In the Garden- August 2026

Written By Georgia Mohr

August 2026 - Larry Wise

August: The Countdown to Fall Rose Shows

August is one of my favorite months for rose growing and maintenance. That may sound a little silly until you consider the time, methods, and materials required to produce excellent rose specimens for the Carolina Classic Rose Shows in early October. And don't forget the NC State Fair Flower Show in mid-October!

Our roses should soon experience longer, cooler nights, giving blooms more time to develop larger flowers with richer color due to less intense sun exposure. You'll really begin to see the difference in September and October.

The Carolina Classic Rose Shows are very important to the WSRS because many of our members generously donate their winnings back to the society. Since we have only one other fundraiser each year, that generosity helps keep our treasury healthy.

Please read on for some tried-and-true ideas that can help all of us enjoy greater success.

Timing Your Blooms

Our late, well-respected rosarian, Doug Craver, wrote in the August 2013 Clippings:

"My schedule for timing a bloom cycle at this time of year is about 35 days from the deadheading cutback, and even longer for many-petaled roses such as Uncle Joe or Moonstone. To extend the blooming cycle, cut some canes high and larger canes lower, and vary the cutting time by a few days on each bush."

This is still excellent advice for producing timely specimens for the upcoming rose shows.

Many of our expert rosarians also remove leaves, blind shoots, and twiggy growth near the ground up to about 8 inches. The results of this exercise (and it is exercise!) are greater sunlight exposure to the bud union and less competition for nutrients.

Three Late-Season Feeding & Maintenance Tips

1. Apply a Low-Nitrogen Fertilizer

Mix 1 gallon of water with 1 tablespoon of liquid 5-10-10 fertilizer and apply it around the drip line of each bush (use less for miniature roses), then water it in.

Granular 5-10-10 has largely disappeared from the market, and I finally used the last of mine last fall. I recently purchased a gallon of liquid 5-10-10 from Amazon, and buying the larger container made the most sense based on the price.

To reduce the chance of root burn, water thoroughly the day before and again the day of or the day after applying fertilizer.

The lower nitrogen level is important because nitrogen is the easiest nutrient to supply in liquid form, allowing us to avoid stimulating tender late-season growth that won't mature before freezing weather arrives.

If 10-10-10 is your preferred fertilizer, make your final application no later than mid-September.

2. Brew a Final Batch of Alfalfa Tea

In early September, I give my roses a third and final dose of alfalfa tea.

Here's my recipe:

  • 28-gallon container with a lid

  • 12–16 cups of alfalfa meal or pellets (not cubes)

  • Fill with water

  • Stir daily for about 7 days

Then fortify the mixture with:

  • 2 cups Epsom salts

  • 2 cups fish emulsion or fish meal

After brewing for 7–10 days, apply about 1 gallon per bush.

Everyone has their own favorite alfalfa tea recipe—and that's perfectly fine.

For this final application, however, I plan to leave out the Epsom salts and instead mix in 1–2 cups of chelated iron before applying around the drip lines.

Typically, I apply alfalfa tea twice a year—once in mid-May and again in early to mid-August. Three properly spaced applications seem to work even better in my garden.

After writing all this down, though, I may simplify things by skipping the supplemental ingredients altogether and mixing a couple of cups of the liquid 5-10-10 fertilizer into the tea instead. That would reduce one entire application and save a little time.

Although it's not necessary, I also like to gently loosen the soil around each bush with a spading fork before applying the tea. It helps reduce splashing—and keeps my shoes a little cleaner!

3. Remember Your Feeding Schedule

Keep in mind that every gardener's feeding schedule is a little different, and that directly affects when your final fertilizer applications should be made.

The goal is always the same: encourage strong fall blooms while allowing new growth enough time to mature before freezing weather arrives.

Georgia Mohr