Fertilizing Roses With Cola & Beer

Growing Roses

• Roses have been a symbol of love and beauty through the ages. While some varieties thrive in the wild with little help from man, most domesticated roses need human attention for optimum growth and bloom. Among those needs are approximately an inch of water per week depending on soil type and weather conditions, along with at least six hours of bright sunlight each day. Applying fertilizer one or more times a year is also recommended.

Fertilizer Needs

• The exact nutrients needed by roses will depend on their growth stage. According to the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, you should apply a complete fertilizer with the ratio of 5-10-5, 4-8-4 or a similar ratio of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium when there is 6 inches of new growth. This should be applied at the rate of 3 lbs. per 100 square feet or 1 heaping tsp. per plant. Leaf discoloration is usually a sign of nutrient deficiency.

Homemade Fertilizer

• In addition to commercially prepared fertilizers that can be purchased through most garden stores, some people believe in homemade fertilizers or tonics for their roses and yards. A common recipe listed on the The Garden Counselor website includes 1 can of beer, one can of non-diet cola, 1/2 cup of ammonia, 1/2 cup of liquid detergent -- not anti-bacterial -- and a 1/2 cup of mouthwash. These ingredients are all mixed together, then either sprayed on the lawn or added to plants individually. The beer and soda are believed to provide carbohydrates for beneficial microbe growth in the soil.

Contradictions

• While many homemade fertilizers and tonics include both beer and non-diet cola, gardening guru such Walter Reeves notes on his website that while there are some benefits to these mixtures, they are so small as to be almost non-existent. While the soil does need carbohydrates for the best plant growth, complex carbohydrates are the ones in demand, not the simple carbohydrates found in colas and beer.