Organic or Synthetic Fertilizer for Roses: Which Is Better?
Organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses… which one really is better? We’re going to find out, because it’s twelve rounds for the title as these two slug it out right here in The Renaissance Garden Guy. Let’s get ready to rumble!!!
By John G. Stamos
Table of Contents
Introduction
My parents were serious rose lovers and rose growers who’d raised some real beauties over the years. I’ll always remember the shrub roses, the hybrid teas, and the climbers that graced their gardens and enchanted guests and visitors with their gorgeous blooms. Those memories inspired me to implement my own rose garden when, years and years later, I myself took up the activity of gardening in fairly earnest fashion (and, as you’ll read shortly, those memories further guided my hand when it came to my own rose care and feeding methodology).
So, here we are now, in RGG land, where the life and times of my own roses have, on a number of occasions, been celebrated in story and song. Ok, so there haven’t been any rapturous RGG rose bush paeans wafting along on Michiana Shores summertime zephyrs, but, I have written about my roses, at least. And, a whole boatload of pics of the roses that grow in my garden are pasted all over the Roses Image Gallery right here in The RGG. I’ve even shot a couple of RGG YouTube Channel vids about deadheading and hard pruning them. In terms of the written articles that have appeared here in The RGG, two are relevant because in them I discussed, at some length, my rose fertilizing predilections. For some perspective, and an updated (as of 2023) qualifying position statement, check out “How to Prepare Roses for Winter: A Field Guide” and “The Way to Prune and Deadhead Roses During the Growing Season, or, How I Beat My Rose Bushes into Submission.”
In each of those articles, I’d relayed the fact that, at the times they were respectively published, I was feeding both organic and synthetic (inorganic) rose food to my rose plants: the former type to my full-sized plants, and the latter to my miniatures. Although I retroactively added a qualifying amendment to those articles concerning what I’ve been feeding my roses since the beginning of the 2023 growing season, I felt that a side-by-side comparison of the two types of rose fertilizers was in order. The reality, sports fans, is this: Roses are massively heavy feeders. Those insane blooms and that lush foliage, and the regiment of ever-developing mighty stems that supports them, require an enormous amount of energy in order to remain a continual part of the summertime rose garden show. Roses need to be fed, and they need to be fed in the best way possible.
So, organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses… which is it? Is one kind really better than the other at making your roses big, bad, and beautiful? In this article, you’re going to get enough info to help you make your own decision. I’m going to tell you in what forms both organic and synthetic fertilizers are available commercially to consumers, and I’m going to explain the characteristics of each of those forms and explain what it is that makes it either organic or synthetic. I’ll discuss how organic and synthetic fertilizers – and the forms in which they’re available – act upon an individual rose plant and the soil in which that plant grows. I’ll identify the pros and cons of organic and synthetic fertilizers and each of their forms. I’ll give you my notes from the field – how my roses performed in my own garden as a result of feeding them each type. Then I’ll give you my “Organic or Synthetic Fertilizer for Roses” verdict. I’ll lay some excellent product recs on you. I’ll point those of you who want to make your own organic fertilizers from scratch to some interesting recipe sources. Finally, I’ll give you my typical RGG bibliography/”For Further Reading” list. And throughout the article, you’ll see some fairly illustrative pics.
Organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses? My own opinion based on my research and my experience is on tap for you right here, but, more importantly, the info you’ll need to make up your own mind is, too. Here you go…
Organic or Synthetic Fertilizer for Roses? Know One from the Other
Organic Fertilizers: Two Forms - Granular and Liquid
Granular Organic Fertilizers
What are granular organic fertilizers? A granular organic fertilizer is a solid material(s) derived from plant, animal, and/or mineral substances that is processed by microbes living in the soil to which it is applied.¹⁻⁴ These soil microbes convert this form of organic fertilizer’s animal/plant/mineral components to a chemical form that a plant – roses, in the case of this article – can assimilate and utilize.⁵⁻⁷ Organic fertilizers amend – and actually feed – the soil, which in turn feeds the rose plant. All of the components of an organic fertilizer, whether of animal, plant, or mineral origin, are acted upon by soil microbes and turned into food for the rose plant. Many granular organic fertilizers include colonies of beneficial soil microbes in their formulations. The one that I use for my roses definitely does: it includes in its formulation several massive colonies of beneficial soil microbes, in addition to its plant, animal, and mineral nutrient components. These microbe colonies, along with the microbes already present in the soil at the time of the fertilizer’s application, biologically convert plant, animal, and mineral nutrients into forms that are readily accessible by the plant. As an example, this particular excellent granular organic rose fertilizer that I use for all of my roses contains nitrogen in both mineral form (ammoniacal nitrogen in a small percentage), and in organic form (a much larger percentage). Soil microbes, through a biological process called nitrification, convert the ammonium component of the mineral nitrogen form to nitrates that plants can assimilate and utilize.⁵ And the organic, insoluble nitrogen component of my granular organic rose fertilizer’s formulation relies on soil microbes to metabolize and break down its organic compounds, through a process called mineralization, into inorganic compounds, or ions, that my rose plants can readily access and use.⁷
Nutrients and granular organic fertilizers: How they work on and with the soil. In establishing my own preference for either organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses, it was crucial for me to understand how each type worked. Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, N-P-K, are the Big Three in terms of necessary plant nutrients, but granular organic fertilizers generally contain other important nutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, and hormones in their formulations, as well. In organic fertilizer formulations, nirtogen, phosphorous, and potassium, specifically, exist in lower percentages than in synthetic fertilizers.¹⁻⁴ And, although many organic fertilizers will include at least portions of these nutrients in mineral (inorganic compound) form, any microbes included in a particular granular organic fertilizer’s formulation, along with the beneficial microbes already present in the existing soil, will first convert the fertilizer’s nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium content, and any additional nutrients/micronutrients the fertilizer contains, into forms accessible by a particular rose plant.⁵⁻⁷ And not only do these soil microbes – in gradual, continual fashion – convert a particular granular organic fertilizer’s N-P-K to a usable form for the plant, they’ll also do the same for any forms of N-P-K already present in the existing soil. There’s a reason that the N-P-K percentages are lower in organic fertilizers than in synthetic products: a little goes a long way. The action of the all-important soil microbes ensures a slow, steady, available source of nutrition for each rose plant by making the soil in which it grows healthy and fertile. Granular organic fertilizers feed the soil. Synthetic fertilizers (as well as liquid organic fertilizers) feed the plant.
Pros and cons of granular organic fertilizer. There simply are not many drawbacks associated with the use of granular organic fertilizers, while there are practically countless benefits. This is something to bear in mind when deciding whether to use an organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses.
Cons. First, the bad news (relax, it’s not horrible):
- Imprecise amounts of nutrients. Because a good portion of the actual nutrients contained in a particular granular organic fertilizer’s formulation is sourced from natural plant/animal components, the precise ratios and percentages by unit weight are sometimes (usually) impossible to pinpoint.² Further, because microbial action is the catalyzing agent for a particular granular organic fertilizer’s effectiveness, the timing and the intensity of nutrient conversion is difficult to quantify.
- Effects are not immediate. Plants in need of immediate nutrient assimilation will wait longer for granular organic fertilizers, which rely on microbes to first break its nutrient down, to work.¹⁻⁴
Pros. There are many, so I’m just going to give you a few of the biggies.
- Soil improvement. Granular organic fertilizers definitely feed the soil.¹⁻⁷ The presence of nutrients in a particular brand’s formulation, when added to the soil, initiate conversion activity by beneficial microbes already present in the soil. Added to this benefit is the fact that many granular organic fertilizer brands include their own beneficial microbe colonies as a component of their formulations. Application of such products improve soil quality on a virtually limitless number of fronts. One quantifiable soil benefit that accrues as a result of consistent use of a granular organic fertilizer is the maintenance of healthy and acceptable N-P-K levels as measured on a soil analysis meter. This is particularly important for rose plants and their robust canopies of leaves, stems, and flowers, and their continuously questing root systems.
- They don’t burn plants. Two reasons why: First, the amount of each nutrient included in a particular brand of granular organic fertilizer’s formulation is, in comparison to that of a synthetic fertilizer, very small. There’s just not enough “scorch potential” in a granular organic’s formulation.¹⁻⁴ The second reason, again, has to do with the gradual conversion of nutrients by soil microbes, and their subsequent gentle and gradual delivery to a particular rose plant’s root system.¹⁻⁷ Slow and steady wins the race.
- Less frequent applications. Because granular organic fertilizers are converted and delivered for assimilation in such gradual fashion, the time between applications is substantial.¹⁻⁴
- Additional nutrients and micronutrients. In addition to nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, many granular organic fertilizers contain various nutrients and micronutrients critical to the health of roses and other plants, plus any number of vitamins and vital hormones.
- Consistent, healthy root and aerial structure development for fertilized plants. Because granular organic fertilizers are conditioning and feeding the soil in which a particular rose plant grows, that plant will, by following its own natural, biological feeding imperatives, develop more robust roots, stems, foliage, and flowers in an effort to “capture and accommodate” available soil nutrients and sunlight. Translation: bigger, healthier, and more beautiful rose plants.
Liquid Organic Fertilizers
What are liquid organic fertilizers? A liquid organic fertilizer is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a plant food derived from natural animal and/or plant sources (with mineral sources added in the case of some brands, as well) that can be purchased in concentrated liquid or ready-to-use liquid form.¹⁻⁴’¹³ As these organic liquid fertilizers are water-soluble, they do not require microbial action to convert their nutrients to plant-accessible form. Consequently, they usually do not contain beneficial microbe colonies in their formulations. These fertilizers can generally be applied to both the foliage of a particular plant (this is known as a foliar drench) and to the soil in which the plant is bedded. Their application results in immediate uptake by the root and foliar tissues of the plant. The amount of nutrient contained in liquid organic fertilizer formulations is substantially less than in those of liquid synthetic fertilizers. And because their nutrient levels are comparatively low, liquid organic fertilizers can generally be applied with greater frequency than liquid synthetic products with a lower risk of burning a treated plant’s tissues.
Nutrients and liquid organic fertilizers: How they impact the soil. They don’t. These water-soluble organic products are taken up immediately by a particular plant.¹⁻⁴’¹³ Consequently, the soil is literally just a conduit through which the fertilizer travels on its way to the plant’s roots. Any residual amounts of these fertilizers remaining in the soil are quickly leached out and have no lasting impact on the soil, or on any plants growing in it. In some cases, certain nutrient-specific liquid organic fertilizers can be used in conjunction with, and as a supplement to, granular organic fertilizing products. I personally use an iron-specific liquid organic fertilizer in conjunction with one of my favorite granular organic products when feeding my rhododendrons and other acid-loving evergreens. Please click here to read “How to Fix Yellow Rhododendrons (and Azaleas and Pieris, Too)” to learn about this supplementary feeding regimen.
Pros and cons of liquid organic fertilizer. There are a couple of each.
Cons. A double-edged sword or two.
- More frequent applications needed. These products contain lower levels of nutrients in their respective formulations, so you can apply them frequently with a comparatively low risk of burning your plants. The “con” part is the fact that if you’re relying on them as the principal or sole food for your roses, you have to apply them with some definite frequency.¹⁻⁴’¹³
- Zero soil amendment or improvement. These fertilizers do not amend or improve the quality of the soil in which your rose plants grow.¹⁻⁴’¹³
- Difficult to pinpoint exact nutrient amounts. As in the case with granular organic fertilizers, the organic nutrient component of liquid organic fertilizers is difficult to specifically and precisely quantify.¹⁻⁴’¹³
Pros. A few good ones.
- The flip side of the first “con” point: With liquid organic fertilizers, the risk of burning plants is relatively low.¹⁻⁴’¹³
- No soil toxicity. This is a big one if you’re trying to decide on either an organic or synthetic fertlizer for roses, and if you’re set on using either or both of them in liquid form. Since a liquid organic fertilizer is derived from natural sources, there’s absolutely no danger in overdosing the ground with it. It’s entirely eco-friendly.¹⁻⁴’¹³
- Fast, noticeable results. Because these water-soluble, natural products do not need to be “turned on” by soil microbe activity, they are delivered immediately to a particular rose plant’s tissues for fast results. You’ll often see the effects of an application within a few days.¹⁻⁴’¹³
Synthetic Fertilizers: Two Forms - Liquid and Granular Controlled-release
Liquid Synthetic Fertilizers
What are liquid synthetic fertilizers? A liquid synthetic, or inorganic, fertilizer is a plant food source, in liquid form, that contains manufactured chemical nutrients. Such fertilizers are water-soluble and are available for purchase in either granular form (to be mixed with and dissolved in water prior to application), or in concentrated liquid form.¹⁻⁴’¹³ They contain nutrients in lab-created, chemical form. The actual amounts of these chemical, inorganic nutrients contained in a particular liquid synthetic fertilizer are precise, and they exist in much higher levels than those contained in organic fertilizers.¹⁻⁴’¹³ Since they are water-soluble, they do not need soil microbes to render them accessible to plants. Further, since they are present in these fertilizers in comparatively high levels, their application results in immediate assimilation by the treated plant(s). Like their liquid organic fertilizer counterparts, liquid synthetic fertilizers do nothing to amend or improve soil quality, and they need to be applied regularly and fairly frequently. The high amounts of chemical nutrients contained in the formulations of liquid synthetic fertilizers, coupled with the need for frequent applications, demand that great care be taken to not over-fertilize, which would result in burning of treated plants’ tissues.¹⁻⁴’¹³
Nutrients and liquid synthetic fertilizers: How they impact the soil. These water-soluble synthetic products are taken up immediately by a particular plant. Because the nutrients in their formulations exist in synthesized chemical form, microbial action is not a factor in their accessibility to a particular plant’s root system. The plant quickly absorbs what it needs immediately upon the product’s application, and any excess chemical leaches out into the soil and often down into the water table. In this way, an overuse of liquid synthetic fertilizers through perpetually repeated applications can have a negative environmental impact.¹⁻⁴’¹³
Pros and cons of liquid synthetic fertilizers.
Cons.
- No soil improvement. Liquid synthetic fertilizers do not improve or benefit the soil.¹⁻⁴’¹³
- Potential for localized or groundwater toxicity. Chemical nutrients not absorbed by treated plants leaches out and down into the soil, and potentially enters the water table. Environmental toxicity is a possibility with prolonged, regular use.¹⁻⁴’¹³
- Higher risk of scorching plants. Higher concentrations of synthesized chemical nutrients coupled with the need for more regular and comparatively frequent applications make burning plants a possibility.¹⁻⁴’¹³
- Phosphorous overdosing risk. Roses – particularly miniature roses – are basically continual bloomers. This fact, coupled with the common misconception that high levels of supplemental phosphorous are required to maintain all that blooming, results in the proliferation of commercially available liquid synthetic rose fertilizers that contain disproportionately high levels of phosphorous.⁹ When too much phosphorous (remember, the plant will only take up what it needs) enters the soil, it could end up in the water table and interfere with the growth of necessary aquatic organisms.⁸ Also, unabsorbed phosphate leaching out in the soil can kill beneficial soil organisms.⁸ And excessive concentrations of phosphorous in soil can lead to micronutrient deficiencies of zinc and iron.¹⁰
- Limited variety of nutrients. Liquid synthetic fertilizers typically contain few nutrients, or none at all, beyond the usual nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium content.¹⁻⁴’¹³
- Potential for hampering a particular plant’s natural nutrient-gathering biological imperatives. When an individual rose plant’s nutritional needs are delivered to it “on a silver platter,” there’s little incentive for things like new root development to occur. If immediately absorbable nutrients are being funneled directly to its roots, what incentive is there for more extensive, questing root networks to develop?
Pros.
- Effects of application are almost immediate. Liquid synthetic fertilizers are quickly absorbed by plants. The benefits of the influx of nutrients to the tissues of a particular rose plant are noticeable shortly after application.¹⁻⁴’¹³
Granular Controlled-release Synthetic Fertilizers
What is a granular controlled-release synthetic fertilizer? This is a product comprised of manufactured, water-soluble chemicals in granular form that have been modified in various ways to ensure that their accessibility by plants is delayed for certain periods of time.¹¹⁻¹² These chemicals are encapsulated in coatings of various inorganic substances, or insoluble synthetic or natural polymers, that delay their solubility and subsequent assimilation by plants.¹¹⁻¹² This allows for an extended, gradual feeding for the plants.¹¹⁻¹²
Nutrients and granular controlled-release synthetic fertilizers. Although there are a number of granular controlled-release synthetic fertilizers on the market that claim to contain soil-improving components as part of their respective formulations, the essential nature of these fertilizers remains constant: they are synthetic products that delay and prolong the release of water-soluble chemicals into the soil over time for more sustained periods of assimilation by plants.¹¹⁻¹²
Pros and cons of granular controlled-release synthetic fertilizers.
Cons.
- No soil improvement. Assuming no soil-improving additives are present in a particular granular controlled-release synthetic fertilizer, that fertilizer will not improve or benefit the soil.¹¹⁻¹²
- Intervals and amounts of nutrient release can be inconsistent and difficult to predict. The timing and the amount of a particular synthetic nutrient’s release is dependent on the type and thickness of the coatings used to encapsulate it. These factors can vary, and be difficult to anticipate. Nutrients could possibly be released at times when roses can’t utilize them.¹¹⁻¹²
- Limited variety of nutrients. Many granular controlled-release synthetic rose fertilizers contain few nutrients beyond the typical nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium content.¹¹⁻¹²
- Potential for hampering a particular plant’s natural nutrient-gathering biological imperatives. When a plant’s nutritional needs are delivered, in water-soluble form, directly to an individual rose plant’s roots, there’s little incentive for things like new root development to occur. If water-soluble, absorbable nutrients are being funneled directly to its roots, and the soil in which the particular is growing is not being enriched by the synthetic fertilizer’s application, it’s unlikely that new root system expansion and development will occur. In effect, the plant is being “trained to wait for its food.”
Pros.
- Prolonged, gradual feeding periods require less frequent applications. Because the water-soluble nutrients in a granular controlled-release synthetic fertilizer are released in a more gradual fashion over longer periods of time, fewer feedings are required.¹¹⁻¹²
- Plants won’t burn. The more gradual, controlled release of nutrients ensures that rose plants will not burn.¹¹⁻¹²
Organic or Synthetic Fertilizer for Roses? My Notes from the Field
Notes from the Field
Should you use organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses? There’s no better way to answer that question than using them both in the proving ground of your own rose garden. That’s exactly what I did in mine.
Beginning with bias. My parents fed all of their roses a liquid synthetic rose fertilizer, and they were rewarded with awesome results. The product they used was Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Rose Plant food (or at least a 1960s/1970s/1980s version of it). Since I suffer from the dichotomy of being both a traditionalist and a questioning researcher, when it came time for me to decide to take either the organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses position, I split the difference…
Synthetic for minis. My parents’ unwavering use of the synthetic liquid product (along with some of my own nifty research) informed my decision to go with that as the food source for my miniature roses, which, at the time, seemed to be in a constant state of either budding or blooming. My folks, and lots of additional reputable sources I tapped at the time, believed that the product’s high phosphorous content was the key to big-time blooming and lots of other rose plant goodies, as well. It turns out that this is something of a myth.⁹ Phosphorous almost always exists in ample amounts in most garden soils. Even if I’d known this at the time, however, I still would have gone with what my folks were using. Traditionalist. There it is.
Organic for my big bushes. The organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses question persisted until just before the time I bedded my large roses (all in bare root, own root form). That’s when I went with a granular organic product for the big guys. My research convinced me that well-conditioned, fertile, healthy soil was the key to growing consistently healthy and beautiful roses.
Organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses – Miniature rose performance resulting from liquid synthetic fertilizer feeding. I used the synthetic liquid product for three years on my miniature roses. General appearance, size, and bloom power were all excellent every year that the product was in use. Also, improvements in individual rose plant appearance was noticeable usually within a few days of application – it was very fast-acting. I did, however, notice two questionable issues arising as a result of this product’s use. Issue 1: Soil Nutrient Levels. After two years of feeding my miniature roses the synthetic liquid, I began to notice that soil fertility levels were dropping in the immediate locations of some of my synthetically fertilized miniature roses. The soil testing meter I use doesn’t specify which particular nutrient (either N, P, or K) is in question, it just provides an cumulative result. If one or more nutrients are low, it will read a “Low” result. My guess was that it was nitrogen that was low, and I believed what was happening was a natural diminishing of this nutrient through normal leaching and use by the roots of adjacent groundcover plants. The synthetic fertilizer was not doing anything to benefit the soil in which the minis were growing. Issue 2: Less vitality in late winter. My miniature roses came out of hibernation looking not as vibrant and healthy as my larger bushes (which were being fed the granular organic product). The base of each of their main canes did not have as much vibrant green color as those of my large roses, which had been bedded in healthy, enriched soil throughout the entire winter. I believe my miniature roses’ root systems, after having nutrients “delivered right to their doorstep” by the fast uptake, water-soluble liquid synthetic Miracle-Gro, did not grow and develop as extensively as they would have if they’d been growing in nutrient-rich soil (which the organic granular fertilizer would have created for them). By the end of the 2022 growing season, I knew that when it came down to using either organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses – for ALL of my roses – it was going to be organic all the way.
Results of using granular organic rose fertilizer. I’ve used my favorite granular organic fertilizer (you’ll learn exactly which one it is in the “Product Recommendations” section coming up right here in this article) to feed my full-sized rose plants for five years, and my miniature roses now for almost two. The results have been remarkable. In addition to the substantial levels of organic nutrients it contains, this particular granular organic fertilizer also features substantial colonies of beneficial microbes, secondary organic nutrients, trace organic nutrients, vitamins, and plant hormones in its formulation. As a result of feeding this product to my roses, the soil in my rose garden consistently tests in the perfect range for N-P-K levels (it’s clear that the soil amending/improving properties of this granular organic fertilizer are keeping the soil in my rose garden healthy and fertile). And, of course, the roses themselves have been incredibly robust and floriferous. The late winter condition of all of my roses is excellent, with healthy green life evident at the bases and partially up the lengths of main canes and stems. And all of the bushes respond with new healthy growth immediately following hard pruning in late winter.
Organic or Synthetic Fertilizer for Roses? The Verdict
When it comes down to recommending either an organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses, I can give you a verdict based on 1) my research, the results of which I’ve laid out for you in this article, and 2) my own use of two representative products on my roses – one organic product in granular form, and one synthetic product in liquid form.
I appreciate the excellent qualities of the liquid synthetic Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Rose Plant Food, and the excellent results I got by feeding it to my miniature roses for three years. Further, I appreciate the fact that this was the fertilizer that my folks used to grow their own incredible roses. I also cannot discount the fact that a number of successful rose growers I’ve known over the years heartily embrace this product. There’s no doubt that it’s an excellent product.
However…
The granular organic rose fertilizer I’ve been using for five years, and the only rose fertilizer I’ve been using since the very early spring of 2023, is really the stuff. This product, with its amazing formulation of organic nutrients (primary, secondary, and trace), beneficial soil microbes, vitamins, and plant hormones, feeds, enriches, and improves the soil in which my roses grow. The soil analysis meter doesn’t lie – the soil in which my roses grow is measurably good earth. The granular organic food I give my roses ensures that this is so. As a result, the roses themselves respond with ever-expanding, ever-strengthening, efficient root systems, incredibly robust stems and foliage, and magazine cover-worthy blooms. Although the results of applying this amazing granular organic product are measurable by both the numbers on a soil meter and by simply taking in the obvious beauty and vigor of each of my rose plants with my own two eyes, sometimes gardening, and all of its wonders, have less to do with empiricism and more to do with feelings that arise as a result of connecting with the earth, and with the living things growing there. As they pertain to my roses, those arising feelings convey to me a sense of happiness among plants that love the earth in which they grow, and that gratefully partake of more and more of what that earth and the sun and the rains offer them.
So, organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses? For my roses, its organic – specifically, granular organic – all the way. The soil benefits are what make the difference – the healthy, fertile soil that is created through the application of a high-quality granular organic rose food encourages each rose plant growing there to become, in all ways, a better rose plant.
Product Recommendations
So what’s the story? Do you want to use organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses? Good news: I’m recommending one of each kind. The first one is the very granular organic fertilizer I’ve been telling you all about in my field notes above – it’s the one that I’ve been using for 5 years and that every single one of my rose plants now gets. I believe it’s the best rose food on the market. But I’m additionally recommending the excellent liquid synthetic Miracle-Gro product that my folks used, and that I formerly used for my own miniature roses. The fact that I no longer use it is not an indictment of its quality and effectiveness. It’s great stuff, I simply like the organic granular product more.
Whether you settle on either an organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses as a main nutrition staple, you’ll still need to do some additional things to make sure your own roses live their best lives. Keeping them free from nasty, common fungal infections is one of those things. I’m recommending a product I’ve started using this year that’s proving to be a major game changer in my battle against Botrytis rose blight. Do yourself a favor and check this stuff out.
Finally, I’m recommending a little piece of equipment that’s incredibly helpful in determining baseline soil quality levels and growing condition properties. Getting a handle on this info is the critical first step in deciding what to feed your roses. Knowledge, after all, is power.
Here are the recs…
Espoma Organic Rose-tone. This THE fertilizer for ALL of my roses. Roses are seriously heavy feeders. You’ve got to fertilize them. Regularly. I use Espoma Organic Rose-tone. It’s an organic granular with an N-P-K ratio of 4-3-2, and it contains a substantial number of various beneficial active microbe cultures. By improving the soil in which my roses grow, it improves the roses themselves. This is the best rose food I’ve ever used. Period. And as of late winter of 2023, it is the only rose food I use. Period. Espoma recommends a monthly application, so I start the first feeding for my roses at the beginning of April and feed them for the last time no later than the first day or two of September. Click the #advertisement link to learn more, or to order this excellent product right here, directly from Amazon.
Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Rose Plant Food. Should you use organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses? I’m an organic man all the way these days. But I used this excellent liquid synthetic product for three years for my miniature roses right up until early September of 2022. This product has an N-P-K ratio of 18-24-16 and comes in a granular form that gets dissolved in water and is applied from a hose feeder or a watering can. Because it’s in liquid form (after mixing the granules with water) and water-soluble, when it’s applied to the plant’s roots it’s assimilated quickly. And because this product is designed for rapid uptake by the roots of each plant and does not amend the soil through the accumulation of minerals and microbes, its N-P-K percentages are comparatively high. When I was actively using this product, I’d feed it to my minis every two weeks, starting in late March or very early April. The use of this product definitely resulted in wildly huge miniature bushes covered in gigantic blooms. I would always make sure that the last feeding of Miracle-Gro happened in very early September. Although I no longer feed my roses with this excellent product, I know many rose growers who do, and it was the only product my parents used on their own amazing roses. The remarkable results I achieved by applying Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Rose Plant Food to my miniature roses were indisputable. I am happy to continue to recommend this excellent product. Click the #advertisement link to learn more, or to order it here, directly from Amazon.
Arber Bio Fungicide. Got a problem with brown rose buds and flowers? Not anymore. This product gets a full-on, 150%, A+ recommendation. It has, per my own observations, either completely halted, or eliminated the effects of, an active Botrytis blight infection among my roses caused by the fungus Botrytis cinerea. Arber Bio Fungicide is OMRI listed for organic gardening, and its main ingredient is a biological agent: a strain of an aggressive bacteria called Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. As the product forms a protective coating over the foliage of an infected plant, this bacteria goes to work and evidently starts to, among other things, devour the Botrytis cinerea fungus. As stated, the product is proving itself to be effective at treating plants already infected with this fungus. The manufacturer states that Arber Bio Fungicide treats and/or prevents, in addition to Botrytis blight, a number of other plant fungal infections. I highly recommend this product. Click the #advertisement link to learn more about it, or to order it directly from Amazon.
Note: Federal law mandates that all fungicide products must be used in accordance with each respective manufacturer’s product label. When using any fungicide, read all manufacturer’s information and follow all manufacturer’s directions as provided in the product label. Failure to do so is a violation of federal law.
Luster Leaf Rapitest 4-way Soil Analyzer. Before you decide that either organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses is the way to go, it’s best to get a handle on the soil that your roses call home. You need to understand its qualities before you try coaxing performance out of your rose plants. I bought this Luster Leaf Rapitest 4-way soil analysis meter in February of 2022 and have used it successfully time and time again since then to test for soil fertility and pH levels. It also measures sunlight and soil moisture levels. It’s fast, easy to use, convenient, and accurate. By using this device, I’ve been able to determine the necessity of appropriate fertilizer applications and pH amending to the soil of a large number of the plants in my garden. Order it here, directly from Amazon, by clicking the #advertisement link. Note that this unit doesn’t test for iron levels in soil. Also note that I really love this little meter!
Making Your Own Organic Rose Fertilizer
What if the organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses question isn’t a question at all for you? What if you not only know that you want to go organic, but that you also want to make organic? Regular RGG readers and subscribers will be familiar with my high levels of personal laziness. My acute indolence is the reason I initially balked when several readers had contacted me asking about homemade organic rose fertilizer recipes. I mean c’mon, I’m a “buy it, open it, use it, and walk away” kind of guy. I’m not ever going to be caught rounding up and mixing together arcane ingredients like wombat shit, jock itch powder, and shark estrogen just so I can make something in my garden grow bigger flowers. Nope. Ain’t gonna happen. But after something like the 100th RGG reader ever so sweetly asked me about a recipe for homemade organic rose food in a recently submitted RGG “Contact Me” form, I caved and did some research, and was pleasantly surprised by what I found: No wombat shit or Barbary ape afterbirth at all. Just reasonably accessible (and only marginally off-putting) stuff that you can quickly and easily mix together and feed to your roses. I’m including the six recipes (from three different sources) that, if forced at gunpoint, I actually might try. Seriously, these are all awesome recipes that would be great for both your roses and Mother Earth. Here they are in link form:
Bibliography/For Further Reading
In terms of what’s been written in The Renaissance Garden Guy on the subject of roses, I’l provide you with two more links right here: “Planting Bare Root Roses” and “Brown Rose Buds and Flowers: The Cause and the Fix “ are fairly informative, and might be of interest to you.
Below is this feature’s bibliography. It’s the list of cited works that assisted me in writing the article. As always, each entry is listed in link form, so you can click on any of one them to give it a read.
- “Here’s the scoop on chemical and organic fertilizers.” OSU Extension Service, Oregon State University, pp. 1-5.
- “Organic Vs. Synthetic Fertilizers: Differences and Uses.” EOS Data Analytics Blog, pp. 1-14.
- “What is the Difference between Fertilizer Derived from Organic and Synthetic Sources?” Milorganite Blog, pp. 1-9.
- “Organic and Mineral Fertilizers.” IFA Blog, International Fertilizer Association, pp. 1-13.
- “Microbes Play Important Role in Soil’s Nitrogen Cycle.” SSSA Science News, Soil Society of America, pp. 1-2.
- Arjun Kafle, Kevin R. Cope, Rachel Raths, Jaya Krishna Yakha, Senthil Subramanian, Heike Bücking, and Kevin Garcia. “Harnessing Soil Microbes to Improve Plant Phosphate Efficiency in Cropping Systems.” MDPI Agronomy Journal, Volume 9, Issue 3, March 8, 2019, pp. 1-66.
- John Idowu, Nicole Pietrasiak, and Mikaela Hoellrich. “Soil Biological Processes.” New Mexico State University Publications, Agronomy, pp. 1-13.
- Tina Smith and Doug Cox. “Fertilizing Flower Gardens and Avoid Too Much Phosphorous.” Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Updated June 2015, pp. 1-4.
- Esther E. McGinnis. “Dakota Gardener: The myth of high phosphorous fertilizers for more flowers.” Extension and Ag Research News, North Dakota State University, August 2023, pp. 1-2.
- Kerry Smith, Ayanava Majumdar, Charles Mitchell, John Everest, Edward Sikora, Joseph Kemble, and Rufina Ward. “Excessive Phosphorous in Garden Soils.” Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities Extension Blog/Lawn & Garden, February 26, 2019, pp. 1-2.
- Dora Lawrence, See Kiat Wong, Darren Yi Sern Low, Bey Hing Goh, Joo Kheng Goh, Uracha Rungsardthong Ruktanonchai, Apinan Soottitantawat, Learn Han Hee, and Siah Ying Tang. “Controlled Release Fertilizers: A Review on Coating Materials and Mechanisms of Release.” PubMed Central, National Library of Medicine, January 26, 2021, pp.1-39.
- “What are Controlled Release Fertilizers?” ICL Blog, pp. 1-15.
- “Use Liquid Fertilizer: The Organic Secret to the Best Lawn.” Terra Blog, July 28, 2023, pp. 1-5.
Au revoir, mes amis!
That about does it for this one, gang. When it boils down to using either organic or synthetic fertilizer for roses, you’ve now got plenty of info to help you pick the one that’s best for you. You know what each of them is, you know what forms they come in, you know what’s good about each one of them, and you know what’s bad. You’ve got my own field notes about which of these two fertilizer types my own roses preferred, and the verdict I dropped on you told you which one I think is the best and is the one I currently use, and will always use for every single one of my own rose plants. You’ve got some excellent product recs, and some pretty awesome homemade rose fertilizer recipes. And, for those of you who’d like to know where I get off writing about all this stuff (and who want to take your knowledge depth to the next level), you’ve got this article’s bibliography/”For Further Reading” list.
I think that about covers it.
Of course, my dear readers and subscribers, I remain grateful to you for your kind interest and your readership.
Cheers, and Happy Gardening!
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Awesome article filled with so much knowledge.
Gorgeous images of your roses….🌹🌹🌹
Thank you so much for reading it, Roxxy, and thank you so much for the incredibly kind compliments – I really appreciate that! I’m glad you found it interesting. If given the option of either feeding my roses, or feeding the soil in which they grow, I’ll always choose Option B! Thanks once again!
Great article about organic versus non organic fertilizers. Your roses are gorgeous. Thanks for informing your audience about the products that you use, and have used in the past.
Thank you for reading the article, Kevin. I really appreciate it. And thank you for the kind compliments. Really, a rose plant is only as good as the soil in which it grows. I’ve learned that lesson very well over the last several years. Thanks once again, Kevin.
Many thanks for your detailed description of organic and inorganic options.
Thanks for reading the article and commenting, Rick. I’m glad you found it informative, and I really do appreciate your interest. Thanks once again.