plants
Plant root-free roses in winter. Soak the roots in lukewarm water for 12-24 hours. Dig a hole about 30 cm wide and 25 cm deep. Create a small mound at the bottom of the hole with soil and spread the roots over it. Cover with water and the rest of the soil. Plant potted roses in spring.
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Feed
Roses are always hungry and if you feed them well they will produce lovely flowers. Feed them rose food as soon as the buds appear and water well. Then give them a handful of food every four to six months during the flowering period.
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irrigation
Roses need to be well watered when they are young, but when they mature, you can reduce watering to twice a week. Soak well in summer. Make sure you only water the soil, not the plant. Any moisture left on the leaves can cause fungal problems.
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Mulching
Use sugar cane, pea straw, or alfalfa, which decompose, nourish, and help the soil retain moisture. Spread to a depth of approx. 5 cm in late winter or spring and again in summer. Don’t let the mulch sit by the stems or you will get collar rot.
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How do I get rid of pests on my roses?
Modern breeds of roses are very disease resistant, but nothing is perfect. So watch out for these issues.
- Juice-sucking aphids gather around the buds. Remove by hand or spray with a mixture of 2 tablespoons of soap flakes in one liter of water.
- Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that occurs in humid conditions. Provide good airflow through the plant and treat it with a fungicide or spray lime sulfur on the plant and soil after pruning.
- Black spot is another fungal disease that affects leaves in warm, humid conditions. Treat with a fungicide.
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How to prune roses
- Prune in winter when your plant is dormant and be ready to be brutal. Your bush will reward you with beautiful flowers in summer.
- Cut dead stems back to their base and damaged or diseased stems back to healthy tissue where the center is white.
- Cut stems that look like they’re growing into the center of the bush – it’s important to keep air flowing through the plant.
- Remove the suction cups emerging from under the graft scar. Always cut at a 45 degree angle, with the cut pointing down and out just above a bud or leaf knot.
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How to care for roses in pots
You don’t need a bed – live the high life on balconies and courtyards!
Container size
Miniature roses are best for growing in containers at least 35 cm deep. If you want a climber, the container should be at least 18 inches deep. Go for much deeper and wider containers for other roses.
Best aspect
Roses need at least 6 hours of sun a day. But container roses need additional conditions. Place the bush in the sun but the container in the shade so that the growing medium does not get too dry.
Growth medium
If you’re planting from a nursery pot (best planted fall through spring) or as a bare root (best planted in early winter), fill the container with a clay-based, acid-friendly mixture specially formulated for roses.
Daily care
Irrigation is important, but so is drainage. Put a layer of gravel on the bottom of the pots and stand the pots on their feet.
Food needs
Potted plants absorb food faster than bedding plants. Fill up with rose food every spring and replace the top 5-10 cm of the mixture with compost or repot with fresh mixture every two years.
You might like it too:
How to make a beautiful bouquet of roses
How to grow roses from cuttings
Why should you combine roses with other plants
