Tips For Fertilizing Roses Naturally

Roses are heavy feeders and require adequate nutrients to thrive. When planting a new rose, amend the hole with a slow-release fertilizer as per package instructions along with bone meal to support root growth.

Steep nettle or comfrey leaves in water to make an organic liquid fertilizer that is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. This slow-release feed promotes leafy growth and strong flowering.

Banana Peels

Roses need a steady supply of nutrients to grow and bloom. Store-bought plant fertilisers are available, but you can also make your own organic fertilisers. One of the most commonly used ingredients for organic fertilizers is banana peels, which are a rich source of potassium. They also contain other essential nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sulfur.

Burying banana peels in the garden provides a natural source of potassium, which helps plants produce strong roots and larger blooms. The nutrients in the peels also help the plant withstand environmental stress and disease. You can bury the peels in the soil, or you can make banana peel tea by steeping them in water. You can use the resulting liquid as a plant spray or sprinkle it around the base of your roses.

Other common kitchen scraps can also be useful for fertilizing your roses, including egg shells and coffee grounds. You can bury eggshells in the soil or mix them into compost, and you can sprinkle or mix in coffee grounds when planting new roses or mixing into the existing garden soil. You can also make a simple tea from comfrey, a perennial plant that is rich in nitrogen and other minerals. Make sure to wear gloves when handling nettles or comfrey to avoid stinging your skin. It is important to test the soil pH regularly, as this affects the nutrient availability to the plants.

Egg Shells

Many gardeners use egg shells to provide roses with a slow-release source of calcium. The nutrient is important for strengthening plant cell walls and root development. It also helps to prevent diseases like blossom end rot.

Crushed up eggshells also help to deter pests like Japanese beetles, slugs and snails. The sharp edges of the shards cut and/or repel them, though there is no scientific evidence that they actually kill them. You can use a barrier of crushed shells around your roses or simply place them in the center of each planting hole. Another natural, budget-friendly way to keep them away is by pouring a circle of diatomaceous earth around each bush. It won’t repel every pest, but it will certainly reduce the numbers of the ones that you want to get rid of.

While it is true that the calcium in eggshells does improve soil pH levels and help roses absorb this nutrient, it is not as effective as commercial additives. It takes 3 months to a year for them to completely break down through natural weathering and microbial activity and then become available to the plants.

For this reason, it is best to use them in conjunction with other natural fertilizers, such as compost and/or a balanced fertilizer like Founder’s Boost & Bloom or OmniMeal granular fertilizer. Using them alone may overly enrich the soil, reducing its ability to hold and release the other essential nutrients.

Coffee Grounds

Coffee grounds contain nitrogen, a necessary nutrient for roses, but it is important to have a balanced fertilizer specially formulated for roses. A well-balanced fertilizer for roses contains 10-10-10 or similar ratios of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK). A soil test can help you determine the exact nutrients your roses need.

A layer of garden compost around the base of a rose bush provides both nitrogen and carbon to help improve the condition of the soil, subdue weeds, and promote healthy plant growth. This is an ideal natural fertilizer for roses and other plants in the garden.

Making a manure tea from aged manure, nettle leaves or comfrey is another way to provide your roses with slow-release nourishment. Soak the ingredients in water for a few weeks, strain and dilute the liquid, and apply it to your roses weekly.

In the early spring, scatter a light layer of coffee grounds to boost nitrogen, which is a key nutrient for roses and other plants as they start to grow. It is also a good idea to apply a balanced fertilizer specifically formulated for roses to your established roses in late spring or early summer after they bloom. This will ensure your roses are properly fed and that they will be able to prepare for the coming winter. It is a good idea to stop fertilizing six weeks before your average first frost date to prevent any new growth from being damaged by cold weather.

Compost

Creating your own compost is a cost-effective, sustainable garden practice that minimizes the need for chemical fertilizers. Roses love rich, organic soil and compost is a great way to provide them with tailor-made nutrients. Add kitchen scraps (except meat, dairy, oily foods and plant trimmings), grass clippings, leaves, paper and cardboard (avoid plastic inks) to a compost pile. Mix carbon-rich materials like these with nitrogen-rich ingredients (like fruit and vegetable peels and coffee grounds) to create a balanced mixture. The finished compost should feel damp and look crumbly. Turn the pile periodically to introduce oxygen and speed decomposition.

A well-made homemade fertilizer provides your roses with a slow, steady release of essential nutrients. These natural substitutes for store-bought fertilizers are also environmentally friendly and help reduce household waste.

Roses require a balanced diet of macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron and potassium) as well as micronutrients (such as manganese and zinc). To boost your roses’ nutrition, amend the planting hole with well-rotted manure, work in a slow-release fertilizer according to package instructions and sprinkle in some bone meal for stronger root growth. Then, throughout the growing season, apply a light coating of compost or brewed manure tea every 4-6 weeks. This ongoing treatment encourages healthy foliage and a deep, rich blooming. It also helps to reduce the risk of over-fertilization, which can damage roses.