Roses are characterized by their colorful and wonderfully fragrant flowers. In order for the plants to produce numerous flowers, they need a lot of nutrients. In addition to special rose fertilizers, hobby gardeners can also use home remedies to provide the plants with additional nutrients.
Banana peels
Banana peels produce a lot of humus mass when they rot, which has a positive effect on the ability of roses to bloom and also ensures that they get through the winter better. Although they are very rich in nutrients, the nitrogen content is relatively low, so over-fertilization is usually not possible. There are two ways to make your own rose fertilizer:
Celebration
- Cut banana peels into small pieces
- The smaller, the easier they are to mix into soil
- Let the banana peels dry or use them directly as fertilizer
- Fertilizing is possible all season long
Liquid
- Boil banana peels with 1 liter of water
- Let the broth steep overnight
- Remove peel residue with a fine sieve
- Dilute broth 1;5 with water
- Water plants with it
Tip:
If you want to use banana peels as rose fertilizer, you should only use organic bananas. Because the fruits from conventional cultivation usually have a very high level of pollutants.
Beer
Beer is not only a popular drink, but is also considered a popular home remedy to organically fertilize rose plants. Because hops and m alt contain natural nutrients that plants also benefit from. Making your own rose fertilizer from beer is also quick and easy:
- Mix leftover beer with water in a ratio of 1:2
- Water rose plants with it
- Maximum 2x per week
Stinging nettle manure
Stinging nettle manure is a true all-rounder: It provides lots of nutrients and is therefore suitable as a rose fertilizer. It also strengthens the plants' defenses and also acts as a weed killer. However, making your own rose fertilizer requires a bit of patience:
- Crush 1 kilogram of nettles
- Add to 10 liters of rainwater
- Place the mixture in a warm, sunny place
- Wait until mixture stops foaming and is dark in color
- Sieving
- Mix mixture 1:10 with water
- Water plants with it
It has proven useful to only use the nettle manure until the flowering period.
Eggshells
Eggshells consist almost entirely of calcium carbonate, also known as “carbonic lime”. While too much lime is harmful for many plants, rose plants are happy about the additional lime supply. Eggshells are organic and can be used in both solid and liquid form.
Celebration
- Spread egg shells on compost heap
- Fine dusting is sufficient
- Best in combination with acidic material
- E.g.: peat, coniferous wood or oak leaves
Liquid
- Crushing eggshells
- Either pound in a mortar or in a tea towel
- Put powder in jug with rainwater
- Let it steep for 1 day
- Water plants with it
Tip:
To avoid unsightly limescale stains, only the soil and not the plants themselves should be wetted with the eggshell water.
Horn shavings
Horn shavings are also well-known and tried and tested: This is a natural waste product that consists of the horns of cattle or other hoofed animals. Horn shavings are very rich in nitrogen, but release their nutrients very slowly, which is why over-fertilization is hardly possible. Accordingly, they can be used both separately as intermediate fertilization and as preparation before planting. They have proven to be most effective in combination with compost.
Intermediate fertilization
- It's best to start with a small amount
- Sprinkle horn shavings over applied compost
- Work both into the soil
Preparation
- Use before planting new roses
- Mix horn shavings into the planting hole
- No further fertilizer is needed in the first year
Wood ash
Wood ash provides the rose family with many important nutrients, such as potassium, phosphorus and lime. On top of that, it is an effective weed killer and has proven to be anti-fungal and anti-rot, which can prevent any diseases. To fertilize the plants organically with wood ash, an appointment in late winter or early spring shortly before budding is suitable.
- Approximately 30 – 50 grams of wood ash per square meter
- Every 4 – 6 weeks
- Draw thin grooves around plants
- Fill the grooves with wood ash and cover with soil
- Pour carefully
Tip:
As ash is very fine, protection of the respiratory tract and eyes is recommended!
Coffee grounds
Coffee grounds are a tried and tested home remedy and are still used as fertilizer by many hobby gardeners today. Not only is it organic, but it also contains many valuable nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Additional fertilization with coffee grounds prevents nitrogen deficiency and discoloration of the leaves and promotes plant growth. On top of that, coffee grounds attract earthworms and other small animals, which in turn loosen the soil and provide additional nutrients to the soil with their excretions.
- Let the coffee grounds dry (prevents mold formation)
- Sprinkle around roses
- Work into soil
- It's best to start with a small amount
- Increase the amount weekly if necessary
Tip:
Alternatively, coffee grounds can also be used in liquid form. To do this, the dried coffee grounds are mixed into the water, which is then used to water the roses.
Potato water
The potato is an extremely popular ingredient in many dishes and impresses with its high nutrient content. This can also be found in the cooking water, because many nutrients and minerals are passed on to the cooking water during cooking. For this reason, the cooking water from potatoes is also an excellent home remedy for fertilizing roses. But not only the cooking water from potatoes is suitable as rose fertilizer, because the same effect can also be achieved with other vegetables - such as broccoli, asparagus or cauliflower.
- Let the potato water cool down
- Water plants directly with it
- About once a week
Tip:
Potato water is also an excellent weed killer and can simply be poured over unwanted plants.
Mineral water
Mineral water is – as the name suggests – rich in minerals that also benefit roses. However, the dose of dissolved minerals in the water is low, which is why the home remedy is only suitable in combination with another fertilizer. It doesn't matter whether the mineral water is fresh or stale. Likewise, the plants do not care whether the water is still or carbonated. In principle, it would even be possible to water the plants exclusively with mineral water - but this doesn't really make sense.
Tea bags and tea grounds
Tea bags and tea grounds - like coffee grounds - can also be used as rose fertilizer. However, it should be noted that their effect is somewhat lower. Nevertheless, the leftover tea is an excellent source of additional nutrients, with black and green tea being particularly recommended.
- Let the tea grounds dry out
- Do not spread loosely on the bed, it attracts vermin!
- Better: Gently rake in the tea grounds
- Alternatively, hang used tea bags in water for a few hours
