Last updated on September 26th, 2022 at 12:34 pm
Roses and other flowers and plants like marigold, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower, and several others usually require a lot of calcium in addition to other nutrients.
And plants like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants certainly benefit from some extra calcium.
Though fragile with soft petals, roses require so much calcium that roses are adversely affected if there is even a slight insufficiency of calcium. Still, are eggshells good for roses?
Eggshells are good for roses because they are a veritable source of calcium. Eggshells are useful for strengthening the plants’ cell walls and tissue; when roses have enough calcium, they are strong and sturdy. The sturdier roses become, the more, the better their ability to fight pests and diseases.
Benefits of Eggshells to Roses?
Rose bushes, also called Rosa Genus, are known for breaking gardener’s hearts; with so many potential threats to their survival ranging from aphids to the feared black spot.
Although it’s always difficult to keep roses healthy so they can withstand these pests and diseases, it becomes an arduous task when you’re not using any chemicals or using very few chemicals.
So, if you’ve chosen to resort to organic fertilizers and boosters for your roses, you should consider using eggshells. Eggshells are a very wonderful choice for you.
Eggshells are cost-free and very effective because of their high calcium content. Besides calcium, they provide other nutrients for your roses and plants.
Next time, instead of throwing those eggshells in the trash, you can use them as manure for your roses and garden plants and watch your garden bloom.
Calcium is one of the most important nutrients that roses need. And when you break down eggshells, they provide enough calcium to the soil.
The supply of calcium from the eggshells keeps the root system of the roses healthy and keeps the foliage supple and green. But sometimes, the problem lies in figuring out if your roses need calcium and the quantity of calcium the plant needs.
Suppose your roses have calcium deficiency, then eggshells alone aren’t enough to provide the quantity of calcium needed to make the roses healthy again.
How do you know when your roses have a calcium deficiency? Most times, when roses have a calcium deficiency, you will notice that the new stalks keep collapsing as they grow, the roses spring up looking okay, but soon they collapse and die.
In that case, it is better to use a fertilizer than to keep using only eggshells.
How to Prepare Eggshells for Your Roses
Still, it would be best if you considered using eggshells as you grow your roses. Here are some ways you can use eggshells to boost your roses and make them more resistant to pests and diseases.
1. When preparing your soil for transplanting new rose stalks, spread some grounded eggshells or crumbled eggshells into the hole you’ve made for the new stalk.
In that case, the rose will boost nutrients right from the onset, and when they take root, the root system will be firm.
Not just that, but eggshells also assist in making the soil more perforated so that air, water, and nutrients can enter deeply and penetrate the root of the roses.
2. It’s better to crush the eggshells into smaller pieces; you’ll get the better outcome that way. Always resist the temptation to bury eggs that are past their prime whole in the ground.
It will not do any good to the soil; instead, it will introduce pathogens. All you need to do is wash dry, cracked eggs and crush them in a bag, and you’re all set.
3. You can also add broken or crushed eggshells to the compost pile because rich compost is great for rose beds.
It improves the texture and makes the soil more fertile. After you have planted your rose stalks, you can also use the compost as mulch for better results.
4. Looking for a more hands-on approach? You can spread the crushed eggshells around the planted rose stalks, about 2-3 inches around the individual stalks.
You should make sure to use only the dry eggshells and wash them thoroughly to avoid leaving any egg-white or yolk on the shell.
Try as much as you can to grind the eggshell well. The more finely ground it is, the more the calcium in the eggshells can saturate the soil and provide nutrients for your plants.
5. You can also use the eggshells to prepare homemade organic egg water for your plants. But for that, you’d need to grind your eggshells into a very fine powder, which is even better.
You’ll mix the ground eggshell with the water you use for watering your roses then you’re good to go. It would help if you used an old coffee grinder as that will give you a better and smoother result.
6. If your roses are potted, you can place the eggshells at the bottom of the plant’s pot. Pour the soil and continue to water.
No need to worry because the nutrients from the eggshells at the bottom will work their way into the soil and be well fertilized. Whichever way you choose to use your eggshells, you should ensure that you do so properly.
Why are Egg Shells Important to Roses?
Calcium is a very vital nutrient in plants, especially roses, and it doesn’t matter how much work you’ve put into your rose garden, once calcium is lacking or is insufferable, any of the following could happen:
- Lack of or insufficient calcium can cause the rose petals to become short and stunted. Also, the petals will not form fully. Petal formation will be irregular and distorted.
- The emergent leaves and distorted, older leaves lose their vibrant green color. The older foliage may become sparse, and it will start to fall off. The plant will soon wither, and the dill green foliage may curl down at the margins.
- Soon, the plant itself will become stunted, which will eventually lead to the death of the terminal buds and the roses’ root tips.
Nevertheless, even though you’re encouraged to use eggshells to keep your roses healthy and strong, you also need to keep in mind that it takes some months, not several months, but a few months before the eggshell fertilizer breaks down and the plant’s roots absorb the nutrients.
So, you don’t need to keep using the eggshells ever so often. It is okay if you use it twice or at most three times a year. Fertilizing the roses with eggshells several times a year becomes excessive and is unnecessary.
If you have some leftover eggshell you have already washed and ground, you can keep it for later use. Keep it in a sealed container, and you can preserve whatever nutrient is contained in the eggshell.
As soon as the need arises, you can use it, and it will be as good as new. I mean, it’s ground eggshell, after all.
In addition to roses, you can also use eggshells on your other plants like eggplants, basils, cabbage, marigold, and strawberries will do well with a little bit of eggshell.
If you happen to have some of those plants in your garden, you can also find eggshells helpful and useful for your other plants. Calcium is an element that almost all plants need.
Conclusion
In general, roses love eggshells. Eggshells are rich in calcium and sulfate, both of which are needed by the rose to grow.
All you need to do is dry out your eggshells and crush or grind them. Whichever way, you can always use them as manure for your roses and other plants.