Sunday, 26 August 2012

What All Gardeners Need to Know About Caring for Roses

By Amelia Hess


Roses are elegant, they're colorful, and there exquisitely beautiful, but unfortunately many people tend to be under the impression that roses are difficult to take care of. I'm sure that there are many people out there who feel this way although I can guarantee you if you make a point of learning the basics, then caring for roses is not very difficult at all.

Yes, roses to require attention on a regular basis in order for them to continue looking their best, but providing you realize what caring for roses entails, it's relatively easy to keep your roses looking great. The one requirement of plants which practically everyone understands is that they require water, and of course roses are no exception to the rule. In fact, in order for roses to bloom profusely and look their best, they require ample water. Essentially, your roses should get approximately one inch of water per week, bearing in mind that you'll need to take the root system into consideration, in that roses have roots which penetrate deep into the ground. Because of this, the roots are able to get water from the sub-soil even if the top soil is dry. This is why roses are capable of tolerating relatively long dry spells. What many gardeners don't realize is that if they can successfully water the roots of their roses, the roots will tend to grow even deeper. On the other hand, if you only water your roses sparingly the roots will not penetrate deep into the soil, but instead, they will to be just below the surface. This in turn will result in your roses requiring frequent watering.

Caring for roses also means that you'll need to provide fertilizer from time to time although most species can go for years without receiving any additional food apart from that which is already in the soil. Roses, as with other plants, drain nutrients which are produced by organisms present in the soil, and if too much man-made fertilizer is used it could well end up killing the beneficial organisms. If you really must use fertilizer then you should use a slow-release fertilizer when plants are coming out of dormancy. Once the blooming ends you can provide another small amount of fertilizer, but you should avoid using fertilizer after midsummer. Even though roses can do well on organic fertilizer as well as inorganic fertilizers, bacteria in the soil will benefit more from organic fertilizer. If you do use an inorganic fertilizer then you should opt for one which is 5-10-5 or 4-8-4.

Pruning is extremely important in the care of roses. It is usually done in the spring, after the plant has been dormant for the winter. At this stage pruning is done to remove the dead, broken, or diseased wood from the plant. This helps to provide the plant with space for the air can move through it as well as keeping it healthy. Pruning is also done to shape the rose plant. The next stage of pruning occurs after the plant has bloomed. Pruning the actual flowers themselves encourages growth and by removing the flower buds it helps to establish a new plant.

Admittedly, caring for roses does mean you'll need to invest a little bit of your time, but providing you exercise a little bit of patience and you're willing to develop to the necessary skills and knowledge, there's no reason why you can't have a picture perfect rose garden.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment