Gardener shares simple kitchen hack to make roses grow bigger and better this summer

This summer, roses will yield even more grand and beautiful blossoms if enriched with four specific kitchen scraps.

Towards the end of April, now is traditionally the last opportunity to feed your roses prior to their flowering period, an essential task for promoting lavish blooms.

Selecting the right fertiliser can be challenging, yet the optimal nourishment for roses can be virtually cost-free, requiring you to only save certain kitchen scraps.

Master gardener and founder of Gardening Charlotte, Charlotte Ekker Wiggins, has shared the simplistic homemade rose feed recipe that she's used for years to maintain her roses' health.

She revealed: "I have been making it for a couple of decades now from dried egg shells, banana peels, coffee grounds and Epsom salt."

Banana skins are rich in potassium whilst eggshells carry calcium, both of which are vital nutrients for root growth and contribute to the development of larger flowers, reports the Express.

Coffee grounds possess nitrogen, another crucial nutrient for blooming plants, further helping to ward off fungal diseases. Additionally, Epsom salt is laden with magnesium and sulphur, constituents also necessary for plant growth.

How to make homemade rose feed for improved flower blooms

All that's needed is saving your banana peels and egg shells, allowing them to dry out somewhere in your kitchen.

Charlotte advised: "I keep a basket on top of my refrigerator lined with a paper towel. I find it easier to cut up the banana peels after they are dry but I have cut them up both fresh and dry."

Firstly, dry out your coffee grounds and store them in a plastic container. You may need to purchase Epsom bath salts, which are available at Tesco for around £3.50.

She further explained: "I also dry out the coffee on a newspaper spread onto a bread tray in my garage. Once dry, I store the dry coffee in a reused plastic container I use later to mix all ingredients."

Next, simply combine the ingredients. Mix banana peels and coffee grounds in equal parts, then use half the amount of egg shells and Epsom salt.

Ensure the egg shells are crushed into powder before adding them to the mixture. This aids their decomposition and allows the flowers to slowly access the calcium over time.

When you're ready to feed your roses, just make a small trench around the drip line of the roses and sprinkle the mixture in.

This rose feed is simple to make and can encourage large rose blooms if used correctly. It's also a great way to reduce food waste in your home.

She stated: "One of the best things about this mixture is that I am reusing banana peels, egg shells and coffee grounds and making a plant food that has proven itself. Also helps to have an extra source of Epsom salts for my tired muscles."

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