Totoro, I have already put on organic rose fertilizer and manure this month. My roses sound like they are at your buds swelling/tiny leaf stage. Here, I wanted to get this done while we still have rain coming. Our mediterranean dry summer ahead would leave all surface amendments not soaking in at all if I wait too long. We use drip irrigation May and on to fall. We get little rain May to October.

I'm trying to play catchup with the initial winter season fertilization. I'm in FL zone 9B where I usually get caught without pruning the roses but the buds are popping in the cold of January. I like to get the roses fertilized once they are awakened from the cold with the buds popping but right after I prune them.

As for fish emulsion, it was a one time thing for me. It stinks too much for my liking to use again. But if you really hate your neighbor, I can see how it would be a good thing.

Still snow on the ground so nothing yet. It doesn't pay for me to put fertilizer down until after the ground thaws. Before that nothing sinks in it just rolls off. I usually put a dry slow release down as I go along doing my spring pruning. Depending on weather that's late March or early April. The soil needs to be thawed and warm enough for the the roses to begin to grow before they start taking it up anyway.

Looks like I’m behind. should I fertilize the new ones in the grow bags?

I bought four bags of Citrus Tone at Walmart for $10 each. Have never bought Citrus Tone, usually get Plant Tone or Holly Tone. Have paid up to $30 for a bag of Rose Tone. But Citrus Tone seems to have pretty much the same ingredients. I think they sent Citrus Tone up here by mistake. Anyway it smells very potent, guess it's the chicken manure in it.

I have not put it out yet though plants are leafing out early. I like to do it before a rain also but we are expecting five days of rain and I think it could be too much. Might wash it away. Probably will put mine down in March.

I did alfalfa tea last year for the first time and was amazed at the basals. I brewed the tea before it got hot and it never developed the legendary stink. Smelled great in fact, like hay. The stink is from anaerobic bacteria which is not good in itself. I think I'll go get a bag of alfalfa cubes at Tractor Supply and make the tea again in March. I steeped it only four or five days...might try five to seven days this time if no stink develops...I do not want to get that stinky stuff on me . I always get liquid food splashed on myself. I make it up in a big Rubbermaid type tub and scoop it out.

Oh, I'm in zone 7.

Is there a difference in making up the alfalfa tea and sprinkling the alfalfa pellets around the roses? Its easier to sprinkle the pellets which is what I do - but just wondering if the tea has any greater benefits?

The tea totally reeks! The longer you let it sit, the worse it is. At the bottom of the bucket will be thick runny brown sludge and it smells the way it looks! Stupid plants love it though. It does work better than the pellets..maybe its fermented and more readily available (broken down) to the plants.

I can’t take the smell of alfalfa tea. :-) A farmer told me to soak the alfalfa with hot water, after it cools down put the soaked alfalfa by the roses. I will try that again just for the spring. Have to check out Citrus Tone at Walmart. Thanks for mentioning it. I am planning to apply miracle gro for fast action too., also the midge treatment as well. Have to start early this year.

Thanks everyone for chiming in. I read so many different things ranging from before dormancy breaks to only after there is 6 in of growth and 5 leaflet leaves.

I now understand the concern of the rain washing away the fertilizer if the ground is frozen (had not thought about that). I think I get a lot of freeze- thaw of the ground. In the future maybe I should try to fertilize and water in during warm spells in late winter which I think is what causes the buds to swell. Although I read with fort grafted roses, they will wake up when there is more water.

I have been saving eggshells all winter for roses. When do you guys put out eggshells?

I think eggshells take a while to break down . I used to compost directly onto my hydrangeas and the shells would take a while. So go for it now!! Also birds will find it useful if they find it and are in reproduction mode. They need the extra calcium and it’s better than eating other eggs which some will do .

I don’t have a set date of when to fertilize. I am getting antsy but will wait at least two weeks ( but if it gets warmer I probably won’t be able to wait! )

Boy I'm late I guess. I'm on day two of alfalfa brewing. I don't care how bad it stinks. I'd do the hop on one leg, full moon, chicken shaking if it worked. :-/ lol *I did throw some rose tone down a couple weeks ago after it rained. I thought it was going to rain some more, but it didn't. I bet some of it blew away. It was wet enough to stick, but probably didn't soak in very well. As I type these things, I'm realizing why most of my roses hate me. ohh yeah the rose tone smelled just as bad if not worse than the tea, and the powder got on my sleeve/arm. It took me an hour to figure out why I couldn't stop smelling it. Thought it was in my nose.

I use Espoma Rose Tone and I am in Zone 6 which means we can have a hard frost up to Memorial Day. I start fertilizing on May 15 and repeat every month through September.

witchy, I have a little rake to mix in the Tone. That way it doesn't just sit on the top and get blown away.

That's a good idea VV. Usually I use liquid, but I had it, so I scattered it around. Thought for sure it was going to keep raining that day.