Episode: #10 4/11/06
Presenter: Kim Syrus

There have been lots and lots of questions from our garden guru club members about the best way to fertilize their roses. Well the secret is to keep your plants well feed. It is really important to have the right balance of nutrients and trace elements always available.

Giving your plants a variety of fertilizers can also help. Try alternating your feedings using a soluble fertilizer first like Thrive Granular Rose Food, and then an organic feed like Dynamic Lifter the next time.

Have a go at fertilizing on a monthly basis during the growing season. This means feeding on say the first day of every month from August, right through to April.

Using this method, apply your feeds at half the recommended strength, using a soluble type one month, then an organic fertilizer the next month. Doing it this way means your plants will never go hungry and use theses nutrients to keep themselves blooming and looking healthy.

A Garden Guru member has a pruned their weeping rose and wants some advice on what to de next. Once has leafed up well it will soon be in full growth and it is important to tie any of the large canes onto this round frame.

Attaching the stems to the frame will help train any trailing growth creating a weeping effect and also make a great ball of colour when the flowers are finally produced.

Keep regular checks on your weeping and standard roses to make sure the ties holding them onto the stakes or poles are OK. If they are too loose the tie can slip down and leave your plant to bend and maybe break in a strong wind.

On the other hand if their too tight, the plant can actually grow around the tie, cutting into the stem and eventually strangling the plant. Avoid using wire, instead, flexible material or twine are better and will help reduce the problem.

Check the stake as well. If it is rotten or broken, undo any ties, take it out and replace with a new one. Then reattach your plant onto the fresh stake.

If you love your roses but just don?t have the time for regular fertilizing then Once a Year Feeder will be just right for you. It is a specially formulated mix of fast and slow acting nutrients for balanced, long term feeding that lasts up to 12 months.

If you use it on garden roses, then sprinkle 30cm away from the main stem, applying it evenly around the plant. For potted roses, spread around the outer edge of the container then water in well.

Don?t forget to join our online club at and keep your questions rolling in.

Featured Products

Thrive Once a Year Feeder for Roses

• A rich fertiliser for long term feeding of garden and potted roses
• Special combination of fast acting and controlled release nutrients
• Will feed roses for up to 12 months

Thrive Granular Rose Food:

• Specifically developed granular fertiliser for feeding established garden rose bushes.
• Fast acting granular rose food
• Contains nitrogen for foliage and potassium for rose blooms and to combat pests and disease.

Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food:

• This is a versatile feed for all garden, potted and Australian native plants.
• Slow release nutrients improving structure and retention of the soil.
• It also encourages earthworms and is beneficial to soil micro-organisms