How to Increase a Rose's Flowering With Food
- 1). Determine if your rose bush is too young to offer blooms. Rose bushes may not bloom for the first several years, up to three or four depending on the variety. You shouldn't fertilize, however, until they have completed their first bloom.
- 2). Decrease the nitrogen in the fertilizer if the plant appears healthy, with full foliage. Sometimes a rose bush won't bloom, or offers few blooms, when the plant is receiving too much nitrogen. Switch to an 8-10-10 fertilizer for a season to see if blooming increases.
- 3). Add additional phosphorus to your fertilizing regimen. Consider using a 10-10-12 fertilizer for a season to remedy the lack of rose blooms. Phosphorus is the main nutrient that creates strong roots and healthy blooms.
- 4). Apply Epsom salts to your rose bush. The soil may be deficient in magnesium, which will in turn inhibit blooming. Unfortunately, magnesium nursery products may take some time to break down enough for the plant to benefit. Epsom salts diluted with water and then sprayed on the foliage is readily used by the plant. Use 1 tbsp. Epsom salts to a gallon of water per plant, applying every six weeks.