The Nashville Rose Society serves all of Middle Tennessee by sharing knowledge and information about our national flower, the rose.
Roses are NOT drought tolerant plants. They love water. But, how much water is enough? Well, that’s a tough question to answer. It depends on many factors: weather, soil, drainage, age of plant, size of plant, if the rose is grown in a container or in the ground, if mulch or polymers are used, and sometimes even the rose variety to a certain extent.
This post includes a slideshow for growing and caring for roses that may be downloaded.
After the end of August, continue watering but stop all fertilization. The plant needs a gradual entrance into dormancy – any new growth might be killed by early frost. This would be an added stress for even a healthy plant going into winter.
One of the most important jobs in the rose garden is to get a soil test, and fall is a great time to do it. Any corrections that need to be made will have all winter to work.
After the plant is well leafed out – around May 1 – use any balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10, Fertilome, or Ortho Food at the manufacturer’s recommended rate. Osmocote and Once are timed release fertilizers that are applied one time in the Spring. Mills Mix is an all organic fertilizer that can be used in the Spring and Summer. Continue reading “Fertilizing Your Roses”