# Garden Guru's -- help a Flowerpot newbie out **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 7, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garden-gurus-help-a-flowerpot-newbie-out/624436 "2012-06-07T22:05:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garden-gurus-help-a-flowerpot-newbie-out/624436/1 "2012-06-07T22:05:02Z")
I’m trying to help my mom pot some miniature roses I selected from an online grower. What research I’ve done says Roses are heavy feeders and that even a 12 inch pot will need regular feedings to get blooms. I’ve seen recommendations to add Blood Meal **and** Bone Meal to the soil. The bag says nothing about clay pots. All it says is 1 tablespoon per 2 sq ft area for Bone Meal and 1 tablespoon per 1 sq ft for Blood Meal. So, would your standard 12 inch clay pot be considered a a sq ft? :dubious: I plan to thoroughly mix this into the potting mix. So it’s going to be all the way through the 12 inch pot, ( I think they are 10 inches deep). Is there a rule of thumb for how much to use in a 12 inch pot? That seems to be the most commonly sold size at Home Depot. I called the Rose grower and asked about fertilizer. They said never use granular fertilizer in a pot? 😕 They strongly said only use liquid. Any idea why? I thought I had a good liquid Rose fertilizer. I had bought Bayer Rose and Flower Care. Fertilizer, Insect Control, and Disease Control all in one bottle. The Grower said no to that too. She said it was Systemic and I couldn’t use it until year two. 😕 Geez this stuff gets complicated. So what’s wrong with a Systemic fertilizer? I’ve got several flowerbeds with flowers and shrubs. This is my first attempt at roses and also my first clay pots. **I need help. Please.**