Rose fertiliser Baltic Agro, 1 kg (for 20 m²)

• Type: granular complex feed with trace elements
• Producer: Baltic Agro
• Pack: 1 kg
• Rate: 1 kg ≈ 50 m²
• Dose: 30 g (about a handful) per plant
• First feed: early spring, April–May
• Second feed: June–July
• From mid-August: switch to an autumn feed
• For: shrub, climbing, ground-cover and standard roses
• How: scatter around the plant, work into the soil, then water
• Contains: magnesium, potassium and trace elements

Two feeds a year. The first in early spring, right after pruning and uncovering; the second in June–July, once the first flush is over and the plant is building the next. More is unnecessary.

Stop nitrogen in August. From mid-August use only an autumn feed (potassium and phosphorus). Late nitrogen pushes soft new shoots that cannot ripen — and those are the first to blacken in winter.

How to apply. Scatter in a ring 20–30 cm from the stem, work it in lightly and water. Granules on dry soil scorch the root collar.

Watering. Roses want deep watering, not frequent: 10–15 litres per bush once a week beats a little every day. Water at the root in the morning — a wet leaf at dusk is an invitation to blackspot.

Trace elements and yellow leaves. If the leaf yellows while the veins stay green, iron or magnesium is short. Usually the cause is chalky soil: roses want pH 6–6.5, and on limy ground they cannot take up nutrients however much you give.

What else to do. Cut spent blooms straight away, above the first five-leaflet leaf, and the bush sets a new pair of buds. Stop cutting in August and let the last flowers form hips: that tells the plant to prepare for winter.