Climbing roses are heavy consumers and need a good and sufficient supply of nutrients in order to grow healthily and produce numerous flowers. Freshly planted specimens are only provided with some compost, which is mixed with the excavated earth. However, fertilization should be avoided. The supply of climbing roses that are already established at their location depends above all on the nutrient content of the soil - over-fertilization should be avoided, as this weakens the plants and makes them more susceptible to fungal diseases and pest infestation.

Regular application of fertilizer provides the climbing rose with the necessary nutrients

The right time for fertilization

Climbing roses should be fertilized three times a year:

  • a start fertilization in early April
  • a refresher fertilization after the first flowering (end of June / beginning of July)
  • a final fertilization in August

However, the times mentioned only apply to specimens that have been planted out. Instead, potted roses should be supplied with a long-term fertilizer in the spring and with a liquid fertilizer during the vegetation period, since the substrate in the pot naturally contains too few or no nutrients and the plant therefore depends on external supply is dependent.

Prefer organic fertilizers

Climbing roses should preferably be supplied with organic or organo-mineral fertilizer. In addition to special, commercially available rose fertilizer (€12.86), pure cattle manure is particularly well suited. but releases it continuously in smaller doses over a longer period of time. On the other hand, purely mineral fertilizers (e.g. the so-called “blue grain”) are not suitable for rose fertilization because they contain too much nitrogen. High-nitrogen fertilization weakens the climbing roses and makes them more susceptible to disease.

Potted roses prefer long-term fertilizers

Climbing roses in tubs need basic fertilization with a long-term fertilizer. In the case of freshly potted specimens, an addition is usually not necessary because many commercially available rose soils are already pre-fertilized. Only potted roses that have been in the same planter for more than a year should be supplied with such a long-term fertilizer in the spring. During the flowering period, weekly fertilization with an organic liquid fertilizer is also recommended.

Final fertilization with Patentkali helps to improve winter hardiness

From around the beginning of July - i.e. after the second application of fertilizer - climbing roses should no longer be artificially supplied with nutrients (exception: potted roses), otherwise the shoots will continue to grow too long and will not be able to mature in time before the first frost. To support shoot maturity and thus frost resistance, you should fertilize your climbing roses with patent potash between the beginning and middle of August. After this fertilization, the roses should be watered vigorously so that the potassium can reach the roots.

tips

If the rose petals are strikingly light in colour, are pale and lack the otherwise typical, strong green colour, then an iron deficiency, a so-called chlorosis, is often to blame. A liquid iron fertilizer can help.

Category:

Vegetable garden