Learn from the Winning Rosarians – Feed your Roses now for a glorious display in spring. This feeding program is inspired by the late, David Lowell, a local rosarian and friend who developed a number of hybridized roses and always took home ribbons for his rose show entries.
Dave’s Rose feeding program provides for general plant vigor and beautiful looking roses! For use on established roses only (planted for at least six months). Apply in MARCH and also AUGUST.
For each rose apply:
- Master Nursery 16-16-16 – 1/2 cup/rose (5# bag for 18 roses) (August application recommended E.B. Stone 5-5-5 fertilizer 1 cup/rose)
- Bone Meal 1/2 cup per rose (4# bag for 18 roses)
- Sulfur* 1/2 cup per rose (5# box for 18 roses)
- Gypsum 1/2 cup per rose (5# box for 18 roses)
- Magnesium Sulfate 2 Tbs. per rose (5# box for 70+ roses)
- Chicken Fertilizer 1 shovel per rose (1 bag for ~ nine roses)
*to supply sulfur, use one of the following: Iron Sulfate, Iron Plus*, or Soil Sulfur. Iron-containing products can stain. Wash off adjacent paving after application. (*Iron Plus is non-staining.)
Water your roses deeply the day before feeding.
Sprinkle the first five ingredients around each rose and mix into the soil if possible. Then sprinkle the chicken fertilizer around each rose and water everything in.
DO NOT combine this recipe with systemic rose fertilizer. It poses a health risk to pets if swallowed. Pets are attracted to the bone meal and may ingest systemic rose food if included in this recipe – or applied other months in the same area.
