Acropoleos 39, 5380 Dherynia, Cyprus -- Tel 00357 99419530, Fax 00357 23829509
Roses
Basic Care Tips
If there is a king or queen among flowers, that must be the rose. Haven’t we all at some point given roses to our loved ones or have accepted them from loved ones? And haven’t we all admired their beauty either in a bouquet or in the garden? And of course, wouldn’t we all like to fill our vases and decorate our houses with roses grown in our own garden? Well, not many of us will ever be able to grow the long stemmed, close to perfection roses sold in flower shops, but it is not that hard to grow great looking roses. Below are some basic care tips that we hope will be useful to every one.
1. Position:
Roses like full sun. They can tolerate partial shade as well, but will probably do much better if grown in full sun.
2. Soil:
In order to have strong, healthy plants, roses must have a rich, well drained soil. It needs to be rich because roses need a lot of nutrients and it must be well drained because roses hate wet feet. You can enrich your soil by adding manure or compost and you can help drainage by adding some pebbles at the bottom of the hole where the rose will be planted.
3. Watering:
As we said above, roses do not like to get their feet wet, that is why they prefer soil which drains well. Be generous when watering them, but do not water again unless they need it. Our advice is to check your soil before watering. There is no better way to do that than to use your finger, feel the soil, if it is too wet, no additional watering is needed.
Also, it is better to water at the base of the plant and avoid getting the leaves wet. Especially in our hot and sometimes quite humid summer weather adding water to the leaves helps promote disease.
4. Feeding:
Roses need to be fed regularly. Rich soil will get them off to a great start when you first plant them, but they do appreciate additional fertilizer. Fertilize on a regular basis. We recommend once a month. In order to achieve larger, more beautiful flowers, use a high phosphorus fertilizer (the middle number in fertilizers) as soon as the first buds appear. And of course remember; always follow the directions of the manufacturer.
5. Mulching:
Wood bark is our favourite mulching medium. No only it helps controlling weeds and keeps the root cool during summer, it looks great as well.
6. Pruning:
Pruning is one of the most essential elements in keeping healthy and strong plants that will flower abundantly. We would say that there are three stages in pruning your roses.
First is the deep pruning that is done once a year. In our climate that usually takes place in February. The plants are pruned heavily, with emphasis given in removing dead or injured stems. Also, all stems crossing the center of the plant or rubbing on other stems must be removed Pruning is done primarily to promote new growth, give our plant shape and allow for better air circulation through and around the plant. At least half of last year’s growth must be removed. The cuts must be done slightly above a strong bud that faces the outside of the plant and they must be clean and smooth, so use sharp pruning shears.
The second stage takes place in autumn, around the end of September, depending on when the weather begins to be cooler. Taking into consideration the rules mentioned above, do a lighter pruning on your plants. This is important in order to help the plants go through winter healthy and strong and also in order to promote winter flowering.
Last but not least is the continuous stage. This takes place every time you cut a flower from the plant or you remove dead flowers. When you do that, allow at least two leaves to remain on the plant, so that new growth is encouraged. When the stems are fresh or week, leave more stem on the plant.
7. Protecting:
Roses are susceptible mostly to fungal diseases like mildew and black spot. They are both dangerous for the pant if they are not treated timely and effectively. Commercial fungicides are the way to deal with these diseases. Insects can also be a problem, even though not as much as the diseases. Aphids are the most common. They can be treated with insecticides. If you have any doubts on what your rose plants are suffering from, we are always glad to help you in identifying the problem and suggest an appropriate solution. Just bring a couple of leaves with you when you visit.
Whole books have been written about roses. It is not easy to be thorough in a single article. However, we do hope that what we have written will be useful in helping you achieve the best with your roses. As we have already mentioned, pay us a visit and let’s talk about your roses or your garden in general. Hopefully we will be able to offer some help and, why not, learn from your knowledge and experience as well.