I'd be very hesitant to start feeding this early under any circumstances, but especially now that weather patterns are so topsy-turvy. Last year's Easter Morning freeze thoughout much of the South was more than enough to remind me that Mom Nature can't always be trusted to act according to norm.

I'll start serious pruning here next week, & will probably start applying dilute organics (fish emulsion &/or liquid kelp) around March 1, & make my first application of regular (chemical) fertilizer only after the plants break dormancy. The same early spring period is a good time to apply epsom salts & work in some alfalfa. Some years, tho, I wait until later in the season (mid-June) to add those. I assume that the residuals of my early fall application of Mills Magic are still available to the plants, so I won't reapply that again until the first flush finishes (mid to late May here).

Probably no 2 gardeners, even those in close proximity, approach fertilizing in the same way. You just have to develop your own method & remember that our roses are quite forgiving. That said, I still discourage you from pumping on the nutrients this early in an effort to promote new growth.

A saying that I heard when I first started growing roses was " Don't feed a rose to make it grow, feed a rose when it wants to grow". The person who told me this explained it this way, when you see a rose is not growing because its too cold or too hot, it won't grow even if you give it fertilizer so it doesn't do any good to feed it. When a rose is actively growing, that's the time to feed it because its hungry & will take up the fertilizer that you give it.

I was at the Antique Rose Emporium a couple of weeks ago to purchase a few roses that I had been longing for. In discussing the care of my roses in my garden with their salesman, he suggested that I not fertilize any of my roses at this time.

Well, thats it. I will just wait. Time will pass soon enough......I will content myself with making some new beds. Thanks, you all, for reining me in. Jardineratex, what roses did you buy from ARE? That is one of my "rites of spring" to go there when the bluebonnets are in full bloom. I went in fall, it was lovely.
Judith

Judith, when do you prune? After pruning I put down alfalfa meal and a timed release fertilizer before I lay the fresh mulch down. The theory being that these things won't start working until the soil warms up. This has worked well for me. I won't even start pruning for at least another month though, maybe 6 weeks.

Carol

Hi Judith, I purchased two Valentine, one Nur Mahal, one Phaleonopsis and one Jane Bullock. I have a perfect spot for the valentines and Nur Mahal has a great fragrance and NO thorns. The Phaleonopsis grabbed my attention when I saw a massive display of bloom (on 12/27). The Jane Bullock is an experiment for me. I want to try the Pioneer roses and, since I have practically no yellow roses, this one jumped into my wagon. I have a couple of Buck roses that I completely love, but this will be my first Pioneer.
I may bump into you when the bluebonnets are in bloom. I also feel it is a required trip to A.R.E. that time of year!

Carol, I prune on Valentines Day. Our weather is funny here.....about that time, we have not had much freezing weather and things are starting to wake up. But.....on Good Friday last year, we had a huge snowfall, never in my 59 years have I seen that! We are having temps in the 30-40s at night....This time of year I have trouble leaving the roses alone......I know better, but just had to ask and see if anyone else is doing anything!

Jardineratx, you picked some nice ones! I have Valentine and Phalenopsis - this one is always in bloom, I bought another last fall. I want Nur Mahal, love the bloom color. You will love the Pioneer roses and want more. I adore Coles Settlement - big white blooms, an interesting fragrance that I love. SFA, Caroline Hairston, Anson Jones and my favorite F.J. Lindheimer are great! An overlooked rose is Coral Beauty. I just added another of those in the fall. Old Baylor, in a large pot, is a superb grower and blooms all the time. I plan to make it a specimen shrub. Any of those Pioneers are going to be good, more people should grow them. January is a hard month for me.....too early for lots of things......but I will get taxes done and over with, then when February hits...I am off and running. I check with ARE and find out when the bluebonnets are peaking, and that is when I go. I have a friend from Houston, we go on a Friday, take a picnic and try to avoid the hoardes of people up there that time of year. Maybe we can meet up! If there is heaven on earth, it is at that time of year at ARE!
Judith

LOL, I know what you mean. I get itchy pruning fingers every year about this time!

Carol

The rule of thumb for feeding roses, which seems to work in any climate, is to not fertilize until the roses have put out 4" of new growth. When they start growing in spring, they're using energy they stored in the canes and roots from last year. Fertilizer won't make that happen any sooner.

Nitrogen has to be processed by soil microbes before the plants can use it, and the soil microbes go dormant when the soil is too cold or wet. The plants won't be growing then either, because they can't if the soil microbes are not providing them with processed nitrogen. Roots and microbes work together and need the same conditions. Fertilizing too early leaves the fertilizer exposed to rain and snowmelt, which can wash the nutrients away and pollute the local groundwater or streams. Nitrogen in particular, and epsom salt too, wash away very easily.

When you prune you can add organic fertilizers that need extra time to break down, like the Mills and the alfalfa, but the epsom salt is very water soluble and will wash away. The once bloomers can be fed in spring same time as the repeat bloomers.