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When Should I Start Feeding My Knock Out Roses?

Roses have a reputation for being finicky plants, but the recent Knock Out series of shrub roses is anything but temperamental. These easy-to-grow roses are pest- and disease-resistant. They grow well in average garden soil and flower abundantly with as little as six hours of direct sunlight daily. Knock Out roses need only one or two feedings per year to reward you with a season's worth of flowers.

  1. About Knock Out Roses

    • Developed for their disease resistance and ease of care, Knock Out roses are medium-sized shrub roses that bloom in repeated flushes from late spring until frost. Originally offered only in red, these single or double roses now come in many other colors, including pink, yellow and bi-color. The shrubs grow 4 to 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide, depending on cultivar. They're self-cleaning and don't need deadheading. Knock Out roses can be pruned for shape or size whenever needed, since they bloom on new wood. Only the yellow Sunny Knock Out rose is fragrant. Knock Out roses are hardy throughout U.S. Department of Agriculture plant zones 5 to 9.

    Choosing a Fertilizer

    • Conard-Pyle, the company that is developing the Knock Out roses in association with rose breeder Bill Radner, recommends using either an all-purpose, balanced garden fertilizer, or one specially formulated for roses. Always follow package directions carefully for the correct amount of product to use -- more is not better.

    How to Fertilize

    • When using a granular fertilizer, spread the correct amount evenly over the root zone of the rose shrub. Begin 3 to 4 inches away from the crown of the shrub and cover an area 1.5 to two times as wide as the rose's width. For example, for mature, 4-foot-wide Knock Out roses, the root zone covers an area 6 to 8 feet across. Water the area well to move the fertilizer down to the roots. If using a liquid fertilizer, pour the solution evenly over the same area. Never apply fertilizer to dry soil because you risk chemical burns to the rose's root system. Water the shrub well the day before you're going to fertilize, if necessary.

    When to Fertilize

    • Knock Out rose developers Conard-Pyle recommend not fertilizing newly planted bushes until they have established themselves and gone through one blooming cycle. Well-established Knock Out roses should be fertilized after the year's first flush of flowering. Knock Out roses are light feeders and only need one application of fertilizer per year throughout most of their range, but in long-season areas such as the deep South, the Louisiana State University Extension Service recommends feeding them twice yearly, once in February and again in August.

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Growing Roses
  1. When to Fertilize Knock Out Roses
  2. When to Prune Knock Out Roses in Kentucky
  3. Do Knock Out Roses Need Direct Sunlight?
  4. Landscape Ideas Using Knock Out Roses
  5. Temperature Hardiness of Knock Out Roses
  6. Fungus on Knock Out Roses
  7. When to Move Knock Out Roses
  8. Knock Out Roses & Landscape Ideas
  9. What Should Be Planted With Knock Out Roses?
  10. How Often Should You Fertilize Knock Out Roses?
  11. Bugs on Knock Out Roses
  12. Knock Out Roses Size

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