I used to worry about the bone meal transmitting BSE (mad cow disease) as there was some talk of it at the time of the scare in Britain. I still have a bag of it in the shed unused; and though part of me is convinced, it is hard to get it out and start fogging it around. Maybe this year I will use it. I have a link here, for those of you who care to go further, that was interesting and pretty comforting. But, you know, just in the interest of complete transparency.
http://www.organicconsumers.or...

One other thing, I have used bone meal in the past and had quite a bit of problem with the critters (skunks I think) digging into the soil looking for what they think smells like food. Of course they tear up all my newly planted purchases and sometimes my seedlings too. Eventually I just took to using manufactured fertilize. I purchase what we always referred to as potato fertilize when I was growing up. It is sometimes available at the farm stores early in the spring and the nutrient scale is 6-24-24. Works great for me.

diggit,
I have read so many articles, especially from sellers of bulbs, that say do not use bone meal for that very reason. The critters just seem to be attracted to it like a magnet, and they destroy what one is trying to grow. I think for that reason alone, I will stay away form it, I have a little woodsy area right behind me, and we get all sorts of critters. Wish Armadillo's were attracted to bone meal, I could lure him in my trap. I guess it's not doing much good sitting by the shed, need to get it down to the garden.

I also use 6-24-24 purchased from my local COOP. I spread it ~6 weeks before bloom season, and again in fall. If I am reconditioning a bed, I will use compost, sand, peat moss, and some 6-24-24. My beds keep getting raised higher and higher, and now are about 12-15 inches above grade. I use landscape timbers to edge the beds, which also gives me something to sit on while weeding and for replanting.

dd95172,
Thanks, six weeks before bloom time for 6-24-24. That is good to know because that is way earlier than I would have thought to use it. It is information like that I think a lot of us find helpful. I am also surprised that you use the same fertilizer before bloom in the spring and then again in the fall. Do you just spread it by hand and dig in in shallow?

Well, I would think that , depending on what you are composting, the compost should be fairly nutrient rich! After all, if you think about it, compost is what mother nature uses. All the plant matter from previous years, falls to the ground, decomposes ,and returns the nutrients to the top soil. Problem is, as gardeners, we cut the stems, and stalks, and remove them from the garden ( which, is a good practice as far as disease control goes), so the "good stuff" is removed . Tree leaves would be a very good source of most of the "trace minerals", and would be a good addition to your compost. And, I would agree that just "watching" your plants gives you a good indication of their needs....yellowish leaves would be an indicator of a need for nitrogen, for example, but for about $25 you can buy your own test kit( usually enough stuff for about 20 "tests") and that will give you a "base-line", or "starting point". Also a good ph test is important, as all the nutrients in the world won't help if the plants can't "eat" them, and the soil ph (potential hydrogen....whether the soil is "acid", or "alkaline") is what allows them to utilize the nutrients. Experiment a little, use some bone meal on some , maybe 10-10-10 on others, and see what works best for your conditions. You mentioned cotton seed meal, and I think that's fairly high in nitrogen ( you would have to google thea to be sure, tho !). I would guess that if you've been adding compost for a while, your soil is fairly nutrient -rich, and will need only "minor adjustments"...Arlyn

Arlyn,
When I first stated gardening here I did buy a soil test Meter, yeah one of those. It is suppose to give the ph and tell if the soil is fertile, what ever that means. I always get the same reading no matter where I take it, and later I read that the meters were pretty much a joke. I am pretty good actually at experimenting with things, but I also love to read other peoples experiments and see what they come up with. I am convinced that the large part of fertilizer and additives are more for the sake of the gardener than the plants. Kinda like fishing lures, I am totally convinced they are designed to catch fishermen and not fish.

We use compost & alfalfa meal as we find it. You can over fertilize. we have also been lucky to have 5-19-10. Use 10-10-10 if you can't. We specialize in the smaller irises so perhaps don't need as much.

I thought about one of the ph "meters", but so far I just use the test strips. My son uses a meter type tester, and says the same thing you do....everyplace seems to test the same! I should do a test between the 2 methods, and see just how accurate the meter really is. I use distilled water for my tests, as our "city water" seems to skew the ph test. Our soil is very sandy, and water, and therefore the nutrients, pass through it pretty fast, and soon is below the root zone. I tend to use alfalfa pellets, bone meal, etc. as much for the humus they add ,as for the fertilizer value. Our soil, un-amended, will grow pretty good iris. But with amendments (peat, composted manure, and fertilizer, it grows BETTER iris! Where is Enterprise? I think you must be near Dothan ? We are "wintering" at Dauphin Island, and this year "Wintering" is the right word !! Freezing rain has the tree, etc. covered in a good 1/8"-1/4" of ice. Still, it's better than Illinois right now! Lucy, I suppose the dwarfs would need less "food" ,as the bio-mass of the plant is so much less than it would be for a TB, but I'm sure the "mix" would be the same. And I imagine the root zone is somewhat shallower, too....Arlyn

Yes, we are about 30 miles west of Dothan. We are having the ice too! Very unusual, this is something we normally do not have to worry about. The Crape Myrtle right outside my window is looking beautiful with the ice covering and the lights shining on it. Still, I am hoping this ice phase passes pretty quickly and the snow comes for a little while. I am really surprised that out on Dauphin Island you are also having this ice. The sound of the icy rain falling is so much different that what I am used to, but sounds very wintery.

Not only having ice, but enough to bring the power lines down apparently! We lost power about 6:00, and it just now came back on. Arlyn

When I look outside it looks almost like snow on the ground, but it's ice pellets and they are coming down faster. I feel sorry for people caught out in this mess in their cars. What a mess. So nice to be safe and warm inside, seems like a good time for a cup of hot chocolate, stay warm. Hope the power doesn't go out on you anymore!

Ice is more damaging to plants than snow, of course. Tough on all the people stranded. I hope there is enough sun melt to get the cars going.