Roses come in a wide variety of cultivars, all of which thrive on all-day sun exposure, annual pruning and ample water and fertilizer. Modern roses, cultivated after 1867, include hybrid teas, floribundas and grandifloras; fertilize these varieties for prolific flowering. Shrub roses, miniatures, climbing roses, ramblers and polyanthas typically have smaller flowers, often in clusters, and endure poor feeding practices better than most others. European, old, Chinese and hybrid musk roses all have specific sensitivities to temperature and shade and bloom best when fertilized properly. Does this Spark an idea?
Soil Types and Required Amendments
Roses will grow in almost any type of soil, but sandy, salty and clay soils need to be amended with 25 percent organic matter and mulched for optimal growth. If your soil is loamy and composed of 25 percent peat moss, composted material or other organic mulch, you do not have to amend it. For new plants, use only the natural fertilizers in the soil or organic materials the first year to prevent root burn. Add 3 inches of surface mulch -- leaves, pine bark or straw or wood chips -- to maintain moisture, but leave a few inches around the stem clear to prevent stem mold or fungus.
Fertilizing Best Practices
Once your rose plant has established for a year, feed it right after the first leaves come out, right after each bloom cycle and a month and a half before the first winter frost. During the hottest months of summer, use only half the amount of fertilizer recommended for the variety in spring and fall. Although roses require ample fertilizer, their roots damage easily if fertilizer is overapplied to dry or hot soil; the plant will also burn if the fertilizer touches the stems or leaves. Give each rose plant a good soaking after you've scratched the fertilizer of choice into the top layer of dirt, and re-spread the mulch.
Commercial vs. Organic Rose Food
Organic fertilizers come from plant and animal matter that was once alive. Such fertilizers include manure from various animals and fowl and meals like blood, bone, cottonseed and fish. Organic fertilizers typically require a period of decomposition to be effective fertilizers and are referred to as slow-release nutrients. Commercial or chemical fertilizers are quick-release sources of plant nutrition and are ideal for heavy-feeding roses. Balanced rose foods typically contain a mix of 6 percent nitrogen, 12 percent phosphorous and 6 percent potassium; however, you should choose the ratio, or N-P-K value, your roses need based on the composition of your soil.
Monitoring Fertilizer Effectiveness
If your roses are failing to thrive -- they aren't blooming, their leaves don't look healthy or the blooms are smaller and less prolific than they used to be -- there could be any number of causes, from pests to bad watering practices. If you follow the best cultural practices for fertilizing and watering your plants for an entire season and don't see improvement, take a cutting from the plant to your area cooperative extension to have it evaluated. Because roses are heavy feeders, most problems they have can be solved by fertilizer and water.
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