Feeding Roses.

This subject may be "old hat" to you experts, but to me as a novice, it has become confusing! I have been told you only feed roses twice a year, ie: Spring and end of Summer and then I've been told four times a year! Please can someone tell me the right way to feed them!! Then it's a case of what?! I was told "Black Marvel" is the go at the moment, but Roseman kindly advised this was all advertising and Sudden Impact was good. I've been using Sudden Impact in previous Summers. Last Summer, I didn't get a good show in one bed, due to a rampant wisteria trying to take over the bed and wrapping itself around all the rose roots causing havoc! Please advise!

I give little feeds all through the growing season and stop feeding at the end of Feb.This gives you continued growth rather than big spurts of growth if done how books tell you. A lot of literature written about roses relates to rose growing in the cooler Northern Hemisphere and I feel does not really relate to growing roses here in Australia. Like pruning ( it is written that rose pruning should be done when frosts have finished -1 frost are nothing to a rose, in Europe with -20+ ,now that is a different story) There are not too many places in Australia where you would classify as severe cold, so we are lucky.
 
Feeding untill the end of Feb gives you a healthy plant when pruning time comes , as the plant has the health and vigour to come out of the pruning , producing lots of new growth for future flowering.
 
This is what I do for my 700+ roses and there has never been a set back yet, I prune in early June and lots of blooms by Sept /Oct.

I use organic and all purpose chemical fertilizers

Thank you Ozroz, that makes a lot of sense to me. Some of my roses are still asleep while others have leaves unfurling on shoots about 8cm. When do you start your your first feed? First sign of buds?

I usually start when the new shoots are around 3 to 4 "long.

Thanks Ozroz.  Your feeding system makes a lot of sense to me and clarifies thing immensely!  Will you tell me which fertilizers you use please?  Also, if some bushes whose shoots are not 3 - 4 " long, would you leave feeding them until a little later, because I don't have that many bushes!

Looks like 1st feed is not too far away then. I think I'll wait until all mine have made a few inches, otherwise I'll get muddled up. Do you give yours manure too Ozroz?

some times sheep poo but then comes the stinging nettles

Is it ok to put Rooster Booster on?

just put it a little further away from the trunk and not to thick. What does the nitrogen analysis on the bag say?

Just had a look and the ratio is 3:2:2. so I presume nitrogen is 3. (?) !

SueH wrote:Just had a look and the ratio is 3:2:2.  so I presume nitrogen is 3. (?) !

Nitrogen   :     Phosphorus       :      Potassium
  3                               2                            2

Yes Roseman, as I thought. Thank you! Is this ratio ok though? Ozroz says keep it away from the trunk etc, but asked for the NPK ratio.

is there much ammonia being given off, you should be able to smell it

LOL ... well, there is a strong smell when you open the bag, but I'm not sure if it is amonia! Will get a second opinion in a few minutes and let you know. Thanks for all your trouble!  

Just opened the new bag and it does smell of ammonia but not overly strong. What do you think?

Rooster Booster is made by Neutrog and is there equilivalant of Dynamic Lifter........it is safe to put on your beds as it is not fresh.....

Thanks Neptune.  I was just unsure about using it with roses.  There again, it is only chook poo!! LOL (Isn't it?)

If it looks like a rooster......crows like a rooster......it must be a chook.........so yes it is chook poo....

Basically Rooster Booster is Sudden Impact without the additives. Some years back I was flown down to Adelaide then taken out the Neutrog factory at Kanmantoo by the company for a tour of the factory where I saw how both fertilisers were made and what they were made from.

Ausrose, forgive my ignorance, but what sort of additives? Does this mean I can put Rooster Booster on my roses and expect the same result as Sudden Impact or is it these additives the roses need to perform well.

the additives would be trace elements......

Hi Neptune! But does this mean that Rooster Booster/Dynamic Lifter are as good as Sudden Impact?  

Not necessarily. All depends on your soil. If your soil is depleted or marginal for trace minerals then Sudden Impact will do a better job.

with your Rooster Booster the Analysis is 3-2-2
Sudden Impact is 9-2-12. SI has 3 times the Nitrogen and 6 times the Potassium. The high potassium would stimulate flower production. I would use your Rooster Booster and maybe top it up at a later date with some complete fertilizer to boost the levels of NPK and Micro nutrients. Micro nutrients depending on your soil do not have to applied every time you fertilize.

The organic fertiliser we use (called Kickalong) has a NKP of 4 2 2 also has similar trace elements (different ratios) to Sudden Impact.

If we apply say 200 grams of Kickalong we end up with a similar amount of Nitrogen as 100grams Sudden impact, twice the amount of Phosphorus (no trouble with here as the soil is generally lacking in it), one third of the amount of potassium and similar quantities of the trace elements.

If we added some potash into the Kickalong then we would have a similar feed as the sudden impact.

Last time I checked 15kg of sudden impact is about $60. We pay $25 for 35KG of Kickalong and $35 for a 15kg bag of potash which would lasts about 3 bags of Kickalong. So this would give us 120kg of fertiliser for $105.

To get same chemicals of Sudden Impact we would need to use 30kg which would cost $21.

I know that it does not give the exact same chemicals (close too) but who actually measures out the amount of fertiliser used. I simply believe that you are paying a premium for the name and can get the same amount of fertiliser "value" for a third of the cost.