When should you fertilize roses?

[stud...@rt66.com]

When should you fertilize roses?

[David Ross]

stud...@rt66.com wrote:
>
> When should you fertilize roses?

I never fertilize the first year. Nitrogen promotes leaf growth. Too
much foliage growing during the spring may exceed the ability of the
roots to provide water in the heat of summer. After all, the roots were
damaged in preparing the bare-root plants. However, I do use bone meal
or super-phosphate in the soil at the bottom of the planting hole, deep
enough so that the existing roots don't touch it but not so deep that
new roots won't grow into it. Phosphorus encourages both root growth
and blossoming.

After the first year, I give a general feeding just as the buds start to
break open. Then, I feed as every rush of blooming ends (about every
6-8 weeks). This continues until a last feeding in late September or
early October -- the final feeding that promotes flowers for
Thanksgiving or eary December.

While my roses would continue to bloom into January, I don't want to
encourage that with fertilizer. I want their growth to slow before I
prune them (generally in the week between Christmas and New Year).
Thus, I stop feeding them about 3 months before then. I also stop
serious grooming (e.g.: removing dead blooms) early in December because
the cutting encourages more new growth.

--
David Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6727
(I keep changing it, so visit again.)

[Amy Bruhn]

It all depends on what zone you're in. Here in SE Michigan (zone 5), I
prune my roses and give them their first feeding when the Forsythia blooms
(around April 15) and feed them each month until around August 15. Any
feedings after August 15 encourages new growth too late in the season
instead of allowing the plant time to prepare for winter.

--
Amy
ABr...@worldnet.att.net

<snip>
: After the first year, I give a general feeding just as the buds start to

: break open. Then, I feed as every rush of blooming ends (about every
: 6-8 weeks). This continues until a last feeding in late September or
: early October -- the final feeding that promotes flowers for
: Thanksgiving or eary December.

<snip>

: --

:

[Kate Hunter]

This is generally good advice, but please keep in mind that in northern
zones, we dont start fertilizing as early or continue as late as you
would in the southern zones. Here in zone 5, I fertilize May 1, July 1,
September 1. You dont want to promote late growth by feeding any later
than this here.

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Kate Hunter
hun...@fern.igis.uiuc.edu
Gardening in East Central Illinois
Zone 5b

In article <3352FB...@acm.org>, David Ross <ros...@acm.org> writes:
>stud...@rt66.com wrote:
>>
>> When should you fertilize roses?
>
>I never fertilize the first year. Nitrogen promotes leaf growth. Too
>much foliage growing during the spring may exceed the ability of the
>roots to provide water in the heat of summer. After all, the roots were
>damaged in preparing the bare-root plants. However, I do use bone meal
>or super-phosphate in the soil at the bottom of the planting hole, deep
>enough so that the existing roots don't touch it but not so deep that
>new roots won't grow into it. Phosphorus encourages both root growth
>and blossoming.
>

>After the first year, I give a general feeding just as the buds start to
>break open. Then, I feed as every rush of blooming ends (about every
>6-8 weeks). This continues until a last feeding in late September or
>early October -- the final feeding that promotes flowers for
>Thanksgiving or eary December.
>

>While my roses would continue to bloom into January, I don't want to
>encourage that with fertilizer. I want their growth to slow before I
>prune them (generally in the week between Christmas and New Year).
>Thus, I stop feeding them about 3 months before then. I also stop
>serious grooming (e.g.: removing dead blooms) early in December because
>the cutting encourages more new growth.
>