How to care for roses
Rose, one of the most beautiful and adorable flowers in the world, has a unique amusing fragrance we all like. Do you also want to grow your own rose flowers in your garden but think it difficult to do, or do you have rose plants in your garden but don’t know how to take care of them? Then throw all your worries away because growing rose plants in the garden and taking care of it is quite simple and easy if you know some basic things and techniques. Here are some caring tips for roses, from planting to fertilizing and watering to pruning them, which would help you grow and look after your rose garden.
Best Time to Grow Roses:
Knowing when to grow roses is a big part of rose gardening. After the last frost in spring or six weeks before the first frost in fall, planting them is the best time for their growth. Planting them in fall can be tricky since the rose plant roots go deep into the soil, for which they need time. Therefore, plant them well enough before winter because rose plants go into dormancy in winter.
Choice of Roses:
Choosing which variety of rose to grow could be a difficult part when there are hundreds available in the market. There are many varieties of roses ranging from groundcovers to shrub roses and from climbing roses to tree roses. You will get tired while counting the varieties of roses. But here’s a suggestion, don’t grow many varieties of roses in the garden as it may end up with disarray and confusing pattern without giving a real natural look to your garden. A few varieties of your choice will be enough to give your garden an adorable look than dozens of disorderly grown roses. So, choose few varieties to grow which you like most and care for them.
The site to Grow Roses:
Irrespective of the variety you want to grow, every variety of rose loves sunbath. Plant them at a site that receives good sunlight for at least 6-8 hours daily. But keep a thing in mind that severe heat can be unhealthy for the roses and cause damage them. So, in hot climatic areas, try to protect them from severe hot parts of the day. In cooler regions, planting them next to the south or west-facing wall can help them surviving freezing. As rose plant roots grow deep in the soil and need a lot of room, dig thoroughly and deep into the soil.
Perfect Soil for Roses:
Well-drained soil rich with organic matter is ideal and perfect for rose plants. If you are growing roses in heavy soils such as clay, mix some organic matter like peat moss and compost to increase the soil drainage. But if the soil in your area is light sandy, then make sure to add compost to it. Adding compost will help to retain moisture in the root zone of the plants.
Ensure Proper Plantation:
The ideal time to grow bare-rooted roses in winter and for potted roses in spring. Ensure the proper plantation of the rose plant to give them a good start. Before planting, soak the roots in lukewarm water for a time period of 12-24 hours. Then dig a hole in the soil with dimensions of 30cm wide and 25cm deep. The hole should be wide and deep enough for the roots of a plant to get settled. Put the rose plant carefully in the hole and fill it with soil and some fertilizer. After planting, water the plant and mound the extra soil around the rose plant’s stem to give it a strong anchorage. Keep a 3ft distance between adjacent roses plants if you are planting several plants together to give them enough room to grow.
Fertilizers for Roses:
Fertilize the rose plants regularly to get a good yield of flowers. Feed roses early in the spring, just after their leaves start to grow. A single balanced dose (5-10-5) of granular fertilizers in April and July is enough. If we talk about organic fertilizers, they are slow releasing, hence supply nutrients to the plants steadily but continuously. Apply manure, compost, and any organic fertilizer once a month. Another advantage of using organic fertilizers is that they promote the growth of friendly microorganisms in soil and maintains its pH. The use of slow-release fertilizers can be an advantage because they offer more nutrients than organic matter. So, in the case of slow-release fertilizers, just a single application in spring and one in fall is enough.
Give Proper Water:
Rose likes water, but that doesn’t mean that you drown them in the water the whole season. Keep the soil moist throughout the season with mild irrigations. Generally, how much to water and when to water depends upon the type of soil in which roses have been grown. In dry summers, flood the field twice a week, and in fall, you can reduce the amount of water but be sure that soil doesn’t get dried. The plant will die if there will be too much water in the soil in winter.
Mulching Conserves Moisture:
The use of mulches over the soils helps conserve the soil’s moisture and maintains a very favorable environment for the roses. Mulching also helps in reducing stress on plants and promotes healthy growth. You can use leaves, pea straw, chopped sugarcane peel, shredded bark, or lucerne as a mulching material. Apply a layer of 3-4 inches of mulch over the soil and maintain a distance of 1 inch between the stem of the rose plant and mulch to avoid collar rot disease.
Pruning of Roses:
Removing the faded blossoms in the roses that bloom continuously will increase the flowers’ production by the bushes. Please don’t cut the leaves as these are the photosynthetic sites of the plants and provides food to the plant for their survival. Don’t remove faded blooms in early winter so that your rose plant can grow a large bush to survive in winter. Removing the center bud in rose plants encourages more flowers and prevent fungal diseases. Cut off the suckers that emerge below the graft scar.
Prepare for the Winter:
Make your rose plant ready to face the winter by following certain practices:
- Avoid pruning them in the fall. Just cut any diseased part if you find it.
- Don’t apply fertilizers before six weeks of fall but keep the soil moist by mildly watering the plants.
- The application of mulch maintains the temperature in the soil that is favorable for the roses.