How to Fertilize Roses
Roses are hungry plants, and steady feeding is what sustains repeat bloom. The goal is regular, balanced nutrition timed to the plant's growth — not a single heavy dose.
When to feed roses
Begin feeding in early spring once new growth appears and the danger of hard frost has passed. Continue at four- to six-week intervals through the growing season, and stop feeding six to eight weeks before your first expected frost so the plant can harden off for winter.
What to use
A balanced granular rose fertilizer suits most gardens; organic options such as compost, well-rotted manure, and alfalfa meal feed the soil as well as the plant. Some growers add Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) to encourage basal breaks, though results vary with your soil.
How to apply
Sprinkle granular feed around the drip line, keeping it off the stems, then scratch it lightly into the surface and water it in. For a quick response, a liquid feed applied to moist soil acts faster but needs repeating more often.