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LOCATION
- Locate your roses where they will receive
at least six hours of sun per day. Morning sun
is preferable but any sunny spot will do. Good,
rich, well-drained soil is essential. Roses do
not like wet feet.
PLANTING
- Dig your hole six inches larger than the
container that the rose is in. Prepare your hole
using three parts compost to two parts top soil.
Mix together in the bottom of the hole and prepare
your backfill the same way. Plant the rose so
the crown (graft) is level with the ground.
MULCHING
- After planting, mulch the entire root spread
with two to four inches of organic mulch to keep
the soil cooler and to help retain moisture during
the summer. You can use bark chips, shredded bark,
cottonseed hulls, straw, or any other similar organic
material.
WATERING
- As a general rule, you cannot water roses
too much if they are in a well-drained soil. If
you have a heavy clay type soil, water carefully.
Too much water is just as bad as too little water.
Probably the best way to water your roses is with
a soaker hose. If you do not have one, a slow,
steady soaking will do the most good. It is best
to water early in the day and to avoid spraying
the foliage. If the foliage is allowed to remain
wet, the plant will be more susceptible to disease
and fungus growth.
FERTILIZING
- Brady Nursery recommends fertilizing your
roses monthly during the growing season with Fertilome
Rose Food or Fertilome Systemic Rose Food. These
fertilizers are specially formulated to meet all
the nourishment needs of your roses. Begin your
fertilization program when the plant leafs out
in the spring and continue until around the 15th
of August. On a newly planted rose, we recommend
waiting one month after planting to begin fertilizing. |
 DISEASE
& PEST CONTROL - The best protection against disease
is a strong, healthy plant. The phrase "an ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of cure" is particularly true in the
case of roses. A regular spraying or dusting with a good combination
insecticide/fungicide should keep your roses disease and insect
free. Spray or dust every week to ten days and after every
rain. We carry a complete line of rose care products and will
be happy to help you determine which will best suit your individual
needs.
WINTER
PROTECTION - Proper winter protection will reward you
the following spring with an abundance of beautiful flowers.
We recommend mulching your roses three to four inches above
the crown late in the fall. Any good organic mulch may
be used.
PRUNING
- The three main objectives in pruning are to:
1. Shape the plant.
2. Produce better blooms.
3. Remove old, dead, or diseased wood.
You should prune your roses in the early spring while the plant
is still dormant. Remove all dead wood down to the nearest
healthy dormant shoot. Dead wood looks brown and lifeless on
the outside and light brown and dry on the inside. Scratch
a small section of bark to make sure the cane is dead before
removing it. If the cane is light green under the bark it is
sill alive. After cutting out the dead wood, cut out any diseased
or weak, spindly canes down to healthy wood. Remove branches
that are growing horizontally and get rid of the weaker of
branches that cross one another. Remove all suckers. You will
find them growing from the roots below the crown. Thin and
shape the remaining live wood to get the height and shape you
want. Make all cuts at a 45-degree angle. Throughout the growing
season, continue to cut out weak and spindly shoots, suckers,
along with obvious signs of disease. Remove old flowers when
they have passed their peaks by making the cut at a 45-degree
angle just above a five-leaflet leaf.
CUT
FLOWERS - Now that your roses are healthy and blooming,
go ahead and cut a few so you can enjoy them in your home.
Select blossoms that are partially opened. Cut the stem
at a 45-degree angle and place them in warm water as soon
as possible. Remove all thorns and foliage that will be
under water before arranging. If these are left, they can
promote bacteria growth and shorten the life of the blossoms.
Add fresh water daily and your rose blossoms will reward
you with a lengthy display of beauty for days to come.
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