I'm scared of fertilizer burn so I'd rather underfeed than overfeed. Part of the reason is that once I have the fertilizer in hand, I'd rather be using it than testing on a few plants with a certain quantity and waiting on some results.

Once I'm more confident in the underfeeding results, then I might try the regular dosages.

However, that not all plants seem to be affected may lead one to think that those other particular plants may not like this fertilizer. Need more research on this, including the possibility that these plants, having had 9" of rain, just had a worse day when you added more water -- which was actually also delivering fertilizer, but it was water focused on their roots or drip line area.

Both those two above have a handle on it.

"I have such bad luck with fertilizer. "

The answer's right there: if it doesn't work, don't do it. Think of fertilizer as a remedy for an observed deficiency instead of as a preventative routine.

And think of whether you have ANY reason to trust giant chemical companies. Lawn chemical commercials are more unrealistic and surreal than a Roadrunner cartoon, eh?

Is it possible you are splashing fertilizer on the stems and leaves?

Miracle Gro is supposed to be a foliar fertilizer, meaning that it should be spayed on plants. That it does not work is not relevant to the manufacturer or sellers.

Did this garden need "fertilizer"? Did a soil test say the soil was deficient in nutrients? Applying "fertilizer" to plants and soil that does not need any can create more problems than it will solve. Yellowing of leaves (chlorosis) has many causes as this article will indicate. http://urbanext.illinois.edu/hortanswers/detailproblem.cfm?PathogenID=62

What is the soil pH in that garden?

How much Organic Matter is in that soil?

A soil test done by your University of Kentucky is inexpensive ($6.00 per sample) and helps you begin to provide a good healthy soil that will grow strong and healthy plants.

http://soils.rs.uky.edu/tests/sampletype.php#Soils

kimmq is kimmsr

I'm thinking it might be chlorosis on my rambler at least. I was looking outside as the sun set after my original post last night, and noticed that the yellow leaves do have green veins.

I've done no real soil tests. When I first started gardening, I did an alkaline/acid test using red cabbage and distilled water. That told me only that my soil is alkaline, but not the actual level of alkalinity.

The topsoil here is about 3-4 inches deep, and below that it's red clay, so there should be plenty of iron. Did all the rain make it hard for the rose to take up the iron, and the fertilizer only exacerbated it? Should I do anything to correct it, or just leave it be and once it eventually stops raining it'll self-correct?

The reason I'm fertilizing the roses is my mother always told me that roses are heavy feeders. I've got Osmocote as well... would that be better to use, or should I just skip fertilizing entirely this year?

Thanks for the suggestion of sending a soil sample to UK, I'll do that as well.

I used horse manure for years to fertilize my plants. Now that the last old pony has gone to greener pastures I use compost. I guess to most, these would be considered mulch, but really they contain all the nutrients plants need, so to me mulch = fertilizer. Indoors I keep a small aquarium with goldfish. I change the water in their tank every week and the used fish water is an excellent fertilizer for my house plants. I take the excess water outdoors to use on outdoor plants as well.

I concur with others here that Miracle Grow chemical fertilizers are not needed, and can be harmful. I never use them.

As far as the natural fertilizers/mulch I mentioned above, I apply them in the fall, but have used them in spring on occasion. Horse manure that has not aged can burn plants, but the other natural fertilizers would be safe enough to use this time of the year. The used fish water can be used year round.

Well, a couple things:

How many pitchers you poured on is important but doesn't mean much without knowing how much fertilizer you dissolved in each pitcher.

If you had 10" of rain with clay soil, I am not surprised the plants are near drowned. So wait it out and see how they do when it dries up a bit.

Using a liquid fertilizer when things are that soaking wet is probably a waste of fertilizer. The ground is so wet that it will be diluted and probably wash down into the soil with additional rains. If I fertilize with this stuff, which I do occasionally for specific purposes, I usually do it in slightly drier weather. If the plants are barely awake for spring they can't absorb much now anyway. MG is really best for containers where there isn't much nutrition in the potting mix.

Osmocote is slow release, maybe you will be happier with that. Just make sure any granular fert is sprinkled very thinly and not dropped in clumps. My dear wife has burned/killed plants by dropping a tablespoon at the base of the plant, or getting granules on the leaves. It's not so bad with osmocote but still, be careful with the stuff.

Finally, if you boost your soil health with compost and degradable mulches (leaves, shredded wood, etc.), your plants will grow well with little or no additional fertilizer. :-D

No fertilizer for you anymore. Add organic matter until you have ten earthworms per shovelful. at that point your plants will have long term fertilization.

The bottom line is never fertilize just a matter of course or as an annual/seasonal thing. It is usually unnecessary and fertilizing too often or when not necessary is worse than not fertilizing at all. If you don't get a soil test done, learn how to 'read' your plants for indications of any nutrient deficiencies. If they are of good color, flowering as they should and with normal rates of growth, then they have everything they need.

And pay attention to all the comments about using compost or other nutrient rich mulches (organic matter). That you can (and should) apply at least annually and forget about fertilizing altogether.

And comments like 'roses are heavy feeders' are a little misleading. They do not require any heavier nutrient input than any other plant type. Unless you are growing show roses :-) I grew many types of roses in my old garden and they did beautifully with just the routine applications of compost. And rabbit poop - this is barely recycled alfalfa and alfalfa (or prepared alfalfa meal) and roses are good friends. Alfalfa meal is an organic nitrogen source, providing approximately the same NPK nutrient levels as most finished compost plus contains a natural plant growth hormone that roses (and clematis) appreciate.

I mulch with wood chips (store bought, in a bag) every year... so that's good enough?

I can't really build a compost pile, since this is an apartment complex. I tried once, and it was going good for a couple seasons until the complex decided they didn't want a pile of stuff around the back of the building anymore.

I guess I kinda just assumed I needed fertilizer. The previous tenant didn't take care of the garden at all... it was completely overrun with weeds and mint when I moved in. The rambler was bare diseased canes with just a few leaves, and the knock-out rose was covered in powdery mildew in deep shade, and obviously dying. I moved the knock-out rose, cleared the weeds and mint, mulched, and treated the rambler in fall '13. Spring '14 the knock-out rose took off and the rambler put out an amazing number of flowers. That's was all the encouragement I needed to really start working on creating the garden, and I added all sorts of plants, including the bourbon rose which has been pretty much trouble free so far. So here I am wondering what else I can do to get the kind of results I had last spring, and I thought enriched soil would be the answer. lol guess not.

I'll let everything dry out and see how it does, if it ever stops raining. Thanks for the advice everyone! I'm hoping by the time I have enough for a house, I'll be good at this stuff. I'll probably take most of my plants with me too, since I've gotten attached.

Iron is only one part of plant chlorosis and if the soil is on the alkaline side of the pH scale that Iron may not be available to the plants.

Before doing much of anything, except maybe adding organic material, have a good reliable soil test done. Soil pH for most plants is best if in the 6.0 to 7.0 range, a CEC in the upper teens to low twenties, and balanced nutrient levels. While high levels of Nitrogen can make plants look quite good that same N can interfere with the plants use of other essential nutrients such as Potash.

kimmq is kimmsr

Another thing you can add to the wood chip mulch is packaged pelleted alfalfa (that hasn't yet been run through the rabbit!) in the form of rabbit feed or horse feed from your local feed store. If the main ingredient is pelleted alfalfa, it will be good for your garden, fortified with minerals and vitamins. It's a pity that your apartment complex doesn't allow composting, but I would think that alfalfa pellets covered with wood chips would make a good nutritious organic mulch mix that no one could object to.

If you can't compost, use whatever you were composting as mulch. Pulled weeds, fall leaves, etc. Kitchen scraps you can bury if you have an empty spot. If appearance is an issue, rake the pretty mulch back, add your garden trimmings, leaves, grass clippings, etc. and cover again with the mulch. That stuff will feed the soil below as it decomposes.