I am in zone 6 also and live by the ocean which keeps the air temperature up in the Fall. I start feeding in Mid May and stop feeding at the end of September.

Thank you Carol! Thats good to know...early or mid sept should still be all right for me.

What type of fertilizer are you using? I stop in August, I use dry organics like Espoma Holly-tone.

I use dry organics and slow release granules. Of late I have been using alfalfa tea over what I had added to the soil and this seems to be promoting a lot of growth. Thank you Diane

Espoma Rose Tone

"Conventional" wisdom is 6-8 weeks prior to your first frost. I follow this 6-8 week before the 1st frost guide because I do not want to do anything that would "promote/ really push " a certain amount of growth when roses actually begin to naturally want to slow down, thus potentially causing issues during colder temperatures, especially if it drops to a point out of the ordinary. YMMV as I have never gardened in an area where we got a real Polar Vortex and can play a little more fast and loose with my roses in that way, but tend to err on the side of caution with my roses. Playing around with the Summer heat... for me...now that is a different story altogether!!

The problem with frost dates is mother nature is fickle, always has been, and as a result, many err on the side of the earliest potential frost date average versus the date from the year prior. You could use this to see averages for your area:

https://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-new-york-first-frost-date-map.php

Or the Farmer's Almanac etc.

With all of that communicated, Seil referred to "organics" being used at any time. Organics feed/improve the soil, which makes for stronger roses. She definitely is a very knowledgeable rose grower, especially regarding growing roses in colder climates, through Polar Vortexes, in pots... etc.

In the North, roses greatly reduce their growth because of the short hours of daylight. In the early Fall, we transition from 11 hours of daylight to about 9 and a half through the Winter. In early Spring I spread a full bag of composted cow manure around each rose. I bag per plant.

This is off topic but how have you found making alfalfa tea in the city. I am in brooklyn and really curious to try it, but concerns about the smell have stopped me.

Thank you so much folks. I think this is an important topic at least for me.

Seil: I have never thought it out as you say. When you say 'the roses continue to grow' do you mean roots and hardening? You dont mean "promote/really push" as Lynn says like spring growth do you? I get your logic and it makes sense to me. The plants still need to photosynthesize but the energy gained is stored in different way not as new shoots and leaves. Right? And the roses will continue to need a nourishing soil for that. This is what I gather. I also have heard to tilt the feeding towards the K.

Matt: I am very close to the city in lower westchester. There is an aa thread currently running where people weigh in with exactly the same issue (smell)....amongst other thoughts. I find it smells but not much at all if you keep the container you are making it in covered. And it smells as you add it to the soil but disappears as soon as it hits the soil. My backyard was no problem but the front yard could have been tricky but it worked out. Read the thread. I am having very pleasing results from aa tea.

Katyajini -

I wrote-

"With all of that communicated, Seil referred to "organics" being used at any time. Organics feed/improve the soil, which makes for stronger roses."

You had written - "I use dry organics and slow-release granules"

The key is feeding "organics", to the soil, which improve the soil and make for healthy roses. I think that is key and what Seil is communicating which makes sense to me. I do not think she would suggest using Miracle-gro or some other non-organic slow release fertilizer at any time on roses in cold Winter climates.

Yes Lynn I understood that part (about dry organics and soil) too and the message is very well taken! Thank you! I just did not repeat it. I thought "really push" meant the spring kind of growth not the end of Fall kind of growth. I am sorry if I misunderstood or misrepresented something. I am learning a lot from you.

No problem, Katyajini

Depending upon what is used, fertilization can promote OR really push growth OR blooms, OR just make plants stronger, even if one is using organics... but of course, there are other variables...

I have been on this forum a while now, and have read the stories when folks in cold climates have lost roses during the Winter, including roses that are really treasured. Loss because of relaxed practices, weather events, trial and error loss, especially taking up practices of those who garden in different conditions, flukes etc... It is unfortunate, but some of it is avoidable...

yup!