Growing beautiful roses doesn’t have to mean reaching for expensive store-bought fertilizers. There are plenty of natural ingredients right in your kitchen or garden that can give your roses the boost they need.
Making your own rose food is not only simple but also feels great knowing you’re giving your flowers something wholesome. These homemade recipes help your roses bloom bigger, brighter, and more fragrant.
Let’s get your garden glowing with these easy and natural fertilizer ideas!
1. Banana Peel Tea
Those brown banana peels you usually toss contain potassium, phosphorus, and calcium—exactly what roses crave! Simply soak dried peels in water for three days, then strain the liquid.
The resulting tea works wonders when poured around your rose bushes every two weeks. Your plants will respond with vibrant blooms and stronger stems, making this kitchen waste truly valuable in the garden.
2. Coffee Ground Mix
Morning coffee rituals create the perfect rose food. Used grounds add nitrogen and slightly acidify soil, creating ideal growing conditions for most rose varieties.
Sprinkle a thin layer around plants monthly, gently working it into the top inch of soil. Rain will help release nutrients gradually. Your roses will thank you with lusher foliage and more abundant blooms throughout the season.
3. Eggshell Calcium Boost
Calcium deficiency causes weak stems and poor flowering in roses. Rinse eggshells after cooking, dry them thoroughly, then crush into a fine powder using a food processor or mortar and pestle.
Work this calcium-rich powder into the soil around your roses each spring. The slow-release nutrients strengthen cell walls and help prevent blossom end rot. Your roses will develop stronger stems and more resilient blooms.
4. Epsom Salt Solution
Magnesium deficiency shows up as yellowing leaves with green veins on roses. Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) provides this crucial mineral for chlorophyll production and stronger roots.
Dissolve one tablespoon in a gallon of water and apply monthly during growing season. For established plants, you can also sprinkle dry Epsom salt around the drip line before a good rain. Your roses will respond with greener foliage and improved flowering.
5. Fish Emulsion
Fish leftovers create powerful rose food packed with nitrogen, phosphorus, and trace minerals. Place fish scraps in a bucket with water, cover loosely, and let ferment outdoors for two weeks.
Dilute this strong-smelling liquid at 1:10 with water before applying. Despite the initial odor, fish emulsion becomes odorless once applied and dried. Your roses will explode with growth and vibrant blooms after application.
6. Grass Clipping Tea
Free nitrogen hides in your lawn clippings! Fill a bucket one-third with fresh grass clippings, then add water to the top. Let this mixture steep for 3-5 days, stirring occasionally.
The resulting green liquid should be diluted until it resembles weak tea before application. Pour this nitrogen-rich solution around your roses every two weeks during growing season. Your plants will produce lush green growth and set more flower buds.
7. Alfalfa Meal Boost
Alfalfa contains triacontanol, a natural growth stimulant that roses absolutely love. Mix one cup of alfalfa meal or pellets into the soil around each rose bush in early spring.
Alternatively, soak alfalfa in water for several days to make a potent tea. The resulting growth surge is remarkable – roses develop more canes, larger leaves, and significantly more flower buds. This humble livestock feed becomes garden gold for rose enthusiasts.
8. Compost Tea
Liquid gold for roses comes from steeping finished compost in water. Fill a cloth bag with compost, submerge in a bucket of water, and let steep for 24-48 hours like a giant tea bag.
The resulting brown liquid contains beneficial microbes and nutrients. Apply this living fertilizer directly to soil around roses weekly during growing season. Your roses will develop stronger disease resistance and produce more abundant blooms throughout the season.
9. Banana-Eggshell Powder
Combining dried banana peels with eggshells creates the perfect rose fertilizer with balanced nutrients. Dry both ingredients thoroughly, then pulverize in a food processor until powdery.
Work three tablespoons of this nutrient-rich powder into the soil around each rose bush monthly. The potassium from bananas promotes flowering while calcium from eggshells strengthens cell walls. Your roses will produce sturdier stems and more vibrant blooms all season.
10. Seaweed Solution
Ocean treasures make exceptional rose food! Dried seaweed or kelp contains over 60 trace minerals and growth hormones that roses adore. Soak dried seaweed in water for 2-3 days to create a mineral-rich tea.
Apply this solution monthly as a soil drench or foliar spray. The results appear quickly – roses develop better drought tolerance, disease resistance, and more intense flower colors. Even inland gardeners can purchase dried kelp meal for this purpose.
11. Molasses Magic
Blackstrap molasses feeds beneficial soil microbes that help roses thrive. Mix one tablespoon with a gallon of water and apply monthly during growing season.
The iron content treats yellowing leaves while complex sugars feed soil life. Your soil ecosystem becomes more vibrant with each application. Roses respond with improved vigor, more flowers, and enhanced fragrance – all from this simple pantry ingredient.
12. Worm Casting Tea
Vermicompost produces nature’s perfect plant food. Add two cups of worm castings to a cloth bag, then steep in five gallons of water for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
The resulting brown liquid contains beneficial microorganisms and nutrients in perfect balance. Apply this living solution weekly as a soil drench around roses. Your plants will develop remarkable disease resistance, stronger root systems, and produce significantly more flowers.
13. Bone Meal Boost
Phosphorus deficiency prevents roses from flowering properly. Bone meal, made from ground animal bones, provides slow-release phosphorus essential for bud formation.
Work three tablespoons into the soil around each rose bush in early spring and fall. This long-lasting amendment strengthens root systems and dramatically increases flower production. Your roses will produce larger, more abundant blooms with this simple addition.
14. Manure Tea
Well-aged manure creates powerful rose fertilizer without the burn risk of fresh applications. Fill a burlap sack with aged manure and steep in a large container of water for 1-2 weeks.
Dilute the resulting dark liquid at 1:10 with water before applying. This balanced fertilizer provides macro and micronutrients in perfect proportions. Your roses will develop more canes, larger leaves, and significantly more flower buds throughout the growing season.
15. Wood Ash Amendment
Fireplace ashes provide potassium and trace minerals roses need for flowering. Apply a light dusting (about 1/4 cup per bush) around roses in early spring, keeping ash away from stems.
Only use hardwood ash, never treated wood or charcoal briquettes. The potassium strengthens stems and improves flower quality while raising soil pH slightly. Your roses will develop more vibrant blooms and better disease resistance with this simple amendment.