custom blending fertilizer for the agriculture industry and have improved this latest blend once again. Use about one handful per plant, 2-3 times a season. I use this fertilizer on ALL my shrubs, perennials, and even the lawn!


Saturday, January 7, 2017

Meeting: Thursday, January 12th!

For Our January Meeting...
Hello, Grandview Gardeners,
For our first meeting of the new year, next Thursday (January 12th), we are delighted to welcome our presenter Janis Matson, professional landscape designer, instructor at VanDusen, in Horticulture programs at Kwantlen and in the Hardscape program with Burnaby Community Education. She is going to tell us about her TWENTY-FIVE FAVOURITE SHRUBS. There will be a hand-out, too, so you won't have to write down all the names.

As usual, we will meet in the "LRC" — the Britannia Learning Resources Centre, which is under the VPL branch library. As you're walking toward the library, veer left, and as you walk alongside it, you'll come to a ramp entry to the LRC on your right. We start at 7:00 and end before 9:00.

Bring your gardening questions and concerns ... and your ideas for topics or speakers for upcoming meetings.

We always have tea and goodies and a few door prizes.

PLANTS AND SEEDS SWAP!
If you have plants or seeds that need new homes, bring your extras to the meeting to share or trade with other folks in the gardening community.
Bring what you have and take what you can use. It's all free, of course.


A COUPLE OF OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS:


NOW'S THE TIME TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR 2017!

If you haven't already renewed for 2017, please bring $20 to the meeting! If you don't renew, but want to come to a meeting, it's a $4 drop-in for each meeting.


But by joining, you help us to stay solvent and to pay generous honoraria to our guest speakers.

Plus, with a membership, you get discounts at most garden shops including GardenWorks, Figaro's, and Magnet Hardware (for garden-related purchases but not counting "sea soil"). Show your membership card at any garden store; many others give discounts to members of any garden club.

 

WHAT'S BEAUTIFUL IN YOUR GARDEN THIS MONTH?

Bring a sample of something from your garden that looks just fantastic on the day of our meeting.