Hi Jill: I used MiracleGro 18-24-16 last summer for my pots. It said to use 1 Tablespoon per gallon, which was way-too-much. My roses bloomed VERY WELL with half-the-dose recommended.

I prefer MiracleGro over Schultz because MiracleGro has CHELATED iron, and chelated manganese which are tied-up when my tap water is alkaline. MiracleGro soluble food for roses with chelated trace elements helped to keep the leaves green.

If your roses are in pots, salt build-up can happen if used weekly. And if your roses are in the ground, heavy clay like mine .... it would retain the salt also.

The Chicago Botanical Garden with 5,000 roses recommend using soluble fertilizer 20-20-20 only 3 times per year for cold zone 5 .... for roses in the ground.

Chamblee nursery in Texas recommends soluble fertilizer only once every 2 weeks for gallon-sized roses .. but withhold the fertilizer when the heat is intense.