Many love caring for roses, as roses are one of the most beautiful and beloved flowers that grace our gardens and our lives. Unfortunately, roses have a reputation for being a hard plant to care for. While some gardeners find this to be correct, others follow procedures to find out the precise care that is required for their roses.
Roses do require regular attention to keep the plant looking its best but, after learning the proper steps in caring for roses, helping them look their best is easy. Most people understand that the most basic need of plants is water. Roses are no different as all plants do need water. Roses will bloom and look their best if they are well watered.
When caring for roses, the plants need to be provided with about one inch of water per week. During this step, the root of the plant really needs to be considered. Roses have roots that go deep into the ground. Because roses grow deeper roots, they are capable of getting water from the sub-soil even when the top surface is dry. This helps them to tolerate dry spells.
Watering the roots is recommended when caring for roses, because doing so helps them grow deeper into the soil. At times when a gardener gives their roses light watering, the roots will only grow shallowly within the soil. The outcome is that the plant cannot handle the dryness of the upper layer of the soil due to the lack of water.
Caring for roses properly also means fertilizing. Most species of roses are capable of going years without feeding when they are planted in good soil. Plants feed on the produced nutrients of organisms dwelling in the soil. Too much man-made fertilizers can kill beneficial bugs. Also, the plants can become addicted to the fertilizers, forcing you to purchase more of them.
Instead, when caring for roses, gardeners can place a slow-release fertilizer to the soil after its dormancy time during early spring. You can also put a small amount of fertilizer after the flowers fade and the plant is stocking up energy for another season. However, do not use fertilizer when it’s past midsummer. Roses do well with both inorganic and organic fertilizers, although organic fertilizer materials can be digested by the helpful bacteria and fungus within the soil, resulting in your soil permanently becoming more fertile. The most efficient mixture of inorganic fertilizer is 5-10-5 or 4-8-4.
Trimming is tremendously vital in caring for roses. It is usually done in the spring, after the plant has been dormant for the winter. At this phase, trimming or pruning is carried out to eliminate diseased, dead, or broken wood from the plant. This helps to provide the plant with space so air can move through it as well as keep it healthy.
Trimming is also performed to shape the rose plant. The next stage of pruning occurs after the plant has bloomed. Pruning the actual flowers themselves encourages growth, and removing the flower buds helps to establish a new plant.
Caring for roses requires time and dedication. It also needs skill, patience, and knowledge. But, there is nothing better than to be able to display your hard work for all to see. The rewards of being able to show off these gorgeous creations right on your front lawn are priceless.
