Natural fertilizer is a great way to kick off your rose garden this spring. There are easy to use fertilizer methods for every budget and experience level. Read on and get started today.
The simplest and least time consuming way of getting started with natural fertilizer is to purchase a fertilizer mix containing all three nutrients. If a fertilizer bag has three nutrient numbers and none of them are zero, then you'll know your chosen fertilizer contains Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium or N-P-K. Some ingredients you'll find on this type of fertilizer are blood meal, crab meal, bone meal, etc. All fertilizers should be applied with caution around children and pets. Pets will think this fertilizer smells wonderful, so take added precautions.
Compost tea is a fun to make fertilizer that provides many beneficial organisms to your roses while also helping to fertilize them. Compost tea is made by placing compost that you've either created yourself or purchased in a bucket with warm water. Place the bucket in a sunny warm area, give it several days to stew and you'll soon have wonderful compost tea. Once again keep the full bucket out of reach from children and pets, it could also present a drowning hazard. Once your compost is finished steeping, strain out the large compost particles and then pour the liquid over your rose's foliage with a watering can.
Other natural and organic methods include placing coffee grounds around the base of your roses or banana peels. Many rose gardeners swear by placing banana peels around their roses. Give this method a try, it's easy, costs nothing, and you never know the results you might get.
If you have some extra time and you want to save money you can make your own granular fertilizer by purchasing separate nutrient bags and then combine them to create your own balanced fertilizer. Check out your local home and garden center for three single bags one which contains nitrogen, one with phosphorus and then one with potassium. By mixing the three at home you can often save a small amount that really adds up if you have many roses.
Enjoy your rose garden this spring. Giving natural rose gardening a try can be a fun way to experience something new. Who knows, those banana peels may work wonders.

