Roses will only grow big and impressive flowers if they get the right nutrients in May (Image: Getty)
Roses are incredibly hungry plants in May as they are now starting to grow their buds, and need to be fed the right nutrients now if you want them to blossom into flowers. Spring can be a busy time in the garden, but it is important to prioritise fertilising roses now, as this is when they have usually used up all the nutrients they stored over winter.
It can mean roses will not have enough energy to fully grow their flowers, leading to much smaller and fewer blooms that will not be strong enough to withstand pests once the temperature rises. However, Mark, a professional gardener and founder of The Garden Path, has shared there is a simple way to help get some of the best [roses] I have ever seen by just using teabags. Mark said: “Don’t throw those old teabags away, we can put them to good use out in the garden. This was something I learned from my grandfather, and now I do exactly the same.”
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Tea leaves contain nutrients which can help roses grow stronger flowers (Image: Getty)
It might sound strange, but teabags are a low effort and natural way to boost roses to help them flower that will not cost you any money at all.
Tea contains nitrogen, the nutrient responsible for foliage growth, and is important in spring to help flowers grow healthy stems that can hold heavy flowers.
They also contain potassium, which is the most important nutrient for flowering, as it helps buds develop properly so you are more likely to get larger blooms that have a deeper colour.
However, it should be noted that using teabags cannot completely replace fertiliser as they will not contain all the minerals roses need to grow properly.
Teabags should be used in the garden as an add-on feed to improve the soil, attract worms, and give roses more energy to help them grow spectacular blooms.
All you need to do is save up your used up teabags for a week (Image: Getty)How to boost roses in spring with teabags
All you need to do is store any used tea bags in a container somewhere for roughly a week or longer until you have enough to fill a bowl.
Once you have enough teabags saved up, rip open the bags and pour the tea leaves into a bowl.
It is incredibly important not to use the actual teabags in your garden, as some contain plastic fibres that cannot break down in the soil and can cause mould.
When you have all the tea fillings in a bowl, simply carry them out into the garden and sprinkle the tea leaves around your rose plant.
Work the tea leaves into the soil and you should grow much healthier rose flowers this spring (Image: Getty)
Use a trowel to slightly work the tea leaves into the soil, and once it rains, the water will soak the nutrients deep into the soil to help the roses.
Feed the roses the tea leaves roughly once a month in spring, but do not feed them anymore otherwise you can risk overfertlising the soil as natural feeds can be quite potent.
This tea leaf solution takes less than 10 minutes of effort, but Mark swears it is the reason his grandfather’s roses were so beautiful, so it is worth trying out yourself.
Mark said: “I do not know what it is about the tealeaves but they [roses] love whatever is in them. I have had great blooms. My grandfather’s roses were some of the best I’ve ever seen.”
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