Well, Devon, I found out about the importance of PH before I started my rose garden. In my previous shady yard the sandy ground was amended with a lot of oak leaves and organic matter by nature, and acid-loving plants thrived. So when I moved to our new house and sunny yard, I blindly planted the same plants I was used to, and they suffered terribly. That's when I found out I had fairly alkaline soil (just above neutral - not 8.0) and started to think about what sun-loving plants I could grow. Ah ha! Roses - about which I knew nothing. I learned about organic growing on the web, and since it made so much sense to feed the soil rather than the plant, that's the route I took - doggedly. I used soil sulphur but it has to be used sparingly every 6 months, so it's not a quick change. The cheap PH meter I had always seemed to register 7.0 which I believed until a few weeks ago when I bought a battery-powered one. Voila! It's down to 6.5! The meter instructions say that organic matter will reduce PH, so apparently it did. My Chinas and Teas are not as finicky about PH as some others, but I'm happy about the PH change. Organics are also supposed to create an environment conducive to rose health. So I don't use synthetics. The organics make the soil a hospitable place for worms and microorganisms that convert the organics to a form that the plants can use whereas synthetics are harmful to them. And since it takes time for this process to happen and the plants take up only what they need, there's little or no chance of "burning" the plant from over-fertilizing. You just need to replenish the organics because they get "used up". Alfalfa in pellet and tea form is phenomenal. Check out how many minerals are in alfalfa plus plant hormones. Fish emulsion as a drench or foliar spray is excellent. I use RoseTone organic fert from Lowe's or local nurseries, cottonseed meal, epsom salts and Milorganite. I was told that earthworms LOVE Milorganite. This year I've had a source of free horse manure compost, but Black Kow or any manure compost from Lowe's, etc is good. I feel better about using these things even though people tell me about the good timed-release ferts (can't think of the name.) I've been indoctrinated so I'm afraid to deviate.

I've come to believe that this plan offers maximum opportunity for roses to reach their full potential. Others have differing opinions, I'm sure. Since I've been busy planting roses for a year, maintenance has been lower on my list. So I haven't checked the N-P-K levels lately - which I will do before I fertilize soon. You don't want to just dump stuff on that you don't need. Too much nitrogen can cause problems, too much anything causes problems. I have not done much foliar spraying so far, but I will start this year. It's supposed to be very good for the plant.

Hope this was helpful. Others who know more about this will chime in and correct any not-quite-right statements of mine.

Have fun!

Sherry

Sherry, your advice is excellent. Another product that I found at Lowes is Black Hen. I think it's made by the Black Kow people, and my plants are loving it. It's slow release and non-burning.

I tend to "mix up" and alternate all of the products you mentioned, as well as the Black Hen, etc. It's sort of like cooking. A little variety makes a well rounded diet. The activity in my soil is unbelievable.

Sandy

Feeding is dependent on whether the rose is a once bloomer, or repeat bloomer. I feed my once bloomers and repeat bloomers ONCE with an organic mix in the spring (mid to late April here in MD) and my repeat bloomers (those that I water) a second time a smaller dose in mid to late June. Finally, I had recommended feeding again in mid to late August every couple of weeks for 2 or 3 feedings with something like fish emulsion.

Folks who want to grow repeat bloomers HT size to the MAX, like exhibitors, and for Fall shows in late September or early October are recommending a 1X ( = 1.75 cups) spring feeding with an organic fertilizer (~3-2-3) in mid April, a X in mid June and a 1X mid August. These are spread across a 30" circle around the rose and very lightly scratched in (not deep). Of course water is necessary to keep these organics working. This is what some HT folks do for the MAX, and it may include fish emulsion as well in August and September. Note that I vary the amount of fertilizer that I use by the size of the rose. The amounts above are for mature HTs that grow up to 6 or 7  each season. I use somewhat more fertilizer on shrub roses  perhaps 2 to 4 -12oz coffee mugs. Very large plants might use1 to 2  1 lb coffee cans.

I have had reasonably good results with an organic formula used by some other HT folks  see below. The roses seem to almost explode out of the ground by June with reasonably good basal breaks. Nearly similar results have been observed with Rose Tone. Others use Mills Magic Mix or Fertrell. Some rose people are now using a once per season product, Osmocote Pro, comprised of coated spherical chemical for slow release with an IBDU fast nitrogen phase.

Organic recipe that I use:

1 - 50 lb bag of Soybean Meal
1 - 50 lb bag of Alfalfa Meal
2 - 18 lb bags of Cottonseed meal (Espoma)
1 - 18 lb bag of Dried Blood (Espoma)
15 lbs of Bone Meal (~ 1/2 of Espoma 30 lb bag)

Mix on the driveway or a 4 X 8 sheet of plywood, and store in a 32 gallon trash can. Note the weight (~170 lbs) Âso that the filled trash can will remain in place until partially empty. This can challenge DH! However, I find that it gets emptied very fast. One mix can fertilize well over 100 plants depending on the size, and I can go through a "trash can of mix" in a weekend. Note that I find that night "critters" (probably foxes or racoons) sometimes dig around my newly fertilized plants.

Note also that for reasonably good growth, I have observed that folks using alfalfa meal and compost get very respectable results that keep the plants growing well. The bottom line is that for good continual growth, nutrients must be available on a continuous basis. Nitrogen and potassium are taken up or leached out of soils rather quickly, more slowly with the organics. That is why some dahlia growers use sulphate of potash (0-0-50) and urea (40-0-0) on a 2-4 week schedule during the active growing season. Most of the organic formulations appear to last 6 to 8 weeks (some claim 12 weeks) depending on their composition, the abundance of soil microbes, temperature and water. Note that in the HT case, those growers back off on fertilization in the very hottest part of the summer when soil temps get higher than optimal for rose growth, and the nutrient components may break down faster as well  thus the shorter effective duration. The nutrient dose may be raised again when the cooler temps of late summer and fall will again support more vigorous rose growth, if it is desired.

In my case, I fertilize most roses once and many of the repeat bloomers a second time. By then I am knee deep in dahlias and the roses are just enjoyed the rest of the season and are not grown to the MAX. However surprisingly, the moderns, teas, chinas and hybrid musks seem to keep growing fairly well. I believe that my bourbons and hybrid perpetuals will need to be fertilized on a regular basis in order to perform throughout the season. Note also that I am still developing my soil and it still is not sufficiently well permeated throughout with organic material. I need to get one of those multiple prong fork things that JohnnnyÂs Seeds sells! I suspect that if my beds were prepared as they are at Montisfont - deeply dug and I believe a high composition of organic (manure) material, I would need precious little additional nutrient for years  except perhaps a manure mulch in early spring. However, Jon is the one to comment on Montisfont beds. Good growing!

Devon - After creating a great soil and complimentary fertilization program, you need to develop a program to keep the leaves on your roses so that they will help keep the plant in maximum growth. Selecting varieties that are disease resistant is one way to address this. Another is to use one or more fungicides to help achieve your desired level of protection and growth. As you have learned on this forum, there is a very large range of disease pressure on roses depending on where you live, even the microclimate of you neighborhood or garden. While one level of protection is adequate in some areas, it is insufficient in another. You should seek recommendations as to the amount and type of protection needed in your area and microclimate condition for optimal plant foliation. As I have observed in my own garden here in black spot heaven and others have pointed out, you may merely need to selectively spray certain plants that you want to grow even with their disease susceptibility. Bottom line is that you will need to address maximum leaf retention for maximum plant performance either through cultivar selection or disease protection. However in most cases, most of us find a solution for acceptable plant performance rather than maximum performance. The level of acceptability ranges from no spray of disease resistant varieties and shovel prunning underperformers to an elaborate spray program to maintain desired plants that have an imperfect disease profile in our climate. Many of us probably lie somewhere in between. Best, Nick

1. PH I think building up organic matter is the best way to improve PH.
2. I once saw a garden with fabulous roses grown with just Osmacote(time release)I use it when I pot something up or in a new planting hole but I don't really want to use it all the time. A good compost is a slow release fertilizer too. On my some of my reblooming roses I use an EZ Flo fertilizer injecter. This feeds a weak solution of Miricle Grow like liquid fertilizer with every watering. This has worked beautifully for years.
3. When I spray for fungus I always include seaweed(liquified) and liquid fertilizer in the mixture.

I use Seaweed to foliar feed. Rosetone, alfalfa, Mills Easy Feed, Osmocote. I have to use Gypsum for my clay soil. Organic- coffee grounds, banana peels, veggie left overs and scraps. I think those chemical products max out but I like to feed mine organic as much as possible.
BTW, what do you guys think of 10-10-10 in the spring?

Carla

RU sells Bloom Kote which is supposed to be an enhancer. Take a look at Primary Products.com

Carla

You have all helped so much with your knowledge and detailed
information. I look forward to applying what I learned here.

THANK YOU,

Sherry,
Sandy,
Ogroser,
Pamela,
and Carla

Sincerely,

Devon

I was too tired to answer when I first read this, but know you know everything! Great bunch of folks here @GW. No matter how you manage your soil, and how well you feed, there are 3 basics to consider before that first bush goes in the ground. Is there 6 hours of direct sun, or better yet 8 hours? Is the area free of competition from tree roots? And am I prepared to provide 1-2 inches of water a week when it doesn't rain?