Novice gardener, think I've just killed all my plants!

Hi,

This is my first year of attempting to create an attractive garden. I'm proud to say I have grown everything from seed and despite a few mistakes I was beginning to have quite a collection of lovely young plants.
However, I think I got a bit impatient; everyone else seems to have flowers so I bought some blood, fish and bone fertilizer to give them a boost. I sprinkled it liberally over my flowerbed before watering yesterday and now it seems that it has rotted anything it has touched in the space of 24 hours; from sunflowers to calendulas to african daisies to dahlias and salvias. I don't understand what's gone wrong - I have searched online but can't find any information. The flower bed was created with garden soil which was useless and more like clay or builders concrete but it was well mixed with compost and everything was growing well until today! Please help, I feel like all my work over the last four months has been destroyed!

 

Hello and welcome to GC, and sorry to read of your mis-hap.

Fish blood and bone is very rich as a feed, and can damage young plants, but I didn't think it would kill them instantly. I'm not sure enough to say what's happened, but I'm sure others will have some sound advice.

The only thing I can say is that gardening is full of setbacks, and when you first start learning the art (and it is an art), you'll have a lot of setbacks but you'll learn from them. Everything in gardening is a lesson. I lost every single one of my seedlings this year in a blunder. I know what to do differently next year.

Its not too late though. I reckon sunflowers and calendulas will still bloom this year if you start them from seed now. I think salvias and dahlias which are all (I think) tender perennials wouldn't have bloomed this year anyway, but rather next year, so maybe you could start some of those off again too.

Also, you'll start seeing cheap packs of bedding plants in the supermarkets soon, and if you drive, its worth having a random run about the countryside because some farmers sell loads of bedding plants really cheap as a sideline.

 

Hiya.

I think I'm right in saying that BF&B should not be allowed to come into contact with the foliage, as it can cause 'burning'. I think it states it on the pack?

 

Goodness! You must be devastated. Well, look at it as a learning experience and, as clueless1 says, there are still things you can get going. Don't give up yet. We all go through these things and come out the other side with better gardens for having learnt.

 

Hi, thank you all so much for the advice. I sprinkled it mainly on the soil JWK but caught many of the plants in the process and you're right Freddy, I reread the packet and it does say to avoid the foliage (in very small letters I may add!). My own fault for skan reading the instructions. Oh well, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who's had a catastrophe. At least I feel less stupid now. Thank you all again.

I've stripped away all of the damaged foliage. Everything looks a bit bare now but do you think they can be saved or should I just start again?

 

Thanks again John. You've all made me feel much better!

 

lynsey , hi and welcome , i like you started as a novice only 2 years ago and like most things we learn as we go along ,but i would like to think my garden is starting look pretty good and thats is all self taught and from reading magazines and of course the good old GC guys and gals , the thing is aslong as ya learn by your mistakes ya wont go far wrong