Quick Answer
Roses bloom in repeated flushes and use nutrients quickly doing it, so consistent feeding matters more than occasional heavy doses. With Rose Bush Fertilizer, mix 2 tablespoons (30 mL) per gallon of water and apply every 1–2 weeks in spring and summer, then every 4 weeks in fall and winter. A hose-end sprayer on the 1 oz setting covers large beds and hedges.
How to fertilize roses through the year
Start when new growth breaks in spring and feed every 1–2 weeks through the first flush, the summer flushes and into early fall. As the bush heads toward dormancy, move to the lighter schedule rather than stopping abruptly: every 4 weeks through fall, then ease off, since pushing tender new growth late in the season leaves it vulnerable to cold. Resume the every 1–2 weeks schedule when growth restarts in spring.
In frost-free climates rose bushes may bloom nearly year-round, and there they can stay on the lighter fall schedule through the cool months rather than pausing.
| Method | Amount | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Watering can | 2 Tbs (30 mL) per gallon of water | Spring and summer: every 1–2 weeks |
| Watering can | Same dilution | Fall and winter: every 4 weeks |
| Hose-end sprayer | Set the dial to the 1 oz (30 mL) setting | Spring and summer: every 1–2 weeks |
| Leaf misting (optional) | 1 tsp per quart (32 oz) of water | Every 1–2 weeks |
How much fertilizer should you give a rose bush?
Two tablespoons per gallon, and roughly a gallon per bush watered over the root zone; a large climber or a hedge takes more. Rose Bush Fertilizer runs phosphorus and potassium above nitrogen, in a 3-3.6-5.1 ratio with kelp, to keep the bush’s energy on flower production through each flush rather than letting it run to foliage after the first. Use the watering can rate for containers and smaller plantings and the sprayer for beds.
Liquid vs. granular rose fertilizer
A granule sits where you spread it and releases over weeks into the soil beneath, so the plant gets a burst, then a long tail, and you cannot adjust either. A liquid goes on across the whole root zone at a strength you set, and the nitrate nitrogen in Rose Bush Fertilizer is available to the roots as soon as it is watered in. That makes a liquid the better choice when you want a visible response this season, and for containers and raised beds that lose nutrients with every watering.
Signs a rose bush may be underfed
- Fewer blooms than last year, and smaller ones at that
- Canes that stay short and thin instead of pushing new growth
- Leaves yellowing from the bottom of the bush upward
- A plant that flushes once in spring then sits idle
Signs you may be fertilizing too much
Overfeeding shows as lush, soft, dark growth that flops or attracts aphids, brown scorched leaf edges after a hot spell, or a white crust on container soil. If you see those, skip the next feeding, water deeply to move salts down through the root zone, and resume at the same dilution. Rose Bush Fertilizer is a dilute liquid and dilution is what matters here: keep to the rate, and let the schedule do the work.
My rose bush grew lots of leaves but few flowers. Will feeding help?
Yes, if feeding is the cause. Lots of leaves and few flowers usually means nitrogen-heavy feeding pushing cane and foliage growth at the expense of blooms, and a lawn fertilizer reaching the bed does it too. Rose Bush Fertilizer keeps phosphorus and potassium ahead of nitrogen so the next flush goes to buds. Pair it with full sun and deadheading of spent blooms, which tells the bush to set the next round rather than ripen hips.
Does the same fertilizer work for knock-out and landscape roses?
Yes, at the same 2 tablespoons per gallon. Rose Bush Fertilizer is formulated for every kind of rose bush: hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, shrub and landscape roses, knock-outs and miniatures. Knock-outs and landscape roses are bred to rebloom heavily, so they draw on nutrients just as hard as a hybrid tea and benefit from the same steady feeding.
