Most gardenenrs have at some point and time in their gardening lives have planted roses. After a few seasons of frustration, most gardeners also give up growing roses, thus stengthening the notion that roses are hard to grow. It is true that growing roses is somewhat of a labor intensive hobby, but with correct information, they can be grown quite easily, practically in all parts of USA.
In this introductory blog, I would like to very briefly discuss common reasons for failure and also minimal requirements for growing very good roses.
Most failures result from planting wrong type of roses for one's garden, choosing a wrong site, applying too much or too little fertilizers, inappropriate watering and other incorrect cultural practices.
Here are the basics:
Roses like a sunny spot. About six hours of direct sunlight is ideal. The site should be as far away from trees as possible. When you regularly fertilize and water roses, tree roots will find their way into your rose beds and in the ensuing root competition, trees will generally win. Roses also do better when planted by themselves in exclusive beds, rather than in mixed borders amongst other shrubs and perinneals and annuals, although many experienced gardeners recommend doing the same. You will also find plenty written on companion plantings. Watering in the morning allows enough time for the foliage to dry. Watering in the evening promotes black spot and other fungal diseases. Watering only at the base of the plants without wetting foliage is desirable. Always keep the roots evenly moist without allowing the beds to go completely dry between waterings. Soil fertility must be maintained by periodic application of fertilizers. The simplest way to fertilize is to apply a granular fertilizer with a N:P:K ratio of 10-10-10. About a third of a cup sprinkled evenly around each bush evry month is just about the correct amount. In the future blogs, we will discuss many options for very complex fertilization programs including many different organic, chemical, granular, slow release, water soluble fertilizers as well as trace element mixes and exotic things, although, none of those is absolutely essential. There are organic methods to prevent and combat diseases and insects affecting the roses, but chemical programs are generally more successful.
Ideal soil for growing roses is a rich sandy loam with five percent organic matter.Good drainage must be assured to prevent water-logged conditions. A native soil can be improved by adding adequate amounts of organic material, such as peat moss and compost and sand if the soil is clayey or a small amount of clay if the soil is very sandy. A third by volume of each, sand, clay and organic material, mixed together makes excellent soil. Newly planted roses will start blooming the very first spring, in approximatey eight weeks after the plants start to leaf out. The second year, they would be established well enough to bloom like mature plants. For maintaining sanitary conditions, all spent blooms must be promptly removed and discarded. Harvest sparingly the first year. Then harvest more liberally the following season if you wish, but always leave enough foliage on the plant, so that it can continue to grow vigorously and be productive throughout the growing season.
Follow these simple instructions and you would be on your way to becoming a successful rose grower. We will discuss disease prevention in the next blog.
