Roses are among the most popular flowers grown in the UK and consistently top charts of peoples’ favourite flowers. However, most of the roses grown in UK gardens are hybrid types or those that have been bred over generations to have the optimal visual appeal. Unfortunately, for many gardeners, the usual response when growing roses is to reach for non-organic, synthetic fertilisers. These and other organic additions can be added to a planting hole when planting new roses or crushed, chopped and spread around the roses in spring before you mulch around the area with your primary slow-release feed and mulch material. This means that they perform best when they are fed at least once a year and mulched well with organic matter after feeding.

Farm-Fos-44 is essentially a foliar feed, but in my view is very effective at protecting plants from damaging diseases. I don't know quite how it works, but the important thing is that it does! My trials have now been replicated by many others of the British rose industry with similar successful results.

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It will provide nutrients to the roots as it decomposes, act as a weed suppressant and help to retain moisture in the soil.” The most important thing when caring for roses is to feed them at least twice a year to help keep them strong and healthy,” says Chris Styles, a partner at Style Roses.

The fortnightly feed for roses before buds form should be a general-purpose, relatively balanced organic liquid fertiliser, such as compost tea. Give your roses a regular sulphur treat with Sulphur Rose. Roses love it and so do rose growers. It is brilliant tonic for roses – ensuring lots of healthy foliage and masses of blooms. It prevents yellowing of the leaves and also helps neutralise the effects of hard (calcium) water. You could also add a slow or a controlled release fertiliser like these Osmocote granules. They are activated both by temperature and moisture in the soil. These are really good because the nutrients aren’t just released willy nilly. They’re released when the plants can use them to their best ability and they also last in the soil for Simply add 10ml of Uncle Tom’s Rose Tonic to 1lt of water and apply as a drench or rose spray – contains potassium phosphite fertiliser, free from additives, wetters and dyes. Roses, like other plants, are a food source for garden pests which will need to be controlled if the plants are to perform well in the garden.Regular fortnightly spraying during active growth before you see problems is recommended. You can alternate with natural bee-friendly products like Sulphur Rose, Uncle Tom’s Tonic and SB Plant Invigorator. Roses are very hungry plants and should therefore be fed regularly throughout their livesto ensure maximum blooms and growth, from first year plants through to 50 year oldramblers.We recommend a good feed of a nitrogen high feed like “ Top Rose Gold” after the late-winterprune in February, then feeding every two weeks throughout the flowering period with ahigh potash feed like “ Tomorite” or " Uncle Tom's Rose Tonic".

We can maintain healthy soil by disturbing it as little as possible, protecting it with living roots, ground cover and mulches, and, of course, by gardening organically at all times. Feeding Roses Growing In The Ground This type of connection occurs with many plants and it significantly increases the amount of soil the plants can access for nutrients and water, expanding their root system. 2 Mahr, S. (n.d.-e). Mycorrhizae. Wisconsin Horticulture. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/mycorrhizae/ This wild growth will look different, being a lime green leaf colour with a matt finish, which can overtake the growth of the correct grafted rose and eventually kill off the grafted part of the rose if not controlled. Those in containers will require more work and are typically provided with a liquid plant feed every second week from the middle of spring to late summer. Why You Should Fertilise Roses Whenever you are seeking sustainable and eco-friendly options for feeding roses, it is important to restrict yourself to organic options. Healthy Soil Equals Happy Roses

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These fertilisers will vastly improve the performance of your roses and eliminate most disease issues.” When feeding roses, the first step is always to ensure that you have healthy soil that is rich in organic matter and supports and sustains a wide variety of life, including the microbial life that helps roses and other plants to thrive. Mulching roses is, for me at least, the most important stage when it comes to caring for roses and making sure that they have the nutrition they need throughout the year. I always mulch roses with good quality homemade compost or manure after any other fertilisers are added in the spring.