by:  Logan Shillinglaw

The weather has gotten beautiful. You’ve listened to all the experts, talked to all the rosarians and read with diligence this Beginners Basics column (hey, at least I can wish). So your plants are in the right soil, have been pruned properly and are disease and insect free. If not, you’re probably not alone. Don’t get discouraged, just stick to the basics and you’ll do well.

Now is a very important time in the life of a rose. Time to be fed. Fertilizing is something I find easy to remember to do. Why? Because roses and I have two things in common. We both love water and we love to eat. Fortunate for the rosarian, a well-fed rose is much healthier than a well fed author.

In all seriousness, there are just a few basics to know about feeding your roses – water, basic nutrients and common sense. That’s it, there’s no mystery and I’m going to tell you what I mean.

Water. The most important basic to keep in mind throughout the entire year – WATER, WATER, WATER. Guess what. Roses LOVE water. If you have the right soil mix and a well prepared bed, I dare say, you will have to work very hard to over-water your roses.

Roses are just like humans when it comes to water. If we get dehydrated, we lose energy. We lose the ability to move nutrients throughout our bodies and without water we cannot fight off disease. Pretty simple. Roses are the same. If we don’t water them, they can’t absorb the nutrients they need to produce the blooms we all enjoy so much. They end up losing their ability to absorb the systemic sprays that help keep them healthy. They end up spending what little energy they have trying to stay alive.

In case you forgot over the last minute or so. WATER YOUR ROSES REGULARLY. Despite what you think, it doesn’t rain enough to count on Mother Nature. We’ll talk about watering methods another time, but for now just remember to water your roses. At this time of year, you should water AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK even when we get rain. It can’t take more than a few minutes and it’s a great way to see how your roses are doing. Remember – ROSES LOVE WATER!

Point made?

Basic Nutrients. But is water enough to get the really healthy plants we all want so much. NO!! Like I said before, roses love to eat. Here, too, they are like humans. Certain foods give certain results. Without a balanced diet your roses probably won’t achieve their full potential.

When I was starting to grow roses, right about now I was asking, "Aren’t there about a million nutrients I need to worry about? How do I know what to use?" Don’t worry, I’ll keep it simple. To get started let’s just talk about the basics – nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These are the three numbers that make up the formulation on the fertilizer containers.

As per the Consulting Rosarian Manual, here’s what they each do:

Nitrogen – Stimulates growth of tall, strong canes, good blooms and rich dark foliage.

Phosphorus – Stimulates root growth, producing quality plants and big blooms. Also hastens plant maturity adding to winter hardiness.

Potassium (Potash) – Promotes root growth and bloom color.

There are several others that come into play but there’s no need to try to tackle them all at once.

Now that we know what each nutrient does, we can determine what our plants should be fed. If we want to have them jump out of the ground, then let’s give them a fertilizer that’s high in nitrogen. If we want well balanced development, then use something that has a balance of the number in its formulation. A good fertilizer to use throughout the season is something like a 20-20-20 mix. This is easy to remember and helps reduce the amount of work you have to do.

The next question is "How do I apply these nutrients?" There are three types to consider – chemical (granular), water soluble and organic. Before we get into these, let me stress the importance of getting your soil tested. The pH level of your soil plays an important part in the ability of the rose to absorb the nutrients you are adding to the soil. Start off the year by taking a sample from your garden to the Agricultural Extension office for a test. The last thing you want to do is add chemicals to your soil that are not being used by the plant and are making the soil even less apt to promote healthy plants.

The chemical approach typically involves a granular fertilizer such as Ortho Rose Food. These include a broad range of chemicals that are designed to give a relatively constant and steady diet. Follow the recommended quantities and frequency. These should be used in conjunction with organics. Otherwise, you will deplete the soil and seriously impact your pH level. Water is VERY important to this approach for two reasons. One, without the water, the fertilizer will never dissolve and therefore will never reach the feeder roots for use by the plant. Two, without a thorough watering, the fertilizer will draw any moisture from the soil and will only speed the loss of water to the ground. Think of it as eating a plate of crackers without a drop to drink.

Water soluble or liquid fertilizers, such as Miracle Gro, Monte’s Joy Juice and Mills Easy Feed, are in a form that makes them readily available to the plant. They are easily absorbed by the roots and leaves. This type of fertilizer does not last long and should be used as a "quick shot" of feeding. Many rosarians include small amounts of this type fertilizer with every watering to deliver a steady supply of nutrients. It should be used as part of a complete fertilization program. Again, be sure to follow label instructions. In this case, do not water after applying liquid fertilizer because it will only dilute the strength and effectiveness.

Organic fertilizers, such as Mills Magic Mix and items such as alfalfa meal and manure, should also be used as part of your total program. While the nutrients are typically released over a long period of time and are in low concentrations, they do help build up a "healthy" soil. By increasing the organic content of your rose bed, you attract worms and other organisms which help make the nutrients available to the rose plant. This topic could make an entire article, so suffice to say that organics should be included to round out your well balanced rose feeding program.

Common Sense. For every rosarian you talk with you will get a different fertilization plan. Use common sense. Do not try them all at one time. Do not use bits and pieces from each to "assemble" a new one. You will drive yourself nuts trying to keep up with what to do when and in what amounts you should use each part of this puzzle. It just never works that way. Find one approach that works, that fits your schedule and your garden and then run with it.

Use common sense. Remember, more is not always better. You can overfeed your roses – the same way you can overfeed yourself. Your soil can get "sick" (pH out of line) and your blooms can get their own sort of "tire around the middle" by opening deformed blooms which detract from the true beauty of this magnificent flower.

Use common sense. Use the method of application that best fits your size garden. Don’t try to feed 50 roses by using a watering can. At the same time, don’t bother using a siphon feeder when you have only two or three plants.

There you have it – a basic look at fertilizing. It’s just like our Moms always told us. Eat a well balanced meal and drink plenty of fluids. Complete and consistent fertilization and PLENTY OF WATER.