The Best Rose Fertilizer Recipe
- You can make the best fertilizer in the world, but if you soil's pH range is not matched to your roses, then your efforts will fall by the wayside. In order to find out what is lacking in the soil, a soil pH test must be conducted. Roses thrive in a slightly acidic soil between 6.0 to 6.5. Soil that is out of their pH range will result in yellow foliage and stunted plant growth. Purchase a soil pH testing kit at your local county extension office or gardening supply store. Dig a 6-inch hole in your rose garden to collect samples. Mail off the samples to the address provided and wait for the results. Based on the results, make soil amendments. If your soil is too acidic, add some lime and till the soil. For soil that is too alkaline, spread sulfur and mix it up in the soil. Continue to monitor you pH range. Compost or other organic material added to a rose garden can balance the range as it decomposes.
- Mix up a fertilizer that you can use in the spring and fall. By using one kind of fertilizer for both seasons, you save yourself money on buying supplies. Combine 8 parts alfalfa meal, 2 parts bone meal, 1 part blood meal, 1 part Epsom salts, 2 parts cotton seedmeal and 2 parts rock phosphate. For soil that has a pH of 7.5, reduce the amount of Epsom salts. Because wildlife is attracted to bone and blood meal, you might need to erect a small fence while the fertilizer decomposes.
- Choose a time after your spring pruning to fertilize your rose plants. Wear a mask, long sleeves and some gloves when applying the fertilizer. None of these ingredients are great for breathing in your lungs or touching your skin. Apply one cup of fertilizer for every foot of rose shrub height. Take measurements of each of your rose plants to find out how much to apply. Scratch around the base of the rose plant with a rake. Leave a few inches around the base that will not be fertilized, so you reduce the risk of burning your plant. Be careful not to disturb the foliage. Spread your fertilizer. Water thoroughly. Mulch accordingly and fertilize again in the fall.