Looking for an organic rose food, I found this from American Rose Society.
They say that's a basic recipe PER BUSH??!!!
Some of my bushes are not very big (maybe because I have been only intermittently feeding them commercial Rose food?) but that quantity per bush seems like overkill.
Experience/opinions appreciated.
Most roses are hybrids that do not exist in nature. That is, they are unnatural. Thus, I do not use natural or organic fertilizers on them.
The first feeding in the spring -- just as new shoots start to show -- consist of the following per plant: 1 handful of ammonium sulfate 1/2 handful of iron sulfate 2 large pinches of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) 1 very large handful of gypsum Roses thrive with an acidic soil all of the above contain sulfur, including the gypsum (calcium sulfate). Except for the gypsum, which is neutral, that means they are acidic.
The next feeding a month later is with a commercial fertilizer that contains a systemic insecticide. Thereafter, I feed my roses monthly through October, alternating between just ammonium sulfate and the commercial fertilizer.
If you want to go organic, note the following.
* Superphosphate is NOT organic. It might be from natural sources; but it is not derived from living matter, which defines "organic". * Applied to the soil surface, bone meal or superphosphate will not feed your roses. They are both sources of phosphorus, which does not leach through the soil. Instead they must be placed down into the soil where plant roots will find them. About once in 10 years, I take a length of steel rebar and poke 3-4 holes around each of my roses about 1-1/2 feet away from the base. The holes go 1-2 feet deep. I fill the holes with superphosphate. It will last about 10 years and will be where rose roots will find it. * I think the American Rose Society's recipe has far too much Epsom salts. 2 tablespoons per year should be more than sufficient. Magnesium is considered a trace nutrient. It promotes new shoots, which are good if they are from the bud union and are bad if they are from the roots. * Cotton seed, blood, and fish meals are all good sources of nitrogen. They release nitrogen slowly and might be needed only 1-3 times a year. The amounts thus seem reasonable. My use of ammonium sulfate is also a source of nitrogen but released quickly, which is why I apply it more frequently. Roses need abundant nitrogen, which is often lacking in southern California soils and is thus the primary factor here in limiting vigor in rose plants.Note that fish and blood meal might attract raccoons, possums, dogs, and cats. I have recent problems with some animal digging up new plants where I stirred bone meal into the planting hole. They do not eat the plant but dig deeper, apparently seeking meat after smelling the bone meal. I know that dogs cannot get into my yard; but I have seen cats, raccoons, and possums in my yard.
Looking for opinions on "They say that's a basic recipe PER BUSH??!!!"
I would say that 1/2 cup Epsom salts in a year is indeed too much for one rose bush. My 2 tablespoons is 1/8 of a cup.
Unless it is dug down into where roots are growing -- and thus damaging the roots -- 1 cup bone meal or superphosphate on any plant is wasted.
Rosarians have a tendency to fall into the anything-worth-doing-is-worth-overdoing mindset, so that may account for some of it. Phosphorus will move downward through the soil, but very slowly, around 1-2 inches per year, and both superphosphate and bone meal take considerable time to become available to the plant anyhow. And, of course, soil pH can also affect the bioavailability. For those reasons, over-application won't hurt, so somebody who just has to go totally gung-ho will at least be safer over-applying those products.
Rosarians hereabouts love magnesium sulphate for enhancing the yellow and orange colors in roses, which just might be another reason for the seemingly heavy recommendation for roses.
Thanks, Moe. Glad to learn that over-application won't hurt. Proceeding full steam ahead.
Am I correct in believing you are in southern California? If so, do not feed your roses now. Feeding now will promote new growth, which you will then have to prune away around the end of December. Instead, wait until new shoots start to sprout in February or March.
THANKS FOR HEADS UP DAVID! Yes, I am in Santa Monica. I usually prune 3rd week in Jan on my birthday. Got carried away...
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