Like humans, roses need nutrients to stay healthy and perform at their best during the growing season. If they get the right amount of nutrients, they will bloom better and even withstand insect attacks.
Different types of fertilizers can keep your roses in perfect health. But with so many choices, it can be confusing to know which the best fertilizer for roses is. Below is all the information you need about how to take care of your roses using fertilizers.
Table of Contents
Some Basic Facts
Here are some basic facts about rose fertilizers you should keep in mind before using them on your roses:
- There are only two types of rose fertilizers – organic and inorganic.
- Rose fertilizer contains a mixture of three primary ingredients – Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K).
- A 6-12-6 NPK ratio is considered as balanced rose food. It means the fertilizer has 6% nitrogen, 12% phosphorus, and 6% potassium.
- Fertilizers promote the rapid growth of roses
How to take care of a rose?
Roses need proper care to stay healthy and bloom better than ever. If you are applying any fertilizer, you should follow the instructions on the fertilizer label. Moreover, the amount of fertilizer should be adequate and applied at appropriate intervals.
1. Watering your rose plant
Watering your roses is a crucial part of their healthy growth. Without water, a rose will end dried up in your garden. You should water them deeply so that it reaches and wets the entire root zone. If the soil below 2-3 inches is dry, you should water it as well to keep the plant alive.
2. Feeding your rose plant
If you want to see your roses bloom better, you need to feed them and fill them with the right amount of nutrients. Most roses require regular feeding in hotter weather than in a colder one. Make sure the fertilizer you use has both micronutrients as well as macronutrients.
3. What nutrients your roses need?
Like other plants, roses need three primary nutrients – Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Other than these ingredients, they also need secondary nutrients such as boron, chlorine, iron, and copper. These nutrients help your roses perform best in the growing season and bloom the brightest.
4. When should you fertilize roses?
You should begin fertilizing your roses when there is at least 4 to 6 inches of new growth, and the leaflets begin to appear. The ideal time is every 1-3 weeks during the growing season. If the weather is colder, you should stop fertilizing eight weeks before the roses get a frost.
5. How can you fertilize roses?
You should always check the instructions on the label for a new rose plant to determine how much fertilizer you need. Start fertilizing when new leaves emerge every 2 to 4 weeks. If it’s mid-spring, use high nitrogen fertilizer to encourage leaf development.
During late summer, you need to apply a slow-fertilizer, having low nitrogen content for the growth of the root.
6. How often should you fertilize roses?
The ideal time for fertilizing your roses is every 2-4 weeks during the growing season. Container roses would need fertilizer more frequently than those that grow on soil.
7. What type of fertilizer should you use?
There are two main types of rose fertilizers – organic and inorganic. Organic ones include manure, tea bags, banana peels, fish emulsion, and much more. On the other hand, inorganic fertilizers are usually made of petroleum and various other minerals. You can use any type of fertilizer, depend on the type of rose bush you are growing.
Best Fertilizers for Roses-Top 9
You can find hundreds of rose fertilizers but selecting the best one is quite tricky. To make it easier for you, here are some of the best products you can use to feed your roses:
1. Miracle-Gro 2000221 Water Soluble Plant Food
Miracle-Gro provides you an excellent water soluble feeding option for your roses’ healthy development. This fertilizer has an NPK ratio of 18-24-16, providing the plants enough nutrients to grow throughout the growing season.
You can use this fertilizer with the Miracle-Gro garden feeder, or watering can feed the plant every 1-2 weeks.
Pros
- Affordable
- Endorsed by the American Rose Society
- Most customers gave it positive reviews
- No need to feed every week
Cons
- Can burn if not used properly
2. Jobe’s Organics Rose & Flower Fertilizer Spikes
Jobe’s organic rose fertilizer spikes come with a 3-5-3 NPK ratio. These spikes are easy to use and prevent wastage and run-off. They contain Jobe Biozome, microorganism archaea that helps breaking down the material to achieve faster results.
Moreover, the Jobe Biozome enhances the condition of the soil and keeps diseases, insects, and droughts away from your garden.
Pros
- Lasts longer
- USDA listed it for OMRI
- Pre-measured spikes
- Easy to use
Cons
- Lacks manure and other beneficial bacteria
3. Jobe’s Organics Granular Fertilizer with Biozome
It is a granular fertilizer from Jobe that acts fast on roses and keeps them beautiful and blooming. This product is also certified organic, which means it does not contain any synthetic chemicals. With an NPK ratio of 3-5-3, it helps your plant resist insects and diseases.
You can apply the Jobe’s Organic rose Granular fertilizer every 4-6 weeks using a spreader or directly through your hands.
Pros
- OMRI certified by USDA
- Biozome ensures better performance
- Safer to use around children or pets
- Improves soil conditions
Cons
- Not safe for other plants
4. Advanced 701110A Flower Granules
This flower fertilizer is a 3-in-1 formula that protects your roses from pests, insects, and diseases for at least six weeks. It does not require any mixing or spraying and has a simple application. Its main aim is to promote healthy root growth and help the rose resist diseases.
The advanced 701110A has an NPK ratio of 6-9-6 that ensures your roses get the right amount of nutrients.
Pros
- No need for mixing or spraying
- Can treat up to 32 roses at once
- Works for at least six weeks
- Controls black spot
Cons
- Cap is hard to remove
5. Espoma RT8 Rose Tone Plant
Espoma RT8 is a natural, organic plant fertilizer that provides a safe, durable reservoir of nutrients. It is a complex mixture of natural organics, providing the plants a balanced feeding of all the 15 essential nutrients it contains.
This rose fertilizer’s NPK ratio is 4-3-2 that helps you grow big beautiful plants with stunning blooms.
Pros
- 100% natural and organic
- Recommended by professional rosarians
- Long-lasting effect
- Safe for the environment
- Contains no hazardous or toxic ingredients
Cons
- Leaves your plants stinky
6. Scotts Rose Bloom Plant Food
Scotts Rose Bloom plant fertilizer is an easy-to-use product that you can apply directly to the soil. With steady feeding, this fertilizer can boost the blooms on your roses and other flowering plants.
It has a 12-4-8 NPK ratio to promote beautiful blooms on your plant and help in root development.
Pros
- Feeds for up to two months
- Helps flowers absorb more nutrients
- Safe to use
- Can cover 40 rose bushes with only a 3-pound bag
Cons
- Not as thick as other fertilizers
7. Great Big Organic Fertilizer
This rose fertilizer will make your roses look more cheerful and boost healthy growth. It contains the essential micronutrients, kelp meal, and humic acid that are beneficial for the plants. Not only does it maximize the potential for root growth, but it also makes your soil structure better.
Pros
- Designed for retention of flowers
- Contains kelp meal and humic acid
- Improves soil structure
- Encourages root development
Cons
- Needs frequent application
8. Dr. Earth 709 Fertilizer
Dr. Earth offers you a fertilizer that has the optimum level of primary nutrients. Its NPK ratio stands at 5-7-2. It is a 100% organic product used for larger blooms and even increases the condition of your soil.
Moreover, this fertilizer contains Pro-biotic seven champion strains of beneficial soil microbes. The eight selected strains of Ecto and Endo Mycorrhizae help in drought resistance and increase the availability of nutrients.
Pros
- 100% organic
- Improves soil conditions
- Can feed the plants for several months
- Produces larger blooms
Cons
- High level of phosphorus might affect the water quality
9. Miracle-Gro Shake’ n Feed Continuous Release Fertilizer
The Miracle-Gro continuous release fertilizer is made of natural ingredients that help the roots develop better. Even if you forget to water your roses for two days, this fertilizer will give your plants enough mix of water and nutrients.
The NPK ratio of this Miracle-Gro fertilizer is 9-18-9 that helps new and existing plants to healthy growth.
Pros
- Easy to mix and use
- Only needs to be applied four times a year
- Continuous release formula
Cons
- Over application might kill your plants
FAQ
1. Should you use used coffee grounds for roses?
Coffee grounds offer significant advantages to garden roses if you only feed an adequate amount to your plants. Fertilizing your roses with a large number of coffee grounds can lead to burned roots as they contain high nitrogen content.
2. Should you use eggshells for roses?
Eggshell, a rich source of calcium, helps the roses by strengthening the walls of the cell tissue. It makes your plants less vulnerable to black spots and keeps them healthy for long.
3. Do roses like banana peels?
Banana peels can provide your roses with most of the ingredients they need to stay healthy and bloom better. The potassium will keep the plant’s immune system healthy enough to fight against different weather conditions.
4. Why do leaves on the roses turn yellow?
There are a lot of reasons why the leaves on your roses are turning yellow. It may be due to less exposure to the sunlight or the heat stress caused by radiant heat. Other causes include feeding them with a low-quality fertilizer.
5. Why are your roses not blooming?
The main reasons for your roses not blooming include pest attacks, lack of water, or lack of sunlight. Moreover, fertilizers containing high levels of nitrogen might also be the reason for your roses not blooming.
6. Can you use tea bags for your roses?
Tea leaves are good for fertilizing your roses due to their nitrogen and tannin content. You can combine these leaves with other organic material and used them as a soil additive.
Conclusion
Roses, whether new or existing, need proper food and a lot of care. You can any fertilizer from the above list to feed your roses and keep them healthy.
You should also know how to take care of your roses, when to feed them and how often6 they need food. Your roses will stay alive for years if you water them daily and feed them regularly.
James Fields is the founder of Gardener to Farmer. His passion for gardening goes back to his childhood days when he would visit his grandfather during the holidays and help him with the plants in the backyard. This has now translated to creating a dependable resource for gardening.