Anyone using David Austin's rose food?

9 years ago

I am looking for a new OTC rose food for Austin's, Bourbons and hybrid teas.
Wondered if anyone had any experience with David Austin's brand?
I know that Roses Unlimited recommends an organic fertilizer as well....

Sadly, I do not have time for handmade concoctions as I have a three year old, and another one shortly on the way, so need something easy.

Any input would be appreciated!
Thank you,
Adrianne :-D

Featured Answer

shopshops

9 years ago

Funny that you should post this question. This year I decided to stick to only organic fertilizers. I own 102 roses (aiming for 150) and am trying to find a cost effective, efficient way( together with manure for soil improvement) to fertilize just twice a year I used:
DAVID AUSTEN ROSE FOOD
ROSE TONE
PLANT TONE and
JOBE'S ORGANIC ROSE FOOD FOR KNOCKOUTS

I also used FISH FERTILIZER AND SEAWEED EXTRACT
on my roses that were newly planted in the fall.

The conclusion of my experiment is that all of the roses that were fertilized period... all had green leaves and excellent blooms. I did not notice a difference in performance. The only thing I will say is that the organics appear to help better with leafing out than the chemical pearlized fertilizers. This year all of my roses have had healthy, bushy growth than in previous years. I might add that we have also had more rainfall this year than in the past three years or so.

I used all of the fertilizers mentioned randomly on my Chinas, Teas, Moderns, Hybrid Perpetuals, noisettes, Austins and the few hybrid teas I own. By this I mean I did not use Austin fertilizer on the Austins and Knockout fertilizer on the knockouts.

I sum up by saying in my short, unscientific experiment I think the organics produce a similar effect irregardless of brand. As a side note the Austin fertilizer was much pricier than the others.

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Comments (6)

mariannese
9 years ago
Roses cannot read, you can give them whatever you can lay hands on. Cow or horse manure is good for improving the structure of the soil and is a slow release fertilizer but may be difficult to find in the city. A balanced liquid feed for house plants is good enough if you don't have too many roses but needs to be applied with every watering in diluted form.

I use only bagged cow manure because it is easily availble and I put it on in late winter. Remontant roses may get some liquid feed it they are lucky but then I have very rich clay that seems to be rich enough for my roses.
nastarana
9 years ago
I like rose tone, or plant tone, available in most garden centers.
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Krista_5NY
9 years ago
I use the Austin rose food, and like it. It's expensive, and I use it sparingly. The pellet formula is handy for a precise application.

I also use Rose Tone and like this as well.
rosefolly
9 years ago
I use any of several organic fertilizer mixes that I find in the nursery. Their formulas seem quite similar so I have no brand loyalty in this area. However, I use the balanced general fertilizer rather than the specific rose one.

I do not use any chemical fertilizer. My reading has convinced me that it can be detrimental to the microbial life of the soil which supports plant health. I do sometimes add soil sulfur to plants that require a more acid soil, blueberries for example.

I also use very well composted horse manure some years to condition the soil and add some nutrients. I have an excellent source nearby. However, I do not use manure in drought years to avoid the accumulation of salts in the soil. Heavy rains will wash the salts out, but we have not seen those heavy rains of late. We have now had three drought years in a row, and may or may not be headed into a fourth, winter being our season for rain. These dry western soils are susceptible to the build up of salts so a gardener must be careful.

And I often top this all off with a wood chip mulch. Not every year, just when that top layer is getting thin. While it persists, it cools the soil and conserves moisture. As it decomposes it contributes to the soil conditioning. It does a some of the good that composted manure would do, but more slowly and with a more rustic appearance.

Rosefolly
Adrianne
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the great info!
I appreciate it.
Adrianne