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Don't Laugh, but can Roses be fertiized now?

ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9

14 years ago

The fertilizer I'm talking about is alfalfa meal, and I'm in an area where there is only a short dormant period. What I'm curious about is whether alfalfa meal can do anything to promote root growth and general plant health, or whether this will simply stimulate top growth and flower production at the wrong time of the year. I'm not planning to prune for the second year in a row since my roses are young and they really don't need pruning. I do have tea and Bourbon bands that I'd like to grow as quickly as possible and wonder whether fertilizer would be a good idea at all this late in the season, but with relatively mild winters. I look forward to being set straight on this issue. Thanks in advance.

Ingrid

Comments (8)

jerijen
14 years ago
Ingrid, I think alfalfa will push topgrowth like crazy.

DO you ever get freezing temperatures???? If you do, you could get a lot of damage.
And really, if you're talking about band plants, I think you want them to grow roots before pushing massive topgrowth.

Even here at the coast, we won't fertilize until sometime well into January.

Jeri
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
14 years ago
Yes I'd wait until sometime in January right before a heavy rain. Alfalfa + heavy January rain = April beauty.

(I'm praying fervently for some heavy rains in January, or December, or February, or...)
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ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you Jeri and Gail, that's exactly what I wanted to know. I'm also glad I asked because I wasn't aware that fertilizing could be done as early as January. According to the pundits we're supposed to have an El Nino winter and I hope that will be true. After all those dry years we deserve and desperately need a really wet winter.

Ingrid
jerijen
14 years ago
Ingrid, I am PRAYING for that El Nino winter. (I know people living under burned-off hillsides are NOT!)

Of course, heavy rains will bring their own set of problems.
Don't put out a lot of fertilizer if really heavy rains are expected, unless you're sure what you're putting out won't be just washed away.

Oh, Lord, I am praying for that problem.

Jeri
organic_tosca
14 years ago
Gosh, I'm so glad I clicked on this post!!! I just repotted a couple of roses (young, from bands late last summer), and I was thinking I would scratch in a little alfalfa meal tomorrow...a narrow escape! And I was just about to leave the forum, because my back is aching from The Repotting Crouch. Thanks, Ingrid, Jeri, and Hoovb!

Laura
hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
14 years ago
Of course when I say "heavy", I'm dreaming of like three quarters of an inch, which if you look at the past four years or so counts as "heavy".

Oh please, please, let there be rain here soon!
pccrozat
14 years ago
re the fertilization (alfalfa), I wait till mid march at least otherwise the nitrogen leaks out and is lost to the plants. My climate is probably colder than coastal Cal. though.
I do re mulch now though, because I have lots of dead leaves for one and it gives something for the worms to do!
bluesibe
14 years ago
Ingrid, I have been thinking about trying alfalfa in the late fall for a few years. My plan is to prune and strip leaves, clean up, dormant spray, spread alfalfa and then mulch.
Maybe I will try in only one area and see what happens. Other than that I follow the rule of warmer CA areas, don't fertilize after Halloween or before Valentine's day.
Carol

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