Shiva wrote:

I do the basic stuff for my roses--good rich soil, mulch that breaks down
and adds nutrients

Alfalfa, aka, rat food? I think it really does help root growth -
nothing else explains why some of my roses grow so well.

, a granular three-month food just at new growth plus
three applications of Mill's Magic Mix per year. (I may switch to Osmocote
instead of the generic granular "Rose Food" this year, Cass convinced me.)

Is Mill's Magic water soluble so you can foliar feed? That works well
too.

Here is the question: can I have more and/or better blooms? My roses do
well, but when I look at photos of others it seems some of mine are scant
and some are small and some are scant and small. I know I can deadhead (I
do and cut losts for the table) amd pinch out side or central buds of gfs
and fbs, and I know some of bloom production is just "built in" to the
rose, genetically, filed under "vigor."

I think there's a lot of difference between different classes of roses.
If you want lots of blooms all the time, then you really need a few of
those repeaters that everyone raves about like Iceberg. It isn't
scented, it doesn't have great form, etc, etc, but it reblooms every 3
weeks. It doesn't matter if everything blooms constantly - a few will
do as filler. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Is there a nutrient I can add that has proven for anyone to give more and
or bigger, better blooms?? I know Mill's Mix causes basal breaks--it is
joyously obvious--but what is sure to make MORE BETTER BLOOMS?! G

My theory: the only things that give more better blooms are optimal
genetics and optimal plant growth. The blooms are the consequence of
the first two. Optimal is not excessive rank growth from too much
nitrogen.

I think Bill Hillman said Fish Emulsion, and some of you use the high
phosphorus "bloom boosters," right?

I only use Superbloom on one rose that sets lots and lots of buds all
at once and seems to have a lot of trouble opening them all. I'm
talking about Lavender Lassie. It's a pain to apply, so I don't apply
it in general. I use fish emulsion about 3 times a season. I can't
really apply granular after early April because our rains end then.