Our Rosarians Guide To Feeding Your Roses
Why should you feed Roses?
Feeding your roses gives them the nutrients they need for strong growth, healthy foliage and more flowers. Well-fed roses are also more resistant to disease and pests and they tend to produce bigger, brighter blooms.
What happens if you don't feed your roses?
Most roses will be ok without being fed, but you won't see them at their best. Roses that don't get fed won’t grow as well and you might notice fewer flowers and yellowing leaves.
Over time, the plant may also become more prone to disease and stress, especially during hot weather or when in full bloom.
When and how often should you feed your roses?
We recommend giving your roses a slow-release granular feed at the beginning of Spring each year, ideally in March, as the rose starts to leave its winter, dormant state.
Then our Rosarians recommend giving your rose another slow-release, granular feed after the first flush of blooms has gone over in July.
For best results, our Rosarians give their roses an extra boost by giving them a liquid feed every seven to ten days throughout the flowering season, in between slow-release granular feeds. This helps to encourage more healthy, abundant blooms throughout the summer
What is the difference between a slow-release granular rose feed and a liquid rose feed?
Slow-release granular rose feed is typically used twice a year and provides long-term nutrients to the soil, as it is slowly released over two to three months. As a result, this type of rose food benefits the long term health of the rose and the soil it is planted in, ensuring that the rose stays healthy for years to come.
In comparison, liquid feed is used on roses every seven to ten days throughout the flowering season and doesn’t stay in the soil for as long as a slow-release granular feed. It is a faster-acting feed that helps to encourage more blooms and give roses a boost that are stressed, unhealthy or suffering due to recent weather conditions.
How To Feed Your Roses
To feed your roses using a slow-release granular feed, clear the area around the base of the rose and then sprinkle the feed around the base of the plant, making sure not to get any on the leaves.
To feed your roses using a liquid feed, you can either water the base of the rose or spray the feed over the rose's leaves. With liquid feed, you must dilute the feed with water, following the instructions on the back of the product so that you get the right concentration. Not diluting the feed enough can scorch the plant, doing more harm than good.
If you choose to spray your liquid feed, make sure you do it in the early morning or evening, when the sun is low, so that you don't scorch the leaves.
When Should You Stop Feeding Your Roses For The Year?
Our Rosarians advise to do your last liquid feed before the end of August and before the growth of the rose starts to slow down for autumn and winter. Ending feeding at this point encourages the plant to start entering its dormant state as the weather cools and prevents any new growth from being damaged by the frost.
What is the best rose food for my roses?
Our Rosarians recommend using Top Rose for your slow-release granular feed and Uncle Tom's Rose Tonic or Tomorite for your liquid feed.
Take a look at our top picks below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tomato feed is a great, affordable choice for feeding your roses due to its high potassium content, which is known to encourage more blooms and improve disease resistance.
If you want to use tomato food on your roses, our Rosarians would recommend Tomorite.
Yes, you can normally use rose food on other plants in your garden, but it might not give you the best results, depending on the formula and the nutrients that particular plant needs.
We would advise reading the instructions on the back of any rose food before using it on any other plants, just to be on the safe side.
Our Rosarian's would classify overfeeding a rose as feeding it more than once a week. Whilst it won't do too much harm, you won’t see any extra benefits from feeding this frequently and it isn't cost effective.
What is more of a concern regarding overfeeding a rose is not mixing the feed solution in the correct concentration. Doing this means there will be a chemical imbalance and your roses are likely to get scorched which may damage the foliage and roots of the plant.
Despite popular belief, roses in pots don't need feeding more than roses in the ground. Roses in pots need watering more frequently than roses in the ground due to the drainage in a pot, but feeding them more than recommended won't produce any extra benefits.
Newly planted roses don't need feeding any more or less than established roses; they all need feeding the same amount. However, when planting a new rose, it is important to add some Toprose or mycorrhizal fungi into the hole and around the plant to give it the best chance of growth.
To learn more about planting a new rose, click here.
No, you should refrain from feeding your roses from September to February if you live in the UK or a similar climate. Feeding them in the autumn and winter can do more harm than good, as it can cause the frost to harm the rose.
If you are looking for an organic feed for your roses, we would recommend using Blood, Fish & Bones for your slow release fertiliser and Liquid Seaweed for your liquid feed.
Whilst it can't be classed as organic, Uncle Tom's Rose Tonic is also a good choice for those wanting to create an organic garden, as it is free from chemicals, additives, wetters, and dyes.