Monthly Rose Care

Monthly Rose Care

A Month by Month Guide to Growing Better Roses

By Ed Gracia and Joyce Dillon

Buy bareroot roses and plant them as soon as possible. Soak your roses overnight in a solution of one tablespoon each of Vitamin B1 (for root growth stimulation) and bleach (to avoid root gall, downy mildew, and other diseases) per gallon of water. Toss a handful of superphosphate into each planting hole. Fill in with a blend of natural soil and mulch or planter mix.

Attend pruning demonstrations at your local rose society meeting, or at a nearby nursery. All your rose pruning should be completed by the end of January.

After pruning, give your established rose bushes 1/4 cup of dry Bandini granular fertilizer, then water in well. This type is slow to release and will be ready for the roses when the weather begins to warm.

When all your roses are pruned and the new bareroots are planted, put them all to bed with a thick cover of mulch. This will prevent the canes and bud unions of new plants from drying out, and will amend the soil of existing plants. For existing bushes, cover the rose beds with a thick layer of horse manure. There are local horse ranches where you can get horse manure for free; you just have to do the shoveling and hauling yourself. Or, you can purchase a skip load of mulch from a local supplier, and they will fill your truck or deliver it for an extra charge. Finally, water the plants well and don't let them dry out.

Pruning, planting, dormant spraying, and mulching must be completed by the middle of the February before the weather starts to warm. It's time to finalize all the details in preparation of a great rose growing year.

Your roses will appreciate an application of fish emulsion (5-1-1) around mid-February (one tablespoon per gallon of water). Then two weeks later apply one cup of alfalfa pellets around each bush (1/2 cup for miniatures).

Savvy gardeners will perform "finger pruning" on their roses to encourage longer stems and bigger blooms. This simply means to snap off some of the new bud eyes along each cane, especially where several bud eyes are emanating from one location on the cane. The rewards will be well worth your efforts.

You may begin to see aphids and mildew at the end of February. Mildew is much easier to prevent than to get rid of after the roses have it. But you only need to spray for aphids when you see them. The first application of insecticide and fungicide should be sprayed at half strength to avoid spray burn on the new and tender foliage. Carefully read the directions on all labels, and wear protective clothing. Organic gardeners might try to control pests with daily washing of the foliage.

Well, here we are again - just at the threshold of a promising new spring. Our roses are flush with growth and the green buds show promise of what is to come. You'll be amazed at how a little extra care can improve your roses.

You'll notice that your roses are starting to leaf out nicely, so they will benefit from an application of general purpose fertilizer to keep the foliage green and lively. Give them a kick-start with Grow-More 20-20-20 (first week in March).

Mildew is preventable, if you start early enough. If you choose to use a fungicide such as Ortho Funginex, it will need to be sprayed on your roses every 7 to 10 days. Use one tablespoon per gallon of water.

March is the time to be on the lookout for "nasties" in your rose garden. If you start to see aphids, you'll need to dig your sprayer out of storage. Aphids are no bigger than a pinhead. They love to suck the juice out of new foliage and blooms. Spray your roses with one tablespoon of Orthene per gallon of water.

April brings spider mites. They are no bigger than a grain of salt and can be barely seen with the naked eye. In fact, if you look on the back of the rose foliage, spider mites look like salt and pepper. Spider mites can be prevented with daily washing of the rose foliage on the undersides with a water wand, or by using the miticide Avid.

During this peak rose blooming season, feed weekly with rotated feedings of Fish Emulsion and Miracle-Gro or Grow More 10-52-10 (1 tablespoon per gallon of water). At month-end feed your roses iron chelate (for dark green foliage), zinc (for bloom color), and epsom salts. For 3 years I've been foliar feeding my roses with a liquid seaweed product called Response, 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water. I mix it in with the fungicide and insecticide whenever I spray. It appears to also enhance the benefits of the fungicide..

Spray your roses every 7 to 10 days with a fungicide for mildew, like Funginex at a rate of 1 TB per gallon of water. When you see aphids, it's time to spray with Orthene (2 TB per gallon of water). Spray in early morning to avoid leaf burn, and before the wind kicks up (to avoid getting chemicals in your face).

Keep an ever watchful eye on the spider mite situation. Miniature roses are especially susceptible. If you wash the foliage daily, especially the undersides, spider mites can be kept under control. Don't be afraid to wash all your roses thoroughly with water. It is so warm and dry here that mildew should not be much of a problem this time of year.

As we head into May, most of us will be finishing the first spring bloom cycle. To ensure good blooms for the next cycle, we must now deadhead all spent blooms. It will take an average of 45 days for the roses to hit their next bloom cycle. Some will bloom sooner, such as Double Delight and Kardinal. The floribundas will take much longer.

Continue with the feeding program, as your roses will need a steady diet to produce lush foliage and more blooms. Roses are heavy feeders, and more so if they are grown in pots because the fertilizer will drain on through. Start with fish emulsion the 2nd week of May, and at the end of the month feed iron, epsom salts, zinc, and a teensy bit of SuperThrive. You'll want to start feeding your roses Miracle-Gro, Grow More or Peter's 10-52-10 towards the end of the month to encourage big, big blooms.

As we head into the second bloom cycle, you may need to watch out for a few aphids, and especially for thrips which discolor the rose blooms and make them look dirty. Apply Orthene according to directions on the label. To encourage lots of rose blooms, apply a water-soluble fertilizer with a bloom enhancing NPK rating such as 10-52-10 or similar. There are various brands that will do the job such as Peters, Grow More, or Miracle-Gro. An application of epsom salts, iron and SuperThrive at month end will really spiff up your rose bushes, and will get them prepared for the long, hot summer.

Now is the time to make sure your roses are sufficiently watered. If you have an automatic watering system, check to make sure that the timer is set properly. Without water your roses will die. Water helps the plant take up nutrients. With proper drainage you really can't overwater roses. Wash off the foliage daily to keep spider mites under control.

Apply fish emulsion around mid-month, one tablespoon mixed with one gallon of water. If you have more than 50 rose bushes, a siphon device (Syphonex or Hyponex) or a submersible pump is recommended for application. Later in the month, 1/2 cup of alfalfa pellets can be spread around each bush, a quarter cup for minis. I also apply liquid kelp (seaweed) on a regular basis.

Just lightly deadhead the blooms off your rose bushes. The idea is to keep as much foliage as possible during the summer. The lush foliage will help to shade the plants and keep them cool. As you deadhead the rose blooms, be sure to pick up all the spent blooms and fallen leaves and put them in the garbage. Never use rose clippings for mulch because they harbor diseases. A clean garden is a beautiful garden.

Roses need lots of water, especially in our hot, dry area. Daily watering during July and August may be needed. They love to be washed down from head to foot, and this will also keep the spider mites at bay. Invest in a Water Wand from one of the local garden centers. Apply mulch for extra protection.

I recommend organics for summer rose feeding. There are lots to choose from: fish emulsion, blood meal, chicken manure, cottonseed meal, or kelp.

Around August 15th it will be time to begin preparing for the fall bloom cycle. If you lightly prune your roses, take off 1/3 of their height and thin out twiggy growth, you will have beautiful roses for our October rose show.

The first week of September is the last chance to finish your summer pruning. You will need to lightly prune all of your roses now for a big burst of colorful bloom during the month of October. Do not strip off all the foliage like you would do for the hard winter prune, and only cut back about one-third to one-half of the height of each plant. Whether you want to exhibit at the fall shows or simply want a bounty of beautiful roses for your dinner table, the fall pruning ritual is well worth the effort.

Mildew will begin to make its appearance as the weather starts to cool down again. It's much easier to prevent mildew than to try to get rid of it once you have it. Spray every 7 to 10 days with Funginex (1 tablespoon per gallon of water). When you see aphids, it is time to spray with an insecticide such as Orthene. Begin feeding with rotations of fish emulsion, epsom salts, iron, and a balanced rose fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro, Peter's 10-30-20, Grow More 10-52-10, or Bandini granular. A shot of SUPERthrive does wonders!

Towards the end of the month when green buds start to form, daily disbudding of sidebuds on hybrid teas will be of utmost importance for serious exhibitors. This procedure will encourage bigger blooms. For floribundas, you should remove the central bud which will usually bloom before the rest of the spray.

Continue your fertilizing schedule through October. It's especially helpful to use a high phosphorous fertilizer during the weeks prior to the shows, as this will encourage bigger blooms. I currently use the soluble Grow More 10-52-10 which is available from Orange County Farm Supply. But any brand will do, as long as the middle number is high. You can use this weekly, or alternate with fish emulsion. A dose of iron, zinc, epsom salts and SUPERthrive applied at the beginning of October will do wonders. Remember to water your roses thoroughly before and after fertilizing.

Mildew may be especially prevalent during this time of year as the nights begin to cool down and the daytime may remain warm. Ortho Funginex (one tablespoon per gallon) will keep mildew under control if sprayed weekly. You may also see aphids reappear. Orthene sprayed at the rate of two tablespoons per gallon of water is recommended for insects. Make sure your roses are well watered at least four hours before spraying, otherwise the foliage may wilt and burn.

Just because it may become cooler does not mean that you can discontinue watering. Hot and dry Santa Ana winds can dehydrate your roses. Check sprinklers and drip emitters to make sure they are working properly.

Start now to plan your strategy for growing better roses. Look for the annual Exhibitor's Rose Care Calendar in January. We continue to improve the Calendar which will make less work for you, and help you grow top quality roses.

Now is a good time to start looking through the myriad of rose catalogs which are now pouring in and make out our wish lists. We'll also have to make decisions as to which roses will need to be given up for adoption to make room for the new ones we just can't live without.

Winter is the best time to repot roses which have become rootbound. Keep garden debris cleaned up to avoid overwintering of insects and fungus. Apply one cup of alfalfa pellets per bush, 1/2 cup per miniature. And 1/4 cup of superphosphate around each bush is recommended. Don't forget to water at least once a week if there is no rain. Get ready for January pruning.

Keep spent blooms trimmed off the rose bushes to ensure a bountiful bouquet for your holiday dinner table. Pansies make wonderful wintertime companion plants for the roses, especially when the roses are bare from winter pruning.