On Wednesday, February 11, 2015 at 3:25:29 PM UTC-8, Fran Farmer wrote:
On 12/02/2015 3:35 AM, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
On Monday, February 9, 2015 at 9:53:34 PM UTC-8, Fran Farmer wrote:
On 10/02/2015 8:26 AM, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
Have to confess, fertilizing is one of my weakest areas, garden-wise.

Ex: Always afraid to fertilize roses, too soon after pruning.

Pruned late January.

ISTR wait till first buds appear? Or?

Wd appreciate input from members *with similar climates* (So. Calif Coastal).

Also your guides to best Internet sites. There's overwhelmingly much out there.


Every 6 weeks once Spring gorwth commences is what I plan. Of course I
never manage to keep to that schedule but litte and often is the way to go.

Do you have "Sudden Impact for Roses" in the US? If you do, I use that
and recommend it as does one of this countries better known rosarians.
http://www.neutrog.com.au/sudden-impact-for-roses/

Thanks for reference! Will look up.

Have fertilized so little & so haphazardly over the years ...decades! There is a school of thought (not that I follow them) that holds roses are so tough you can do or not do almost anything to them.

Will try a little love this year.


Roses are tough, As tough as nanny goat's knees. Often the only thing
still left growing round old abandoned houses in the Australian country
side will be roses and our countryside IS tough. that being said, those
roses will all have gone back to the rootstock but they will still be
growing and be thickets but they will still put out some flowers.

But grafted roses in beds do a lot better with a bit of care. It is
very important to regularly dead head them if you want flowers. They
will put out a new flush about 6 week during the season after being dead
headed. And they do like a bit of water and that regular bit of feed.

I too used to ignore mine but a few years ago (after visiting the
rosarian I mentioned I was inspired to try to really start looking after
my roses. I'd already discovered "sudden Impact for Roses"and knew how
good it was for them, but I was slack about being regular in both the
dead heading and the regular feeding routine. Being better int hat area
has made a big difference to my roses. I live in a cold winter, hot dry
summer area, and rose like those conditions and do even better if given
a bit of help along the way.

Tx for helpful info.

I DO deadhead faithfully, and shape during the summer/early fall, since certain varieties tend to go ape if not controlled.

Will be interesting to see -- if I can get my head around regular feeding -- how roses respond, given the vagaries of climate change.

Ex: Today it was over 80 F at noon. So hot I could not work in back (South-facing) garden. While my poor kids in NY are freezing their assets off, and New England is up to *their* assets in snow with public trans not running.