Do Roses Like Eggshells: What It Does, Best Ways to Apply

Roses are often seen as difficult to grow, but that’s not necessarily the case, and there are things you can do and add that help them to grow strong and healthy. One of those is eggshells. So do roses like eggshells?

That’s what I’m going through in this post. Let’s start with a quick answer.

Take 2 – 3 eggshells, wash, and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes to remove bacteria. Crush or powder them and then sprinkle and rake into your flower bed. Or, simply break them up for adding to your compost pile. Eggshells add calcium, lime, and other properties to your soil as well as reduce acidity.

So let’s dive in a little deeper because some of them might compare differently to other rose treatments I’ve written about.

---

Do roses like eggshells?

It’s a good idea to make roses resilient enough to weather the attacks from aphids to the threat of black spots or discoloration – especially when you want to avoid the overuse of insecticides. 

But do roses like eggshells? Well, eggshell is one of the most natural, cost-free resources at your disposal in the pursuit of rose care, and roses like it.

Although roses may be grown in almost all zones, you should take note of the recommended zones when you buy each rose plant. Especially if you want to know what months roses bloom – based on which city, state, or country you’re in.

Do roses like eggshells – Quick reference table

Here’s a handy table that outlines more about adding eggshells to roses 🌹.

Why add eggshells to roses	Boost in calcium, Lime, and other minerals.
Which roses to add eggshells to	All roses can benefit from eggshells
How many eggshells to add	2 – 3 Crushed eggshells, every 1 – 2 months.
Symptoms of over-applying eggshells	Wilting or no blossoms. Prevents new growth

Adding eggshells when planting roses

Add some eggshell powder or crunched eggshells to the planting hole before you plant a new rose bush.

As a result, the growing rose plant will receive an immediate boost of calcium and nutrients. Additionally, eggshells help aerate the soil and lower its acidity level.

Eggshells will also serve to lower acidity in the soil, but will not really increase alkaline levels. They cannot take your soil above a 6.8 alkaline level. But this is ideal for roses.

So do roses like eggshells? Yes! eggshells offer a whole new purpose when used with rose plants because eggshells can be considered potent organic fertilizers.

Using empty eggshells for roses

Eggshells should be broken down into little bits for best results. But they should be processed since their rough surface makes them slow to break down naturally. 

While it may be easier to bury whole eggs that are past their prime in the compost pile or rose bed, this is a bad idea since egg yolks and whites could invite insects to the soil.

Cracked eggs should instead be cleaned, dried, and then crushed in a plastic bag or even an old coffee bean grinder before spreading around your roses.

Add eggshells to your compost pile

Eggshells can be crushed or grounded up to be put into a compost pile to provide calcium to the blooming roses.

A new rose bed can benefit greatly from compost that also contains eggshells in terms of texture and fertility. Compost can be used as a mulch after planting or as a spring fertilizer.

How to apply eggshells to roses

I’m looking at the question “do roses like eggshells”, So you’re probably looking for a more direct method than the compost pile, you can add eggshells into the soil directly.

Rake powdered eggshells into the top 1 or 2 inches of the soil surrounding your rose plants, then water well. It’s crucial to use only the shells and wash them to get rid of any leftover yolks and whites, just like you might do when preparing eggshells for the compost pile.

The finer you can grind the egg shells, the quicker the calcium-containing shells can aerate the soil where your roses grow.

You can tell from the image below that once I’ve mixed the eggshells in around my roses you can barely tell it’s there anyway. You want to avoid large pieces of eggshells as they’ll just hang around and take longer to break down.

Nutrients of eggshells that benefit plants

Roses are among the plants that require a lot of calcium to grow well. Calcium is a secondary nutrient in terms of quantity required for plants, behind just nitrogen and potassium.

Eggshells benefit roses by strengthening the cell walls of the plant’s tissue, and they are primarily a great source of calcium.

Egg shells, which are composed of almost 95% calcium, can fulfill all of the calcium needs of roses.

Calcium for roses

Calcium benefits your roses much in the same way it benefits humans.

Calcium works in roses as it does in the human body. The mineral will bind with other materials within plant cell walls. This makes it more resistant to fungi that may try to enter the cell walls which can then lead to infection.

Naturally, the roses are more resistant to disease and pests when they are at their strongest. 

Calcium supports robust root systems and general plant vitality in addition to helping rose bushes produce healthy, full flowers.

According to the Alabama Extension Experimental Station, applications of calcium-rich plant food may not specifically prevent the infestation known as black spot.

However, calcium is thought to be an element that keeps roses healthy enough to be less susceptible to black spots, along with magnesium.

Lime

Eggshells also provide lime and protein in addition to calcium

When soil is overly acidic (has a low pH), lime is added to balance the acidity and raise the pH. A pH of roughly 6.5 to 7.0 is ideal for rose growth.

Lime improves aeration and drainage while adding magnesium to the soil. Lime is a component of most commercial fertilizers.

I’ve written an article on roses and lime …and how much.

Mulch

Crushed eggshells may also be used as a mulch to cover your rose bed.

With each occasion of rain, the nutrients soak further into the soil. An additional layer of bark or moss mulch can be added on top to conceal the eggshells.

In addition to enriching the soil with nutrients, eggshells placed on top and left open to the air also serve as a repellent to slugs and cats. The eggshells lacerate a slug’s underside, so slugs that crawl across broken eggshells quickly turn back!

How many eggshells to add?

There is no definite rule on how many eggshells to add. But a measured 2 – 3 egg shells broken down and added every 1 – 2 months seems a good rule to follow. Any more and you may cause issues.

Too much calcium in plants may impede healthy growth. It can prevent the germination of the plant’s seeds and can reduce its growth rate. Depending on the plant it can also cause blossom end rot, and turn fruits bitter.

In roses, it may produce wilted blossoms, or even prevent blooming and new growth. So it’s better to be cautious.

How to make an eggshell fertilizer

The following techniques can be used to create eggshell fertilizer. 

1. Eggshells should be washed, rinsed, dried, and microwaved for 1 – 2 minutes. Refine the eggshells into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle, rolling pin, or food processor. Be cautious to wear a mask while breaking the shells to avoid breathing in any eggshell dust. Mix the eggshell powder into the soil of your vegetable garden, indoor plant potting mix, or flower bed.
   
2. In the absence of a food processor or manual tools, you can use a coffee grinder to transform eggshells into powder. Add the ground eggshells to your compost bin to make mulch or pour them directly into your planting holes. For an additional nutrient boost, many master gardeners mix eggshell fertilizer with coffee grounds, which are high in nitrogen and potassium.
   
3. Eggshells can be used to create a fertilizer tea that will give your garden liquid calcium. Boil a gallon of water and add ten to twenty clean, dry eggshells. Let the shells lie in the water overnight, then filter them out. Each plant should receive two cups of fluids. Every two weeks.

Do roses like eggshells ~ More roses help 🌹

I hope this has provided you with some insight into using eggshells for your rose bed, how eggshells benefit roses, and answers the question ”do roses like eggshells?”

Be sure to check out my other related articles, and also check my page on tools and resources for more rose-growing help!