Compost for Rose Plants

Simple Composting

• Composting doesn't have to be complicated or time consuming. Beginning rose gardeners can start a compost pile with a pile of grass clippings and leaves. You can create a compost area in your yard by wrapping chicken wire around four wooden or metal stakes and piling kitchen scraps into this area. Other simple items that can be used as compost include hair clippings, pine needles and tea bags. A wide variety of materials maintains a higher internal temperature and decomposes more quickly.

Wet and Dry Materials

• Composting for rose gardens usually is done by combining two types of materials, carbon and nitrogen. Carbon is also referred to as "dry" or "brown" material. Examples of dry compost materials include shredded dead leaves, wood chips, shredded newspaper and shredded cardboard. Nitrogen is also referred to as "wet" or "green" material. Examples of wet compost materials include grass clippings, vegetable scraps, egg shells and coffee grounds. According to AllAboutRoseGardening.com, ideal compost for roses consists of two parts dry materials to one part wet material.

Compost Pile

• Alternate layers of wet and dry materials in your compost pile. Your compost pile should receive at least a half day of sunshine, according to RoseMagazine.com. Air helps stimulate microbial activity, so turning the compost pile aids this process. Water is important to the composting process, so the compost pile should be kept moist.

Using Compost

• Compost is used frequently when growing roses. When planting new rosebushes, dig a hole slightly larger than the root ball, and mix compost with the soil removed from the hole. Compost can be used as mulch around rose plants to control weeds and conserve moisture. Using compost around plants helps to add organic matter to the soil as it decomposes. Other benefits of using compost include improved soil texture, increased water retention, and production of healthy disease-resistant plants. Compost also helps cool the soil on hot summer days.