I recently received a question from a lady in PA about fertilizing roses. She had lots of growth last year on her rose bush, but few flowers.

We're spoiled here in TX with the availability of commercially prepared organic rose foods. But for people who live in places where organic products are hard to come by, are there any suggestions for making the roses burst with bloom?

By GHardin on Saturday, July 01, 2000 - 06:57 pm:

Rabbit Hill Farm has an organic product called 'Buds and Bloom' which I've used on tomatoes and peppers. Watch out! The plants can no longer hold up due to all the blooms. I don't see why B&B won't work on roses. RHF is, however, based in Corsicana, Texas. A long way from PA. Good luck with your roses.

By Maggie Ross on Sunday, July 02, 2000 - 10:08 pm:

Her healthy green-age without blooms indicates the possibility of an imbalance of nitrogen to phosphorous. A granular sprinkling of rock phosphate can be added to every few feet of the compost pile, where microbes will convert it to a plant-digestible form for the borders. Or if she can obtain colloidal phosphate, it can be applied directly to the surface of individual plant's root zones. I had this problem many years ago, when I had easy access to horse stable compost and went manure-wild! Using mainly homemade compost seems to keep a more even balance for most plants, but the heavier feeders such as roses and clematis really repay us for some additional phosphorous. As in all organomics, a light hand with the supplements is the safest route, as too much phosphate can cause leaves to yellow, imitating an iron deficiency. Which is why the well-balanced packaged products such as Rabbit Hill Farms are so wonderful to have now a days!

By patriciacowan on Thursday, July 06, 2000 - 04:23 pm:

There are quite a few questions i would ask before giving too much advice, one would be how old is the rose and what size was the root system when she planted it...it is best to let a rose establish a good root system the first year or so without too much fertilization /amending and then it will be much more inclined to burst into bloom...also, what was the weather like this year vs last...did she trim/prune at wrong time and too much...what kind of rose is it??? give some answers and i could better advise...patricia cowan

By Susan H on Thursday, August 17, 2000 - 01:42 pm:

My Uncle in Washington State uses homemade manure tea and says it works quite well on his roses.

By jeanette on Friday, August 17, 2001 - 10:37 pm:

Susan, I would be interested in learning what kind of manure tea your uncle makes. I have had success with some made from weeds & grass clippings. I put them in a clean, 5-gallon paint can, then add water and just ignore it for awhile. As raunchy as it smells by the time it's used, it has to work, and as far as I know, it would work well on any plant.