Final_Tool_logo_trans.gif (11123 bytes)

March 2003 Rose Tips

 
Get Our Free Newsletter

Home
Current Issue
Previous Issues

Advertise

the Savvygardener Community
~ Gardening Forums, Blogs, Photos, Events and more...

Donations

Site Search
Contact Us

Feature Articles

~ All About Composting
~ Worm Composting
~ Houseplant Care
~ When to Start Seeds Indoors
~ Seed Starting Indoors
~ Seed Starting Tomatoes
~ Vegetable Garden Calendar
~ Shrub Pruning Calendar
~ Pruning Clematis 
~ Gardening in the Shade
~ Summer-Flowering Bulb Care
~ Drought-Tolerant Flowers for KC
~ Peonies - A New Old Favorite
~ Preparing for a Soil Test
~ Changing the pH of Your Soil
~ All About Mulch
~ Growing Herbs
~ When to Harvest Vegetables
~ Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
~ Organic Pesticides & Biopesticides
~ Cold Frames & Hot Beds
~ When to Divide Perennials
~ Dividing Spring Blooming Perennials
~ Overseeding A Lawn
~ Forcing Bulbs Indoors
~ Pruning Trees
~ Pruning Shrubs
~ Planting Trees
~ Deer Resistant Plants
~ Trees that Survived the Storm
~ Stump Removal Options for the Homeowner
~ More...

 

Local Sponsors
~ Family Tree Nursery
~ Missouri Organic Recycling
~ Ryan Lawn & Tree

Privacy Pledge


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting Started on the Growing Season

Rosarians dream of perfection in performance of their roses.  Much time,  labor and money is involved in planning our rose gardens - future gardens and  revitalizing our present ones.

Many people buy a new rose bush, put it in a freshly prepared hole and it goes down hill in a year or two.  You are ready to dig it out and try  another rose, only to repeat the same scenario again.  To solve this dilemma, it could be the soil pH.  Almost everything we add to our rose beds tend to lower the soil pH.  It usually takes several years for our soil pH to get out of balance unless we do something about it.

Have you had a soil analysis recently?  Roses do best in soil of pH 6.5 to 6.8.  If you are in doubt about your soil, now is a good time to get it analyzed.  Dig down in the rose bed about 8 inches with a trowel or shovel (be careful not to damage rose roots).  Go through the rose bed four to six different areas - both ends of the rose bed, both sides of the bed and a couple of other areas in the rose bed.  Mix the dry soil and place in a plastic bag.  Arrange to bring the sample to your local extension office for analysis.

Selecting Roses:
Selecting good healthy plants is important for successful rose growing.  Roses are available through catalogs or garden centers for spring planting.  Plants should be free of disease and insects. Canes should be thick and healthy.

Location of the Rose Bed:
The rose bed should receive full direct sunlight for a minimum of six hours daily.  The more sun the better.  If shade is unavoidable, afternoon sun is best.  The morning sun is necessary to dry dew from foliage.  If the rose leaves remain damp for long periods of time, fungal diseases will develop.  To reduce the incidence of disease, the bed should have good air movement.  Avoid planting roses near shrubs, or hedges, that block air movement as well as compete with the rose for sunlight, soil moisture and nutrients and tree roots.  

Another requirement for a rose bed is good drainage.  Roses tolerate a lot of water, but sitting in water is not good for the rose bush.  Dig a hole two feet in depth.  Fill the hole with water.  If the hole drains completely in an hour, then your drainage is okay.  If the water does not drain, you have poor drainage.  Dig down about 3-4 feet and add gravel to the bottom.  Amend the soil with humus - compost, dried cow manure or pulverized tree leaves.

Planting Bare Root Roses:
Roses should be planted in the spring, after March 15th, or as soon after our weather and soil conditions are favorable.  Never work the soil while it is still wet.  When preparing the soil, spade the entire rose bed to a depth of two feet.  Please remember to dig the hole large enough to plant the new bush.  Do not crowd the plant in a small hole.  Add organic matter such as dried cow manure or compost.  Soak the entire bare root rose(s) in water for 24 hours.  There is a need to add moisture to the roots and canes.  Add 8 ounces of phosphorus at the bottom of the hole before planting the rose bush.  Phosphorus promotes root growth.  Once you have added phosphorus, build a small cone of dirt in the hole - plant the bare root rose over the cone so the roots are spread out.  The union bud or graft union should be planted an inch below the soil line. This protects the bush during our cold winters.  Water the new bush thoroughly.  Then continue to add soil in the hole and also cover with soil the entire bare root rose.  This protects the canes from rapid drying due to wind, etc.  Continue to leave soil around the bush until you notice leaves appearing from the soil.  At that time you can gently remove soil with your hand or a small stream of water from the garden hose.  Be careful that you do not break off any new growth on the bush.

Planting Containerized Roses:
Dig a hole 2 feet deep.  Add water to the hole to check for good drainage. If good drainage, add 8 ounces of phosphorus at bottom of hole.  As mentioned with bare root roses, phosphorus promotes root growth.  Remove container and place rose bush with soil into the hole.  Be careful not to loosen the soil around the new rose bush you are planting.  Water thoroughly.  Fill hole with soil, cow manure or compost.  Plant rose an inch below the union bud or graft union. You do not build a cone when planting a rose in a container.  The roots are already growing in the container and leaves are already growing.  Please dig a large hole to plant new rose bush.  Do not crowd in small hole.

Fertilizing Roses:
Do not fertilize bare root or newly purchased container roses. Roots could easily be burned.  Fertilize the new roses after their first blooming and the need to cut off the old spent blooms.

Fertilizing Established Roses:
After a long, bitter cold winter, many rosarians are anxious to get outside and work with their roses. Modern roses - hybrid tea, floribunda, grandiflora and miniature should be cut back (pruned) and fertilized around April 15th.  This year, because of the extreme cold temperatures, you may need to cut the rose canes back to the soil line of your rose bed.  In other words, cut the canes at a 45º angle to the "green" portion of the rose cane.  In many cases you may not see any green canes.  They are dead canes.  If the canes are black cut all the way to the soil.  When they do start growing you may want to cut back some of the small canes (less than the size of a pencil) and leave about 5 or 6 canes to grow.  This will promote larger canes and larger blooms.  Otherwise, you will have small canes and small blooms.  Once you have cut back the old canes, make a shallow trench around each rose bush with a trowel or your hand.  Apply 8 ounce cup of 13-13-13 granular fertilizer to each plant.  Water in fertilizer thoroughly. When you are through, go back and water again. Your objective is to see that the fertilizer has dissolved and worked down toward the root area.  When you are finished watering, go back and cover up the shallow trench with your hand.  Fertilization of roses is a must to encourage production of large, vigorous basal canes.  These are the new canes that are formed at the base of the union bud.  If a cane from the rootstock appears, this is called a "sucker" and has much smaller leaves.  The cane should be broken off at the union bud as soon as you see it.

Spraying:
When you notice new leaves on the bushes, start your weekly spray program.  Use a fungicide every week.  You may need only a one or two gallon spray container.  Read the instructions on all chemical containers before using.  I spray early in the morning (I am retired!).  Spray late in afternoon if not able to spray in the morning.  I use one fungicide every week for three weeks of each month.  I use another fungicide on the fourth or last week of each month.  If you use one fungicide spray throughout the rose growing season your roses could build up an immunity to blackspot or mildew and all your work would not be as effective.  I use the second fungicide the last week of the month, then I do not have to remember if I substituted sprays during a given month.  When you notice insect damage on the leaves or blooms of your roses, add an insecticide to your weekly spray program - usually the first part of May.  The fungicide and insecticide can be added in the same container and sprayed together.  Read directions on your chemical containers.  Roses should be watered or have moisture in the soil before spraying.  If the soil is too dry you could burn the rose leaves.  Each spraying, I add one tablespoon per gallon of a soluble fertilizer referred to as foliar feeding.  The ones I have used: Rapid-Go, Miracle-Go, and K-Go (K-Mart).  When you have the fungicide, insecticide, water soluble fertilizer (Rapid-Go) in the tank sprayer, add one squirt per gallon of an inexpensive detergent in the sprayer and shake well before spraying.  The detergent acts as a spreader sticker.  Spray under and on top of all the rose leaves.  Do not spray rugosa roses.  If you have spray left over do not spray roses again.  Instead spray your perennials such as phlox, zinnias or lilac shrubs.  Do not save spray to use the following week. Clean sprayer after every use.

Do not prune back roses too early.  Wait until after April 15th.  Bare root  roses can be planted after March 15th because they will be completely covered until leaves appear.

Rose growing pays big dividends in beauty and satisfaction to the grower.

Back to Rose Tips Index

 
 

© 1999 - 2009 Savvygardener.com, Inc. All rights reserved.  If you wish to copy, transmit, or otherwise duplicate any of the material from our website please ask us first.  Thank you.