Rose feed problem

Having just bought 3 climbing roses for the pond area I've dug over the site and replenished it lavishly with old compost. There was already two climbing roses there of over 20 years old........but they're not the problem, the actual position of the site is..

The planting site, about 25' in length, is on the West Bank of my pond and the roses are on top of the bank, which slopes quite steeply down to the pond about 6' away,



You can see part of the site just above the Ferns and the Jugs for the fountain.

The problem is l have refrained from feeding the previously sited roses for fear of run off or leaching of the feed into the pond which would encourage algae. Ever since I built the pond the water has always been crystal clear because of the marginal plants and bog garden incorporated into the pond extracting the nutrients naturally from the water. I don't use filters, nor do I want to.:wallbang: However, with the planting of the three new climbing roses I would like to feed them regularly. Has anyone got any ideas on what to use and how to do it!:D Advice would be appreciated

 

I guess I could try both of those, Trevor and Catz. But roses are notoriously heavy feeders and I'm just wondering if that would be enough.:D

 

I'll definitely give them a try, Furry Tail. I'm just wondering how many to a plant and would it be sufficient.:D

 

Thanks for the recommendations, Graham, I will certainly give them a try. I've planted the 3 new roses a good 6' apart and approximately the same distance from the old roses so I'm not too worried about "rose sickness", but it was a thought on my mind so I intentionally dug the 25' length over and mixed in a really generous portion of compost, both commercial and gartden. I try not to use any chemical sprays near or by the ponds though to prevent pollution from wind drift, or my clumsiness when spraying, so I try to choose fairly disease resistant roses for the pond area and let them get on with it:D

Hi Steve, as you've guessed it's the running off and leaching problem that's on my mind. I did a few "tests" before I dug over the site and after, i.e: Filled a watering can with some harmless yellow dye and trying watering the area. The first test with the soil not dug proved that the water would just run off within minutes even allowing time for the water to sink into the soil. The second test with the dug soil and helping of compost was better and I thought I solved the problem, however the following day I could see some yellow dye in the water, so it had leached through the soil. You're right, come to think of it, about the present planting medium they're in now, and the annual dressing of manure as there should be plenty of feed in the site right now without additional feed. I'm just wondering if the marginal and bog garden plants by the pond would deal with the lesser amount of feed being leached from the manure., and I think the answer is probably yes.
The natural nutrient extraction system that I use [i.e: letting the marginal, oxygenating and bog plants do the work] has worked brilliantly over the years and kept the pond water crystal clear, even with fish in it. But, as you know, it doesn't take much to upset the balance.:( Thanks for your thoughts on the matter, much appreciated.:D

 

I'm tempted to split the planting site into three test areas. One with just the manure/compost dressing, one with the slow release fertilisers, and one with the last idea of yours, Steve, the plastic piping. I do usually feed the rest of the garden on a twice weekly basis with the pots getting any watering/feeding on top as necessary so feeding the pond roses little and often wouldn't exactly be a chore.:D