If you’ve been afraid to start a rose garden, the truth is, roses are no more difficult to care for than other flowering shrubs.
Rose Growing Tips
Follow these eight essential rules to learn how to grow beautiful roses:
1. Pick Your Rose Variety:
There are numerous varieties of Roses available in the market ranging from micro-miniatures to grandifloras, and from groundcovers to climbing roses. It is preferable to pick 3-4 varieties to plant in your garden rather than a disarray of different varieties which might end up looking disorderly.
2. Pick The Right Spot:
You should plant your roses at the site which receives at least 6-8 hours of Sunlight daily. In hot climates, roses do best when they are protected from the hot afternoon sun. In cold climates, planting a rose bush next to a south- or west-facing fence or wall can help minimize winter freeze damage.
3. The Power Of Fertilizer:
Roses should be planted in soil that has good drainage quality and is rich in organic matter. Feed your roses consistently before and throughout the blooming cycle and use fertilizer to support healthy growth. Roses required balanced amounts of NPK along with other micro-nutrients and essential trace nutrients to grow properly. You can try Garden Genie’s Rose Grow Fertilizer which has specifically been formulated to provide complete nutrition to the rose plant. Another tip to achieve beautiful blooms is to use only a tablespoon (1 Tbsp) of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) dissolved in approx. 3.5 ltr of water in spring which promotes strong canes. Using Organic methods provide a slow, steady supply of nutrient which provides plants with continued nutrition.
4. Plant At The Right Time:
Roses are best planted in the spring or fall. Planting early enough in the fall gives the roots enough time to get established before the plants go dormant over the winter.
5. The Magic Of Watering:
Water your roses regularly, make sure roses get about 2 inches a week. Deep soakings are much better than frequent, shallow watering.
6. The Grooming Effect:
Groom your roses to improve flowering and keep plants’ growth healthy. Here’s stuff you can cut out any time you see it:
– Dead wood: Remove dead canes down to the ground level.
– Damaged wood: Cut it back into about 1 inch of healthy wood.
– Misplaced stems: Take off stems that are rubbing together (choose one and spare the other), stems that are taking off in the wrong direction, and stems that are trailing on the ground.
7. Importance Of Pruning:
Prune-established roses in the spring to destroy all old or diseased plant material.
8. Protect From Diseases:
Roses are easily susceptible to diseases like powdery mildew or black spot and attract pesky insects like aphids, spider mites, etc. which like to feed on the bush.
– Powdery mildew typically appears during the summer, especially when the days are hot and dry and the nights are cool and wet. The tell-tale signs include leaves that curl and twist and the development of a white, powdery down on the leaves. To avoid powdery mildew, water plants at ground level in the morning, since wet leaves (especially overnight) provide the perfect growing environment. Pruning a rose bush to allow air to circulate through the foliage also helps prevent this powdery growth.
– Black spot is a waterborne fungal disease. It appears as circular black or brown spots on the top side of the leaves. It starts toward the bottom of a bush and works its way up, eventually causing defoliation. Protect your plant from Black Spot by following the same instructions as that for Powdery Mildew.
– Pesky insects that like to feed on rose bushes include aphids, Japanese beetles, and spider mites. Most of these pests can be controlled with neem oil or insecticidal soap. Try Garden Genie’s Neem Oil Concentrate or conveniently use Neem Oil Spray for hassle-free usage. In the case of aphids, a blast of water from a hose in the morning is often the only treatment necessary. Companion planting with Indian Meadows can also help repel aphids.
