How to Feed Mature Roses

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Many plants require little care as they age. They begin to take on their environment and grow accordingly. Mature rose plants are still very needy and delicate. Although they are hardier than the young rose plant that it once was, it is still susceptible to disease. The following will help guide you in your efforts in caring and feeding a mature rose plant.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Step1

Replace the hardwood mulch that surrounds the plant yearly. The rose has most likely sucked out the nutrients that once lived in the mulch.

Step2

Feed a mature rose plant a month before it blooms and then monthly.

Step3

Stop fertilizing the rose plant six weeks before the blooming season ends in your region. Check your local home and garden center to know when that time is for your area.

Step4

Water the mature rose plant 1-2 inches of water a week. If you live in an extremely hot region water 2-3 inches a week.

Step5

Spray the plant weekly with a fungicide. Roses are very susceptible to this.

Step6

Cover the rose's base with manure in the winter. This acts as a good cover for the plant.

Tips & Warnings

Water the plant early in the morning to help prevent fungal disease.
Use a slow-release fertilizer in the early spring. Check the back of the fertilizer to see exactly how long it lasts.
Use a balance fertilizer on mature roses.
Look at the rose's foliage. This will tell the story of its health. If the leaf does not look healthy, the plant itself is probably undergoing sickness or stress. If bugs are a problem, spray accordingly.