Fertilising guide
How to fertilise Olympiad Rose (Rosa 'Olympiad')— schedule & NPK
Also called Olympiad, MACauck.
More about olympiad rose
About Olympiad Rose
Rosa 'Olympiad' · also called Olympiad, MACauck · flowering
Olympiad is a brilliant clear-red hybrid tea bred by McGredy and named for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, an All-America Rose Selections winner. It produces classic high-centred, velvety scarlet blooms on long stems, ideal for cutting, with light fragrance. Grow in full sun and fertile, well-drained soil for strong, recurrent flushes.
Growth habit: Upright, vigorous, well-branched bush with long, straight flowering stems and matte to semi-glossy medium-green foliage; an outstanding cut and exhibition red.
What fertiliser olympiad rose actually wants — and why
Olympiad Rose is a heavy-blooming flower with a big appetite — a regular high-potash feed through the season is what drives a long, dense display.
A high-potassium ("high-potash") flowering feed — tomato-style or a dedicated bloom/rose feed. Potassium powers flowering; a high-nitrogen feed gives you a leafy plant with disappointing bloom.
For the language behind the three numbers on the bottle — what nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium each do — see the NPK ratio explained entry. The short version for olympiad rose: match the feed to the job the plant is doing right now, not to a generic “plant food” on the shelf.
How often to feed olympiad rose, and which months
Feeding only earns its keep while the plant is in active growth and can use the nutrients — pour feed into a dormant or low-light plant and it simply builds up as root-burning salt. For olympiad rose:
Feed with balanced rose fertiliser at spring bud-break and after the first flush, then a potash-rich feed by midsummer. Stop feeding by late summer so new wood ripens before winter. For a hungry bloomer that means feeding regularly — sparingly through the growing season — right through flowering across the main season (spring through early autumn), tapering as blooming ends.
The dormant-season rule matters more than the exact interval: skip feeding entirely when olympiad rose is resting. For the wider context on indoor feeding rhythms across the seasons, the houseplant fertiliser schedule walks through the year month by month.
What strength to mix for olympiad rose
Follow the flowering-feed label rate for olympiad rose, or half strength if feeding very frequently. These plants genuinely use the nutrients — under-feeding shows up fast as a thin display.
Feeding always goes onto already-damp soil, never dry roots — water olympiad rose first if the soil is dry, then apply the diluted feed. The companion question is when to water at all, covered in the olympiad rose watering schedule.
Signs you are over-feeding olympiad rose
Over-feeding is far more common — and more damaging — than under-feeding for most plants. The classic tells for olympiad rose:
- Lots of lush leaves but few flowers (too much nitrogen).
- Scorched leaf edges and salt crust from too-strong or too-frequent feeds.
- Soft, sappy growth prone to aphids and mildew.
Signs you are under-feeding olympiad rose
- Sparse, small, short-lived flowers and pale foliage.
- A tired plant that stops blooming early in the season.
- Weak growth and poor repeat-flowering after the first flush.
If the symptoms point at watering, light or roots rather than nutrition, the full olympiad rose care brief covers soil, humidity and the common problems for this species.
Flushing and leaching the salts
Container-grown olympiad rose accumulates feed salts fast with frequent feeding — water until it drains each time and flush pots with plain water every few weeks to prevent scorch.
Organic vs synthetic feeds for olympiad rose
Organic options
A liquid comfrey or seaweed feed (naturally potassium-rich) plus compost or well-rotted manure as a mulch. UK: comfrey feed, organic Tomorite, or rose feed; US: Espoma Rose-tone or Neptune's Harvest. Feeds and improves soil.
Synthetic / liquid feeds
A high-potash flowering feed on a regular cadence — UK: Tomorite (Levington), Phostrogen or a specialist rose feed; US: Miracle-Gro Bloom Booster or a rose food. Fast, reliable bloom response.
Brand names are examples, not endorsements, and UK and US ranges differ — check the label’s own NPK and dilution rate, since formulations change.
Fertilising olympiad rose — frequently asked questions
What fertiliser does olympiad rose need?
A high-potassium ("high-potash") flowering feed — tomato-style or a dedicated bloom/rose feed. Potassium powers flowering; a high-nitrogen feed gives you a leafy plant with disappointing bloom. Olympiad Rose is a heavy-blooming flower with a big appetite — a regular high-potash feed through the season is what drives a long, dense display.
How often should I feed olympiad rose?
Feed with balanced rose fertiliser at spring bud-break and after the first flush, then a potash-rich feed by midsummer. Stop feeding by late summer so new wood ripens before winter. Feed with balanced rose fertiliser at spring bud-break and after the first flush, then a potash-rich feed by midsummer. Stop feeding by late summer so new wood ripens before winter. For a hungry bloomer that means feeding regularly — sparingly through the growing season — right through flowering across the main season (spring through early autumn), tapering as blooming ends.
What strength of feed for olympiad rose?
Follow the flowering-feed label rate for olympiad rose, or half strength if feeding very frequently. These plants genuinely use the nutrients — under-feeding shows up fast as a thin display.
What does over-feeding olympiad rose look like?
Lots of lush leaves but few flowers (too much nitrogen). Scorched leaf edges and salt crust from too-strong or too-frequent feeds. Soft, sappy growth prone to aphids and mildew. Using a high-nitrogen general feed on olympiad rose is the headline mistake — you grow a big leafy plant with few flowers. The second is simply under-feeding a genuinely hungry bloomer and getting a sparse, short display.
Should I flush the soil of olympiad rose?
Container-grown olympiad rose accumulates feed salts fast with frequent feeding — water until it drains each time and flush pots with plain water every few weeks to prevent scorch.
Keep reading
- Olympiad Rose care — the full brief (light, soil, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- How often to water olympiad rose — the watering schedule
- The houseplant fertiliser schedule — feeding through the year
- NPK ratio explained — what the three numbers on the bottle mean
- How to fertilise peace lily
- How to fertilise bird of paradise
- How to fertilise hoya
- All 3899 fertilising guides in the Growli library