Last year , I did about 4 treatments . Spring I had worm compost and rose tone . Then I used atlas fish fertilizer and bloom more for the rest of the feedings . I really was impressed with that ! Definitely sticking with the atlas stuff . I liked the idea of the worm compost but not sure I noticed much difference but did like my spring flush a lot .

Not sure what this spring I'll use. Maybe holly tone ? My favorite rose nursery uses it and theirs were so beautiful when I bought my roses there .

im interested in what everyone uses too !

I try to use it about every 6 weeks but usually forget so it’s closer to 8 weeks. All my gardens are still very young though since I just got into gardening so I’m not sure what the exact effects have been. Though I can say some of my bare root roses really took off more than I expected them to in their first year (bought 5 JFK hybrid tea roses. 4 of them had some pretty awesome growth, 1 is the runt so to speak haha).

Part of the reason I never had much success with roses is that I never fertilized...ever! Not once!

I am turning over a new leaf this year and plan to fertilize regularly, so I need advice.

I plan to use rose tone, alfalfa, compost tea, and hopefully manure...not all at once though :)

I noticed when I received my last rose from Heirloom that they advise fertilizing every three weeks!!

I should add that the roses I grow are mostly oldies, and a few Austins. The once-blooming oldies don't really need more fertilizer than the pruning-time application, but get some anyway because they're growing near the others. The Bourbons and Hybrid Perpetuals and Austins I have tend to bloom heavily twice a year -- the big first flush, beginning mid to late May and extending to early to mid July, then again from late August until late September or early October -- with a few scattered blooms otherwise. They need and appreciate the second feeding in early July, which breaks down and is available to them in time for the second flush. The Polyanthas, Chinas, and Teas really don't need encouragement to keep blooming -- just heat, sunshine, and water. Whatever is left over in the soil after the Spring feeding is enough for them through the season.

The difference is in how these types bloom. Bourbons, Hybrid Perpetuals, most Austins, and most Hybrid Teas and Floribundas bloom on top of new growth. This means they first put out growth, which needs nutrients, and then blooms on that. Polyanthas, Chinas, and Teas do it the other way around -- their first new growth is flower buds, then they extend that a bit and bloom again, and repeat. Thus, because they can keep blooming without putting out much new growth, their blooms aren't "as expensive" nutritionally as are the blooms of the other groups, which come after putting out new growth.

I realize the difference may seem slight, since even new blooms are new growth. But, typically, Polyanthas and Chinas and Teas grow just a few inches of thin new stems while producing new blooms, while the others might put forth stout canes of a foot or two in length before finishing them with blooms.

Just some things I notice in the garden............

:-)

~Christopher

That Heirloom advice of every 3 weeks sounds like a lot of fertilizer. The less is more adage is safer I think.

Just watched a video put on by Jackson and Perkins. At the time he prunes he uses a slow release fertilizer. Every 3 weeks he uses a packet of fish fertilizer. End of summer he uses one last rose fertilizer, maybe rose tone. Seemed easy enough.

I was wondering do seaweed product really help roses during stressful times ie transplant shock , heat etc... or is it just a fad / waste of money?

Since I grow my roses in containers im using inorganic fertilers on a monthly basis and occasionally give them liquid fertilisers.

In the past I used organic pellets,not only are they smelly but over time the potting mix became mashy - like mash pototoes and hence poor drainage.

I tried to do alfalfa tea every two weeks. I would put half strength fish fert. Twice I used more bloom at half, and toward fall, I only gave them a little potassium a couple times. Oh I used seaweed about 4 times. I gave my 2 first crush a little iron/zinc because they looked a little yellow on the leaves, but they probably didn't need it. I used a little epsom salt, but stopped that, when I read on here most people don't need it. They were all small, so I did frequent liquid low dose stuff.

I had never bothered to amend in SC, but I did here. I think that made more difference than anything. My yard is full of rocks, so I had to replace at least 50% of what was dug out. I used mostly Black Kow composted manure, and some bagged topsoil mixed in. The second order I planted also got a little bone meal, and they weren't as healthy. I can't say for sure the bone meal was bad for them. I'm not going to bother with it anymore though. I got a soil test kit, did the mixing, followed the instructions, and if the results are correct, I didn't need it. This or alfalfa tea gave me more new/thicker canes than usual.

It's fascinating how many different ways folks go about fertilizing. As Chris talks about, the soil or how and where a rose is planted makes a difference along with the general health of the rose. It's probably also what a grower is willing to do or materials one has access to using. I don't think there's one hard and fast way. I will say that fresh organic material - compost - applied in late winter probably goes a long way to getting rose growth off to a good start. After that, it's grower's choice, isn't it? I can say that last year I used Milorganite first in very early Spring, then Osmocote as roses started budding. I think I applied Osmocote every couple of months because most of my roses are in pots and they get watered every day during the growing season. Osmocote seemed to give the roses something they like, except for the very small baby roses that is, which I always do use liquid fish fertilizer. I just about killed some baby roses a few years ago with stronger fert. Once or twice a growing season I may throw in some fish fert for all the roses. Last year was my most impressive rose-growing year for health and bloom production. It kind of blew me away. I don't know if it's because the roses are getting more mature or if they really liked the fertilizing care. This will be my fourth year of serious rose growing and I plan on following my detailed notes from last year.

Here's what' funny. I jump through all of the hoops, pruning, mulching, fertilizing and dead heading. My neighbor does none of that. Her roses look just as good as mine lol

In November my only, all rose bed, 8'x18', gets the entire year's, from November the previous year, composted dropping output of 9 pet pigmy pouter pigeons I keep in a small loft.

There is clay kitty litter mixed in with the pigeon droppings because I keep a 2' layer of kitty litter on the loft's floor that gets raked out every day. The kitty litter particles attach to the droppings, so I estimate the pigeon manure is about 10% kitty litter. My clay kitty litter breaks down into fine, powdery particles when it gets moist, so it is well incorporated into the manure. I estimate 10-12 lbs. of kitty litter is in my 140 lbs, of pigeon droppings. It does change the pH slightly but still maintains an acidic, 6.5-6.7 pH, manure.

I estimate I get about 16 gallons of manure, about 130-140 lbs. This is spread evenly throughout the bed and worked into the mulch down to only the top inch of soil.

This feeds the roses until after the first flush. Then I do liquid feedings from the end of June, and stop in September. The feeds are every two weeks with a 12-30-25, that I mix myself from minerals I get. The dilution rate is 1 tbl. per gallon. A mature hybrid tea gets one gallon; a climber, 2 gallons; and a mini, one quart.

I watch for vegetative centers, and adjust my feeding amounts accordingly. If I see vegetative centers I cut back up to one half volume per two week feeding. A mature hybrid tea will then get 1/2 gallon or so.

My Quietnesses are my barometers for vegetative centers. Their fertilizer needs seem to be very fine tuned, and will show vegetative centers fast like a bunny if they are getting too rich a diet.

I am mindful of my pH. My native soil is clay based, and acidic, perfect for roses as is, but my pigeon manure/kitty litter can raise pH some. Ironite to the rescue in that case.

That's all I do fertilizer wise.

My roses grow nicely, I think.

Moses

I have great confidence in manure as fertilizer. When I was a little kid, my school planted a forest and each kid got to plant their own tree. Every spring my parents used to take me out to 'my' tree and we would put about a bucket worth of horse manure around the base and just leave it like that. 'My' tree grew noticeably quicker and taller than the other trees, quite a bit actually. So for my roses, I try to give them a layer of manure either in fall or early spring and incorporate it into the soil a little bit. Then I feed them about every 6-ish weeks and I try to alternate between Bayer Rose and Flower care and bloodmeal or bonemeal/fishmeal. My roses seem to be happy with that feeding schedule. My soil is similar to Moses, mostly clay. So I try to incorporate a little perelite or something to break up the clay every year.

Very interesting. I plan to add some composted manure in the Spring with some of my leafmold/compost and go from there. Moses, I'm fascinated by your DIY fertilizer. Could you share your recipe?

Vaporvac,

The liquid feed I make is almost like calling a Pillsbury box layer cake, one made from scratch, (Yeah, I scratched my head while I was baking the cake). My mix is very simply made, too easy, modeled after a bloom booster type liquid fertilizer, which I think is a little too high in Nitrogen for roses, and too low in Potassium, too.

Neither do I like the standard liquid rose feed formula, 18-24-16, 1/3 too much Nitrogen and also not quite enough Phosphorus or Potassium.

I take an all purpose dry granular for liquid feeding, at 24-8-16. In equal proportions (cup to cup, pint to pint, etc., whatever volume measure you prefer), I mix the above 24-8-16, with dry granules of Monopotassium Phosphate, (N at 0%, P2O5 at 52%, and K2O at 34%). The mix's percents are then 12-30-25. Lower Nitrogen and raised Potassium.

This 12-30-25 is a formulation that I think is just about on target for rose liquid feeding, both for good green growth, sturdy stems and roots, and maximum flower production and bloom color. It works well for me.

I use 1 tablespoon per gallon of water.

Monopotassium Phosphate can be gotten on Amazon rather reasonably.

Moses

I'll be trying this this season. I can't thank you enough. Does anyone have a favorite dry granular for liquid feeding that can be had reasonably?

I grow in ground vs containers. I am in Silicon Valley CA. I use a granular time release 3 in 1. Usually the brand on sale or at Costco. Currently Bayer 3 in 1, fertilizer, fungicide, insecticide. Apply 2 times a year. March, June-July. This has worked for my roses for the last 10 years, before I did not need a fungicide, I now use a fungicide because 6 of my roses are now partially shaded by a growing shade tree. I top dress with store compost.

I fertilize a lot , still don't get the blooms I want maybe because of the disease pressure & pests in FL . Every three months I use Osmocote ,and every month I use rose tone .

Vaporvac,

Watch for sales of Miracle Gro all purpose at the big box purveyors, K-Mart, etc. The Monopotassium Phosphate is cheapest from Greenaway Biotech on Amazon. I would get a small amount, 3# for $13.99, no freight charge. It never goes stale, rancid, or expires, it's elemental.

With all fertilizing, small mistakes are better than big ones. When in doubt, feed less. Less is best. You can always correct and give a bit more next time. Give to much and damage/death are possibilities.

1 tablespoon per gallon fed every two weeks...is generally textbook correct.

Never liquid feed a dry rose. After a good rain or heavy watering, then feed. I don't like to feed when its sunny. Early morning feeding and late day feeding are best. I even like to just mist off the foliage with clear water until the foliage drips, no more, after a feeding, just in case I got some tender tip growth splashed. I don't foliar feed with the elementals. I would with seaweed or fish emulsion. They're just too pricey.

I do not use a hose end sprayer. I'm not that lazy. I bucket brigade. Each rose gets its own portion just like kids at the dinner table. Little Suzy gets a smaller portion than big brother Luke, the weight lifter. So it is with the roses.

My food talk is making me hungry. I gotta' go.

Moses

Vapor

I got 1 Pound - Potassium Sulfate - Sulfate of Potash - Organic From Amazon for 8.99. It's soluble in water, and I like having it separate. The cold weather tips I read in fall said giving just potassium a couple times helps harden off canes for winter. Potassium feast it was called. I can also mix some in with the fish or alfalfa. It's a lot easier than trying to save banana peels. I'm trying to only use organic stuff. I only use a teaspoon, so I think it goes a long way.

Edit

Kristine She is obviously sneaking out, and doing it when you aren't looking. It's a web of lies over there. ;-)

Witchy, it looks like they prune with a chain saw lol But, it all kind of looks the same by June.