Fertilizing Roses (for a Little Flower Power)

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Robert J. Dolezal

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Roses are one of the most beautiful bloomers in the garden, but to get all that flower power, proper nutrition is vital. That means giving your plants the essential nutrients, micronutrients and trace elements.

Work dry fertilizers into the soil beneath the mulch layer around your roses. Avoid applying high-nitrogen fertilizers to roses unless the foliage of your plants exhibits clear signs of deficiency, revealed by yellowing and loss of vigor.

The essential nutrients roses need are nitrogen for foliage and blooms, phosphorus for good root development and proper growth, and potassium to stimulate growth. The required micronutrients include calcium, sulfur and magnesium, and the host of trace elements include iron, manganese, zinc and copper.

Organic fertilizers (well-rotted manure, compost, fish meal and fish emulsion, for example) provide a complete, rounded mix of all of these. Because they’re all slow-release fertilizers, they’ll never burn your plants. And the best part: They’re completely natural.

You can buy organic fertilizers in dry or liquid form. Regardless of your choice, always read and follow the manufacturer’s label instructions carefully and completely. And be sure to avoid overfertilizing your plants – too much fertilizer will stimulate foliage growth at the expense of blooms.

The most practical method for applying organic fertilizer is to work in a coating at the soil surface with a garden fork or rake and then use water to carry it into the soil. There are a couple of benefits to doing it this way: The organic fertilizer is able to replace the nutrients depleted in the soil, while working the fertilizer in helps uproot young weeds and cultivates the soil, loosening it and incorporating air. As the follow-up watering carries the fertilizer’s nutrients down into the soil, it also takes them straight to the plants’ roots.

Apply fertilizer to your roses monthly throughout the growing season, withholding it once short days and cooling temperatures in fall signal to your plants that it’s time to go dormant. For best results, follow the steps shown in the pictures and described in their captions at the end of this article.

Be aware: If your soil is naturally alkaline or loses its acidity, your roses may soon develop yellowed leaves marked by deep green veins – a sure sign of chlorosis. But don’t panic. This iron deficiency is easily corrected: Either decrease the pH of the soil to the target range of 6.0-6.5 by adding peat or leaf mold, or supplement with iron.

So keep an eye on your roses and their needs all summer. With a good fertilizing program – as well regular watering– your roses are sure to give you plenty of amazing blooms throughout the growing season.

Fertilizing Roses - Step 1

Use a specialized mulch rake to get to the soil around your plant. Clear a mulch-free circular area around your rose roughly 3 feet in diameter.

Fertilizing Roses - Step 2

Carefully following the fertilizer label instructions, apply a layer of organic fertilizer to the cleared circle. When using compost, leaf mold or other homemade fertilizers, apply a 2-inch-thick layer. (Rotted manure usually requires a 1-inch-thick layer.)

Fertilizing Roses - Step 3

Work the fertilizer into the soil surface with a garden rake, mixing it 3-4 inches deep. Water heavily after fertilizing.

Fertilizing Roses - Step 4

Reapply a 1-2 inch layer of fresh mulch around your plant, keeping it 4 inches away from the rose’s bud union.

Facts

Synthetic or chemical fertilizers are produced from inorganic mineral elements and petrochemicals. They contain specific nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium salts plus fillers, surfactants (“sticking agents”) and coatings to slow the rates at which these ingredients dissolve. They generally lack micronutrients, trace elements and biologic enzymes found in naturally occurring and concentrated organic fertilizers.
Soils often become crusted and hard. Raking in rotted manure when you fertilize helps condition its top layer and allows water and nutrients to penetrate more easily.

Faqs

Q: Can I use fresh manure to fertilize my roses?
A: No. It’s too rich in nitrogen for roses. Allow it to decompose, or buy packaged rotted manure at your garden center.
Q: I’ve heard kelp is a good fertilizer. Can I use it on my roses?
A: Sure, add it to your fertilizer regimen. This sea plant (from a family with more than 20,000 species) contains numerous organic compounds, enzymes, biological elements, as well as makes a low-yield fertilizer. Gardeners and biologists believe extracts of kelp improve the populations of soil bacteria, free nutrients for absorption and help plants thrive.

Tools

A mulch rake is a useful tool for spreading manure and mulch beneath roses. It’s smaller than a lawn rake, but its widely set teeth do a good job of gathering bark chips and soil clods.

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