'You can dump tons of organic matter in the garden and wait for it to decompose into forms the plants can use, or you can use "chemical" fertilizer, which is already in a form the plants can use. Same food, it's just one sounds better to certain people than the other. Either way, the plant gets the same nutrients if you know what you are doing.' well, yes.....and no. We could, presumably, apply the same formula to ourselves, (and some people do) simply adding a few vitamin pills to make up for dietary deficiencies. However, soil is not some inert substance which just needs a boost now and then - it is a living, breathing, changing substrate. Organic matter affects the very structure of the soil - there is NO quick fix to supply a good humus filled environment. So, on one hand, I can state that I do not fertilise (as such) but I do leave a good layer of pulled up weeds underneath the plants and add copious quantities of compost mulch. Apart from a little extra nitrogen, the soil fertility is not really bumped up by doing this but, it allows for a free passage of fungal and bacterial help, mycchorhizal hyphae attach easily to the roots of plants, worms and beetles provide aeration....and so on. The question is either incredibly complicated, or blindingly simple and obvious, depending on your philosophy or belief in a natural equilibrium.

Tenor_peggy , I spray my potted roses with milk and garlic and all the leaves look healthy even the HPs. I accept spraying because just about every plant I have (zinnias, vegetables, etc) have to be sprayed to reduce the pests and diseases. This Fall I might experiment with putting organic banana peels and cleaned eggshells (with a little cinnamon to deter ants) in the pots to see if the thin leaves will become thicker.

Since you have sandy soil, BOTH own-root and grafted-on-Dr.Huey would be fantastic, but grafted-on-Dr.Huey needs to be buried at least 4 inch. below soil-level. For CLIMBERS or LARGE-AUSTIN-SHRUB I would lean toward own-roots. For roses that are listed as small shrub in Austin Catalog, I WOULD BUY AS GRAFTED. The new Austin catalog 2020 lists which ones are large bush vs. medium vs. small size. Few wimpy ones best as GRAFTED: Boscobel, Jude the Obscure, Princess Alexandra of Kent, Eglantyne. Re-post the info. from another thread why grafted-on-Dr.Huey is not best for heavy rain. The problem with zone 5 winter: we have 7 months of zero rain in winter, then flood in spring (3" of rain per day), then dry summer months alternate with heavy rain, esp. in fall. Roses on a DEEP & LONG Dr.Huey-rootstock can't handle being soaked in acidic rain water, pH 4.5. Dr. Huey was bred in dry & alkaline CA. Now I understand why Jim in PA, zone 6 only grow own-root roses, and he researched carefully on roses that can handle heavy rain & flood. About Tamora: it's best in alkaline & fast-draining soil. Nearby zone 5 rose park with alkaline clay had Tamora (grafted-on-Dr.Huey) ... it black spotted badly in heavy rain. Plus the myrrh scent is gone during heavy rain (more than 1" per day). Tamora and Queen Nefertiti (its child) are both thorny, and my experience with thorny roses: they like FAST-DRAINING SOIL, tend to black spot in slow-drainage clay and heavy rain. In contrast, LOW-THORN roses can tolerate flooding and soaking-wet & poor drainage clay better .. such as almost thornless Twilight zone, that can take tons of rain without diseases & compact & plus a wafting scent 4 feet away. Glossy foliage like Pat Austin also can take poor-drainage and flooding .. Pat is compact in my zone 5, amazing scent of mango and nectarine. Pat is a water-hog. Munstead Wood is also compact AS OWN-ROOT with wafting scent. Dr.Huey-rootstock (A LONG & DEEP STICK) needs fast drainage and doesn't like acidic rain in slow-drainage clay. Own-roots or multiflora-rootstock are more cluster-shallow root and can take flooding & heavy rain better. Also for compactness, own-root is best. My Jude the Obscure was 2' x 1' as own-root, versus rose park's Jude-grafted-on-Dr.Huey was over 7 feet tall & same with their Abraham Darby. Below is Tamora at rose park with alkaline clay ... I won't post the pic. of its dropping all leaves due to blackspots in our heavy rain (more than 1" per day): Twilight zone as 4th-year-own-root in my zone 5 garden, next to a rain spout & only 4 hrs. of sun, always healthy. Like Bolero, I can smell the old-rose scent many feet away: Below is 10-year-own-root Pat Austin, amazing mango and nectarine scent, loves tons of rain, bloom lots in only 4 hrs. of sun: Munstead Wood is very compact, with amazing scent that floats in the air (much stronger & better scent than Bolero). With winter-kill in zone 5, the bush is more slender & compact than below pic. as 6th-year-own-root.

Another fun comparison: Left: RU, Distant Thunder, Own Root, I’ve had it about 1 month. This plant had the thinnest stems of the three, also had smaller root ball than the K&M. Very healthy, put out a lot of new growth Middle: Wayside, Molineaux, Bare Root, Dr Huey, also had it about a month. By far the thickest stems, but of course being bare root had to grow new feeder roots. Good progress, there’s even a bud. Right: K&M, Buxom Beauty ,Fortuniana, just arrived today. Thicker stems than the RU rose, also had a very dense rootball. Was trimmed short significantly to fit in packing box so most of the mature foliage is gone, but lots of new growth remains, even 2 buds. I’m very happy with all three providers, and thankful that I’m able to get hard-to-find varities in mid summer in great health!