I use Neptune's Harvest and think my plants like it. A little goes a long way. It's made from a cold process, which is better than a cooked emulsion. I also use alfalfa that I purchase very reasonably at an animal feed store. An Heirloom Roses representative emailed me the following about alfalfa, so I know they support it:

Alfalfa is a nice additive and in fact, we do say that Alfalfa is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals, and it has the ability to fix nitrogen and improve soil structure as it disintegrates. Alfalfa yields an alcohol, triacontanol, which is a growth stimulant that produces basal breaks. We recommend that you do not apply alfalfa as a heavy mulch on your roses. You only need to use 1 cup around each large rose bush, and less for minis. Use about three times a year.

In the addition to the above, I mix used coffee grounds from Starbucks (free if you ask) with a bit of chicken manure at the start of spring.

News roses you can either skip fertilizing the first season or use a weaker solution of fertilizer about 4-6 weeks or so after planting...Neptunes Harvest should be ok...

should use the alfalfa with the new roses? It seems like it may pack too big of a punch

I'd use Alfalfa next year if you choose to do so...

Alfalfa has a low NPK of about 3-1-2, but waiting after the first year is fine. I usually sprinkle a few pellets the first year instead of 1 cup.

I use Alaska Fish Fertilizer on all my baby roses and just a couple of tablespoons of alfalfa meal scratched in. I keep seeing things about not choosing higher P content than N in the NPK count for roses. Alaska FF is 5-1-1 I believe, and I've never had any issues with the babies. They seem to do very well. Good luck and enjoy!

All roses love a fish fertilizer, drink especially the young ones. Alfalfa does best on the rose roots as it contains a stimulant for the roots. Unless the roses are small own root, I would not give them any fertilizer until next spring. Make them push their roots down so when they start to put on strong growth, the roots will be able to support it.

Everyone does things different you just have to figure out how you want to approach growing roses in the first season and beyond and what you think works best for you... Best of luck with your roses and please post pics when they bloom! ;-)

My choice is to spread my (well) composted homemade yard waste material around new roses after I plant them and that's all I do... After that first season I topdress each rose bush with the same (well) composted yard waste material each fall and that's about it until the next year...Sometimes I throw some uncomposted leaves I shred into the rose beds also... I do not use store bought fertilizers anymore...Works really well for me here! :)

But roses also seem to love fish and alfalfa as stated above by others...So its all up to you...

Am I the only one who uses miracle gro????

I use Dr. Earth Total Advantage (4-6-2) and Dr. Earth Flower Girl which targets bud and blooming (3-9-4) 100% organic or so the package says hehe.. So far I've had good results.

Streisand, you're not alone I am a novice rose gardener and I use miracle gro potting soil for planting new roses. All my roses are in pots.

Well, as I mentioned in the "Spring has Sprung" thread, I use a whole s***load of manure, plus Plant Tone, Holly Tone, or Rose Tone--they're pretty much the same. I buy the Tones in big bags off Amazon, checking carefully to see the cheapest price, which can change hourly, practically. Plus I get free shipping. I don't think Amazon makes a cent on my order, shipping 50 pounds of Plant Tone for free. I can barely drag the box to the garage-ha. Diane

Oh, yes, I use Miracle Grow in mid summer when I can't get underneath the roses (too much stuff growing all over the place). I use a hose end sprayer for that. Diane

Talking just about the N-P-K ratio and your soil's particular properties not withstanding, roses tend to be heavier nitrogen users, lighter potassium users and even lighter phosphorus users. Thus professionals growing roses tend to use a 3-1-2 ratio fertlizer (or approximate multiples of this). Roses also tend to need quite a bit of magnesium. But this is all theoretical unless you cultivate roses hydroponically, in pots or under intense cultivation since in all other cases your soil's particular properties are most important. Generally in the average garden environment it is nitrogen that is easily depleted. Potassium might be sometimes needed and phosphorus is seldom lacking. I would tend to shy away from anything that has a proportionally high middle number (phosphorus P) since this is seldom lacking, more often than not there's more of it than is required causing more bad than good which is difficult to rectify because P is not leached away by rain or irrigation, it is difficult to be used by the plants if not integrated deeply into the root zone and phosphorus deficiencies are usually caused by factors other than lack of elemental P in your soil. In addition to all this, most of the common oversimplified wisdom about the 3 main macronutrients are just garden myths (e.g. P for roots, K for blooms etc etc etc) perpetuated by fertilizer manufacturers, salesmen and self appointed gardening gurus.

For anybody growing roses in pots the 3-1-2 (or multiples) rule of thumb can be helpful. The amount of fertilizer applied is based on the amount of nitrogen required and the % of nitrogen in the fertilizer, with a good rule of thumb being 150-250 parts per million in the watering solution. Thus, the amount of fertilizer to apply depends on the first number which signifies how much nitrogen (N) the fertilizer contains in percentage terms. Magnesium and other nutrients should be also provided when growing roses in pots.

Well thank you everyone for sharing your experience with me! I think I've got a plan. The babies should be here early next week. I can't wait! I haven't had an opportunity to play in my garden yet this season. wish me luck!

Thanks again!

Dale

I also use Miracle Gro Rose food(water soluble) and mix it 1/3 strength, I feed my roses every two weeks. I do this with new and old plants, they are all healthy. MG also contains micro-nutrients(iron, manganese, etc).