When I plant, I add some osmocote to get some P and K into the soil. I've read not to fertilize, but my roses always seem to do better if I add nutrients prior to planting. If the rose has a history of bugs eating it, I'll apply some bayer slow release with insecticide every couple of months. All my roses get a scoop of holly tone in the spring. Holly tone is very similar to rose tone and costs less. I also make sure all roses are mulched and I let the mulch decompose. If a young rose is struggling to grow, I'll give it some miracle grow water soluble fertilizer every now and then to make sure it's getting some nutrients.

I have always wondered why Hollytone is so much cheaper than the other ’Tones’. They had to add sulfur to it, which isn’t free, and then they significantly lower the price. Just seems like too good a deal to pass up, I’ve been known to hoard it!

I agree kidhorn2, mulching is very important to retain moisture, keep out weeds, maintain moderate soil temp.

BenT, who is that lovely purplish pink rose in your first photo?

Sultry,

`Thats Heirloom. She is mentioned several times in that ’rose disappointments’ thread, but she always bloomed a bunch for me.

BenT (9B Sunset 14) They use Uncle Tom's Rose Tonic.

What does everyone like for mulching, especially their pots? I tried mulching with cedar chips but I’ve seen people talk about their mulch decomposing, and the cedar chips seem to stay there for years.

For fertilizer I’ve been experimenting. I initially tried Rose tone but I didn’t get the results I wanted in my pots so I switched to Osmocote but I feel like it’s not releasing enough for our mild climate, so I may switch yet again next near and go back to a liquid fertilizer.

I mulch my pots with medium sized chicken grit, which is broken cherry pits. I picked that tip up from Monty Don on Gardener's World. In the UK they commonly use horticultural grit to mulch potted plants of all types. It holds in moisture, keeps out weeds, and I like the look of it. I've used it for a few years, for all my potted plants, since it's so hot here in the summer, and I think it works great. A 50 lb bag is about 14 bucks at my nearby feed and seed/nursery and lasts me all summer.

I use a combo of Osmocote Plus, MiracleGro, and an organic dry mix. When I apply each depends on the year and my mood and level of inspiration. My old organic mix was homemade from buying 50# bags of various organic meals, but I'm way too old for that now. I ditched that for a number of years due to working too much, but last year I made a new mix of half Citrus Tone and half the Landscape Mix from my local organic feed store. It doesn't matter which Tone you use, and the Landscape Mix has a bunch of organic meals. For each rose, I use a cup of this "half and half mix", 2/3 cup of chichen manure and 1/3 cup earthworm castings. I dump it on top of my 15 gallon pots, then top with some bagged compost. If you have the energy, use a stake to make ~6 holes around the pot to encourage it to get down further. I really noticed a difference this spring by doing this.

@BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14) - sorry if you've updated us somewhere else -- I've been absent all summer -- how is your CA garden coming along?

So what is the NPK of Miracle-Gro that you use, Ben and Susan (and anyone else that uses it). Thanks. :)

Carol,

I use the common all-purpose Miracle Grow (Green/yellow box 24-8-16). Why? Only because Amazon and Costco both carry it in big heavy boxes for cheap, and they both often have sales on it making it an even better deal! I stopped using the Miracle Gro for Roses (small green/pink expensive box 18-24-16 ) years ago, I think unless there’s some great imbalance , the rose just uses what it needs to grow a rosebush, it doesn’t have the instructions to grow a cabbage . It’s not like the rosebush can see my Big Box Bargain Miracle Gro next to my watering can and protest ’Hey , you’re feeding me that cheap crap!! No more pretty flowers for you, dude!’.

Deborah,

The California garden is coming along great! It’s just been a ton of work turning lawns into rosebeds and planting more than 100 bushes! But I can tell I’m in much better rose growing country here than in Texas, and once they establish the roses will be much happier.

Carol, 24-8-16 for the regular one, which is what I use.

Thanks, Susan. :) That's great to know.