How To Care For Your Roses
Last updated by Annie on: Tuesday, Jul 20th 2010
Hi, . I’m sure you will agree with me when I say that roses are possibly one of the, if not THE most beautiful of all flowers that adorn our gardens. However, many of you will probably also think that it can be a bit of a pain when it comes to planting, growing and caring for roses. Well, should you think that, all I can say, is you are in the right place.
Why? Because while it is probably very true that many gardeners find roses a bit tricky, there are many more that have taken the trouble to go out and find the right information for themselves and as a result, have transformed the way they care for their roses. That is what LearnRoses.com is all about. You are also about to transform the way you look after your roses.
I’m certainly not saying the rose doesn’t require regular care and attention if you want it to look its best, because it does, but what I am saying is once you know what you should be doing, it’s actually quite easy. Chances are if you know someone who produces beautiful, healthy looking roses and always says how hard it is, they probably know something you don’t and are simply showing off. Wouldn’t you like to do the same?
Let’s start with some basics. Stay with me! We all know that roses, like any other plant, needs water. In order for a rose to look its very best it needs to be watered correctly. All plants, even though they need water, need it in different ways. When it comes to roses, a good rule of thumb is to water about one inch every week.
Instead of thinking of the rose as a whole, the most important part when it comes to watering is in fact the roots. The rose has very deep roots. Why do they have such deep roots? Because it allows them to extract water deep down in the soil even though the surface may appear to be dry. A reason for this is to allow them to survive dry hot summers well.
So when you water the roots of the rose themselves, it actually encourages the rose to grow their roots even deeper into the soil. So even if you water the roses themselves quite often, their roots will not grow deep enough and will remain relatively shallow in the soil where, unfortunately, they are unable to extract the water that remains lower down. As a consequence, the rose finds it difficult to survive those hotter drier spells.
Looking after and caring for roses properly requires more than watering of course and that is where fertilizing comes into play. Did you know that most types of roses can actually survive for a very long time, and I mean years, without being fed if they have been planted in lovely rich soil? Did you also know that what the rose actually lives on are the nutrients provided by the bugs that live in the soil? With that in mind, you can see that using man made fertilizer you can actually kill off those “good” bugs and their nutrients the roses need.
And unfortunately that’s only half the story. If you are constantly feeding the roses with fertilizer they can actually get hooked on it. Yes, they start to crave it, forcing you into an ever increasing cycle of the more you give then, the more they need it and therefore the more you have to give them and …… you get the picture.
So when it comes to fertilizing, the best way to go is to use a special type in both early spring when the rose is just starting to come out of its winter period and also just after the flowers have gone when it is starting to store energy for the winter ahead. The fertilizer then slowly releases its nutrients into the soil over time when the roses most need it. One time not to fertilize is just after the middle of the summer. Stick to those two times mentioned.
You may be wondering whether to use organic or inorganic fertilizers. Well roses actually do pretty well with both varieties however those “good” bugs producing the nutrients in the soil I mentioned earlier are able to digest the organic better and as a result you will find your soil more fertilize over time. Here’s a great tip though if you are using inorganic fertilizer, go for a combination of either 4-8-4 or 5-10-5. Ssshhh! Keep that our little secret!
If you don’t know or understand what any of those figures mean, you need to definitely sign up to my free Roses eCourse, as I explain all about it in detail for you.
The next thing I think we should take a look at after watering and fertilizing is of course pruning. Doing this correctly is very important. There are two main times when you should prune your roses. The first is after winter, in the spring. Pruning at this time allows the rose more space which provides more air to get to it to keep it healthy. The pruning can also be done to shape the plant as well. You should prune away any broken, diseased or dead wood from the rose.
The second period of pruning should take place after the rose has flowered. It may sound a little strange but pruning the actual rose flowers does actually encourage additional growth. It does this by establishing a new plant after the removal of the previous buds.
Well, that was just a little introduction into the world of caring for roses. Caring and producing beautiful roses does take time, commitment and a little patience on your part but, as I mentioned above, if you know the right way to go about it, possess the correct knowledge and skills, it is actually a lot easier than more people make it out to be. What could be better than being able to show off your beautiful roses you have nurtured and cared for with pride and a huge smile on your face?
Take care and enjoy your roses
Annie
