Growing roses doesn’t have to be a complicated endeavor. When you have the right knowledge there is no limit to how beautiful a garden or rosebush you can grow. Roses are the most popular cut flower so there is no reason why you shouldn’t grow your favorite color of roses.
In this post, you will not only have all of the right skills at your fingertips, but you will get many tips that you can use to grow your very own bed of roses. How to plant roses, how to prune roses, how to water roses, how to fertilize roses, how to control diseases and pests in roses.
Planting Roses
Here are some of the best ideas and tips for growing roses from planting.
1. Check with your local gardening center or florist for the best type of roses to grow in your zone. If you are new to growing roses, get disease-resistant types of roses because they demand less maintenance.
2. Pick a spot that is well lit in the morning when establishing roses. The area should also receive sunlight for at least 6 hours during the daytime. Roses require sufficient bright light if they are to thrive and grow properly.
3. Pick an area that has plenty of well-draining soil. The ideal soil has a PH level of about 5.5-7.0. You can purchase a soil testing kit that will help you determine the Ph of your soil.
4. Organic matter including compost and manure is useful in nourishing the roots of your roses. You should soak the roots in water or clay puddle for several minutes, and cut off any root’s ends that are rotting or broken.
5. 3-4 weeks after planting your roses, watering should be done often. The best time is when the top 2 inches of the soil is dry. Roses require sufficient water and nutrients to remain healthy.
6. 4 weeks after establishment, you should start soaking the bed every two weeks or so. You should do this in the morning for the best results.
7. Begin fertilization approximately 3 months after planting. Use mulch about three to six inches to control the temperature, moisture, and to stops weeds from growing. Mulch is also useful because it helps to lock in any vital nutrients that the roses need in order to thrive.
8. Planting in the Spring is the best time to start growing roses.
9. It is advisable to plant your roses in an area that is open and has good ventilation. Roses will not do well in tight areas or enclosed spaces with low air circulation.
10. When establishing roses, dig a hole that is 2 times larger than the amount of space that your roses require. The large hole not only makes it easier to establish the flower but also creates enough space area for them to spread freely. It is important to note that poor circulation for your roses can promote the occurrence of fungal diseases. Having holes that are larger than the plants also makes it easier to pull them up later and establish them in a different location or in pots.
Watering Roses
Watering your growing roses can be a tricky thing. It is one of the most important aspects of taking care of growing roses. There are several things that you might want to consider before you water your roses. Check them out below:
• Like most plants, roses need more water during hotter weather than during the colder ones. Heat during growing months makes the soil dry faster and the rose plants get “thirstier” faster.
• Keep in mind that even during the wet months, roses may still need to be watered with fresh water because rain alone might not provide the right amount of moisture for your roses.
• You want to water your roses in a manner that the water goes deep enough into the surrounding soil so that it reaches the roots. Try going approximately 45cm deep.
• It’s advisable not to water the petals directly or the rose canes because it can promote fungal disease in your roses.
• Furthermore, to help you lower the risk of your roses getting diseases, mulch is a nice way to keep the soil moist, without promoting all of the fungal problems that too much moisture can lead to.
• You can water your roses in the morning because it helps have the water drops and dew dry off of the leaves as the day progresses.
• Once your roses are fully established, you should water them once a week. You should do it twice a week if it’s in the hotter months.
Pruning Growing Roses
Pruning your roses is one of the most needed and the most annoying and difficult tasks that goes with proper rose care. It takes a steady hand and the proper procedure to ensure that the bush produces the best possible roses.
Pruning the roses basically involves the act of getting rid of damaged, dead, and diseased plant parts. It also includes teaching the new growth to grow in the correct direction preferably facing outwards.
The idea is to train them to grow facing the outside and not the inside of the shrub or bush. The training gives your roses the right amount of circulating air to grow and thrive.
Here is a list of several proper techniques to help guide you through the pruning process.
Pruning Process
• The first step is to soak pruning shears in equal parts of water and bleach/alcohol. The mixture will help to protect the roses from diseases and pests because it sanitizes the tools.
• It’s advisable to carry out rose pruning in the early spring, just after the snow melts. It’s important to note that, you want to do it before the bush’s new growth appears. The best time would be when the buds are swollen, or red.
• Hand shears are the best tool for pruning smaller branches. (4 ½ inches thick) Loppers are ideal for the branches that are thicker or anything with the thickness of a pencil and larger. The large tool will make the process easier and less stressful. You should use a heavy pair of rose gloves to avoid getting pricked by rose thorns.
• You should get rid of the winter protection that you set up like burlap, cones, and mounded soil.
• You want to trim and get rid of the deadwood first. (This is primarily the black wood that has turned black both inside as well as outside).
• Next, you want to get rid of the thin and weak wood, which is the stems and branches that are thinner than a pencil.
• Cut all of the branches that cross or overlap one another because these are often diseased or will become so in the future.
• Keep the remaining healthy branches. The best are often dark green in color. You will want to make your roses fluted shaped, with an open center and spreading outwards. The shape also helps keep them from touching or the branches from overlapping each other.
• You can also cut your healthy canes to be about 1 to 4 feet long, or whichever size is preferable to you.
• When you cut and trim the roses properly, they stay healthy for long. The best way to trim is to make cuts that allow the bud to remain facing outside of the bush. The cut should also be made at a 45-degree angle that also has an inward slant so as to keep promoting the outward growth.
• You can also use bypass pruners that are designed to work like scissors because they give a clean cut. Other types such as the anvil types are not preferred because the anvils crush the stems and make the rose bushes more susceptible to diseases.
Fertilizing Growing Roses
It is really important to fertilize your roses. Adequate fertilizing help rose flowers get their much-needed minerals and nutrients.
Most types of roses have to be fertilized frequently to keep them growing at a fast pace as well as produce beautiful blooms. You should fertilize with a fertilizer that is slow to releasing at planting time. Be certain to follow the instructions properly from the label.
Avoid over-fertilizing during the winter because by trying to promote new growth in the winter will make your roses more prone to freeze damage.
Important Tip: You should never fertilize plants that are heat or water-stressed. Water stressed plants that grow under a lot of heat will cause leaf and bud burn.
You want a steady temperature of approximately 70-80 degrees because your plants will get the most nutrients that are available from the fertilizer. During the fast-growing season, you can give the rose plants a water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks.
Preventing Rose Diseases
Just like most other flowers, growing roses are susceptible to diseases and various other problems. Many of the problems that come with having roses are relatively easy to manage. However, it’s always better to stop them all together rather than having to cure them later. Here are some of the ways that you can use to prevent your roses from getting diseases.
1. The easiest way to prevent diseases from inhabiting your roses is to buy rose types that are low maintenance like shrubs and landscape roses. You can enquire about varieties that are more disease and pest-resistant compared to others. Read more about rose varieties.
2. Planting your roses properly in areas that have a lot of bright sunlight (at least 6 hours in the morning), air circulation, and good compost for faster draining can prevent many problems later.
3. Keeping different types of flowers and plants in with your roses will help to provide your roses with a better and more balanced ecosystem to live in.
4. Fertilize your plants in the proper manner. Roses need their nutrients too!
5. Watering your roses correctly and in the morning is a good way to keep fungal diseases from hitting your roses.
6. A two-inch layer of mulch at the base of your roses is a good way to keep soil-borne diseases at bay.
Roses Disease and Pest Management
It is important to note that even with the best prevention techniques and care, it’s not 100% possible to prevent diseases and problems from affecting your roses. For all of the problems you encounter growing roses, there are just as many ways to fix them. All it takes is a little bit of tender loving care, and the right techniques. Here are some of those techniques to help you deal with diseases and get awesome-looking roses.
Aphids and Spider Mites
The aphids are greenish-brown insects that sucks the juices from roses, and can eventually cause your roses to dry out. The pests can be treated effectively by simply blasting the roses with soapy water.
Black Spots
Black spots are a fungal disease that causes the canes to turn black or brown in spots on the foliage. To remedy this, simply prune the affected areas and throw out the clippings. Do not water the head to prevent this from happening again.
Canker
A canker is another fungal disease that causes the canes to turn black or brown. All you have to do is prune the canes just below the canker in the early spring.
Midge
A midge is a tiny maggot that causes the rose’s buds to blacken from the damage. If you want to fix this problem, prune the affected area and then destroy it.
Rust in Growing Roses
Rust is common in many flowers; the disease creates an orange powder-like substance at the center of the rose blooms as well as on the leaves. Wet and calm Winter weather supports the spread of the disease.
Putting in some spider mites can help with this because they hate the water. You should consult your local garden center about the best insecticide to use in order to get rid of the spider mites. Once you have selected the insecticide, spray the rose bushes according to the instructions until the problem is under control.
Powdery Mildew
You can put an end to powdery mildew by making a mixture of:
1 gallon of water
2 TBSP of baking soda
1 TBSP of Oil Soap such as Murphy
Spray/mist over the roses in the morning every 2 weeks until the overall temperature around the roses rises to 80 degrees or higher.
If you liked this post on growing roses or found it helpful, please share it and also follow us on Pinterest for more helpful posts.
