Knock Out Roses

Question

Please recommend the best fertilizer for knock out roses. Ours are 8 years old and didn’t bloom well last year. After reading your post, we are convinced we are not supplying enough water and fertilizer. 

We live in Maryland, about 8 miles outside Washington DC in Prince George’s County. Winters are cold but not necessarily harsh and the roses bloomed up to December in their hay day. 

We appreciate any information you choose to share with us. 

Bill and Faye McGhee

Answer 1

Blooming is not always related to how the roses are fed and watered. Indeed roses love their water and do need some good “well balanced” nutrition. I recommend finding a good organic or organic based fertilizer for your roses. Take a look at the Epsoma brand fertilizers. See what organic ornamental or rose foods are available in your area. Look at giving all your rosebushes a cup of Kelp meal twice a year too, they love kelp meal. Building up the soils home of our rosebushes will make for a noticeable change in what we see top side. I also make sure to check the Ph of the soils. If the Ph is out of whack, available nutrients can be locked up in the soils and not available for the root system to take up. Check the nitrogen level of the fertilizer or food you have been using. Some of the supposed Bloom Booster items on the market actually are very high in nitrogen. Those will tend to increase foliage production while actually reducing the bloom production of the rosebush. I hope this helps you and enjoy your roses!

Stan The Rose Man
Master Rosarian
Gardening Know How