How to Fertilize Roses and Prevent Moles

When you first plant your roses, you’ll need to immediately fertilize them if they are grafted roses. Miller’s Nursery recommended mixing a granular fertilizer in the water before watering the roses after planting. I used Miracle-Gro. However, if you are planting non-grafted roses, roses that are grown from the root, instead of grafted onto the rootstock of another plant, you should not fertilize when you first plant your roses.

Grafted roses will have a lump, or rose graft, at the base of the plant. When first planting non-grafted roses you should also make sure you are not planting them in an area that has been previously fertilized. These plants have feeder roots so must not be fertilized for the first month. If you need to plant them where you’ve previously fertilized, dig out the old dirt, and add new. For more information on non-grafted roses, view Heirloom Roses’ article “Own Root Roses.”

Fertilizing Established RosesRoses are heavy feeders, which means they like a lot of fertilizer. I recommend a slow growth fertilizer such as Roses Alive Garden’s Alive slow release fertilizer. As temperatures heat up, fertilizer is naturally released, instead of all at once. This way roses don’t receive too much fertilizer at a time. If you are using Miracle-Gro fertilizer for roses or another fertilizer that is not a slow growth fertilizer, you’ll need to fertilize more often. Follow the instructions on the label as to how often to fertilize for the particular brand you choose.

How much fertilizer?I mixed two cups of slow release fertilizer into the dirt of each one of my roses nd then mulched as per the instructions. The instructions on the mix recommend fertilizing with two cups in the spring before blooming and two cups before fall blooming. Always make sure to stop fertilizing plants about 6 weeks prior to the first frost. If you don’t do this, your plants could be damaged by continuing to grow when they should be slowly slipping into dormancy.

Liquid Fish FertilizerIn addition to a slow release fertilizer, Heirloom Roses, one of my favorite places to buy roses, also recommended that I use a liquid fish fertilizer. You can buy this kind of fertilizer online or at many local nurseries. I purchased Alaska fish fertilizer at Ace Hardware. This brand recommends 3 tablespoons per gallon of water for every 25 square feet of soil. Directions indicate that fish fertilizer should be used once every three weeks.

Keeping Moles, Voles and Gophers out of your Roses

Do you see burrowing dens around your roses? This means trouble. Small creatures such as moles, voles or gophers could be feeding on your rose roots. There are many ways to prevent this chewing. I prefer humane methods so use non-toxic sprays to keep rodents out of my roses. While I’ve used Garden’s Alive Mole-Relief Liquid Mole Repellent with success, I’ve actually found that placing a few moth balls around each of my roses, keeps these burrowing critters out of my roses more successfully. If you choose to use moth balls, I recommend pushing them into the dirt a small amount under the mulch.

For additional tips on rose care, I recommend

All About Roses (Ortho’s All About Gardening)

by Ortho