Certain cheap breakfast items not only make roses stronger but can help get rid of pests as well. Here are the best food scraps to feed roses to make them bloom
Roses are stunning flowers renowned for their vibrant blooms, and you can promote flowering with just a few kitchen leftovers. It’s crucial to nourish roses now in April before they start blooming to help the plant accumulate nutrient reserves for flower production, and feeding them the best fertiliser will guarantee larger and longer-lasting blooms.
Jackson and Perkins, the gardening store, has revealed that certain inexpensive breakfast items not only strengthen roses but can also eliminate pests. They stated: “Keeping a garden healthy doesn’t always mean spending a fortune at the store. Sometimes items that you have lying around the house are perfectly capable of doing the job.
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“Throughout the years many a resourceful gardener has figured out how to keep their roses happy with various home remedies.”
Best food scraps to feed roses to make them bloom
Banana peels
Banana peels are a natural fertiliser for roses due to their potassium content, which aids in flower growth and also enhances their health and disease resistance, reports the Express.
The expert said: “Thanks to their high concentrations of macronutrients, especially potassium, banana peels are a great additive for the soil, increasing your roses’ bloom power and overall health.
They added: “I like to throw them in the freezer, and once I have a good stack I liquefy them in the blender with some warm water then pour this banana peel slushy on my roses’ roots.”
Coffee grounds
Coffee is rich in nitrogen, which not only promotes lush foliage growth in roses but also acts as a deterrent to pests like slugs and snails due to its potent aroma. Moreover, coffee’s slight acidity can enhance the soil quality for the plant.
However, it’s crucial to apply coffee grounds lightly or blend them with your compost, as an excess of acidic coffee could damage the plant.
An expert explained: “Coffee grounds are great rose food because they are high in phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium.
“Their fine texture and high moisture absorption also make them excellent at improving the tilth of your soil. Note that coffee raises the pH of your soil, so be careful about over-use.”
Eggshells
Eggshells offer roses a source of calcium, a vital nutrient for flower growth and root development. Ensure you clean out the egg shells thoroughly, let them dry, and then crush them into small pieces.
This aids in their integration into the soil, allowing them to gradually release nutrients as they decompose. The expert advised: “Crushed up and placed in a ring around plants, egg shells are said to provide a barrier against slugs and other soft-bodied critters.
“For a larger garden, this could take a lot of eggshells and time. A more practical use is to grind the egg shells as fine as possible and add them to your compost.
“This adds plenty of Calcium to keep your roses (or other plants) healthy!”
Milk
While milk doesn’t provide nutrients to plants, it has antifungal properties that help prevent mildew and black spot disease. Black spot disease is a serious issue for roses, as it significantly weakens the plant and leaves it vulnerable to pests and other diseases, although it’s unlikely to kill them.
Prevention is key as this disease is challenging to eliminate once it contaminates garden soil. According to the expert: “Yes, believe it or not, milk is actually pretty good at keeping powdery mildew and even black spots at bay.
“Horticultural professor Jeff Gillman recommends creating a mixture of two parts water to one part milk and spraying that on the leaves (not the roots) once a week.”