Roses: planting and care

Roses are shrubs, and thermophilic. And this feature of them leaves an imprint on cultivation. It is very important to choose the right place from the very beginning, and then strictly follow the rules of care.

Rules for planting roses

Rose seedlings are sold in different packages and it depends on how they are planted.

Roses in containers. This is the best option. There they have already taken root well, their roots have braided a clod of earth and there are no problems with planting – all that is needed is to get the seedling out of the container and transplant it into a flower garden.

“It is permissible to plant such roses from the end of May to the end of September,” says agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova. – They can be stored at home for a long time before planting. And if you buy such a seedling in the summer, when the rose blooms, you can be sure that there is no sorting – this is exactly the variety that is indicated on the container.

The disadvantage of such roses is one – the high price. But they are worth it.

Roses in bags and boxes. They are very popular with summer residents, because they are inexpensive. But their quality leaves much to be desired – they are often very dry. They begin to sell them early in the spring, and it happens already at the end of February and already with green sprouts. It can be very difficult to save such seedlings until planting, and this is the end of May. In addition, such cheap roses often have regrading – one thing on the box, but in fact something completely different.

There are also a lot of fuss with planting such seedlings.

“First of all, you need to take them out of the package and straighten the roots – they are usually twisted so that they take up little space,” advises agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova. – Next, you need to carefully examine. Remove all broken and damaged roots, and shorten healthy ones to 30 – 35 cm. If the roots of the seedling have already been cut, the cuts must be updated. If they are very dry, the plants must be put in cool water for a day.

In addition, roses from boxes and packages need to be tamed shoots. Depending on belonging to a particular group (1), on each shoot you need to leave:

• in hybrid tea varieties – 2 – 3 buds;
• in floribunda varieties – 3 – 4 buds;
• in low-growing polyanthus varieties – 2 – 3 buds;
• for climbing roses from the Rabmler group – shorten the shoots to 30 – 35 cm;
• ground cover, park, scrubs, climbing large-flowered and semi-climbing varieties – do not prune.

The distance between rose bushes also depends on their belonging to the group:

• miniature and patio roses – 30 cm;
• hybrid tea and floribunda – 50 cm;
• park roses and semi-climbing varieties – 1 m;
• climbing – 1,5 m.

These are the optimal distances that will make it easy to cover roses for the winter.

Place of planting

For good growth and abundant flowering, roses need to provide 2 conditions.

Shine. These flowers love an abundance of light, so the site for the rose garden should be chosen sunny. But! If the bushes are in the scorching sun from morning to night, this will affect their decorative effect – at noon in the heat, the flowers burn, bake, lose their color and the flowering period is reduced. Therefore, in the heat itself, it is desirable that light penumbra falls on the roses (2).

In the shade, roses will also not please. With a lack of light, their stems become thin and frail, many so-called blind shoots are formed, that is, non-flowering (3). And such roses then hibernate worse. Even worse, if roses grow in the shade of trees and shrubs – not only do they lack light, but also water and nutrients, because woody plants are competitors for them.

It is strictly forbidden to plant roses on the north side of the house, buildings or a blank fence – roses most often do not bloom there, and in winter, as a rule, they freeze out.

Soil moisture. Roses do not tolerate stagnant water, so lowlands are not suitable for them, where melt and rainwater will accumulate. Wetlands are not suitable for them either.

Equally important is the level of groundwater. Since the rose is a shrub, its roots penetrate the soil to a solid depth – up to 1 m, and sometimes more. Therefore, it is important that groundwater is not higher than 1 m (4). If the water is too close, roses should be planted on artificial mounds about 50 cm high.

The ideal option is a flat area with a slight slope to the east, south or west. In the spring, meltwater stagnates in such places, which means that roses will not sop.

Soil characteristics

Roses love fertile soils with a high content of humus, as they are very demanding on nutrition. And it is also important that the soil is loose, well passes water and air to the roots (5). The ideal option is light loams or chernozems.

The following types of soils are completely unsuitable for roses:

• sandy – they are not able to retain water and nutrients, besides, they freeze heavily in winter, and heat up excessively in summer;
• marsh and muddy – such roots cannot breathe;
• rocky – they have few nutrients.

It is good if the soil has a slightly acidic reaction: pH 5,5 – 6,5. On strongly acidic roses grow very poorly, they lack nutrients, moreover, such soils are usually waterlogged. They are also not comfortable on alkaline ones, plants often suffer from leaf chlorosis, since phosphorus, iron, manganese and boron are poorly absorbed at high pH.

Terms and Conditions

As we already mentioned, roses with ZKS, that is, in containers, can be planted from the end of May to the end of September, in boxes – at the end of May.

Pits for roses need to be dug in the following sizes:

• diameter – 50 cm;
• depth – 40 – 50 cm, taking into account that the roots will be cut to 35 cm (on heavy clay soils, they make more depth – 60 – 70 cm).

The soil for roses must be prepared separately. The composition is this:

• garden land – 2 buckets;
• sod land (it can be dug up in a meadow) – 1 bucket;
• humus or compost – 1 bucket;
• river coarse sand – 1 bucket;
• peat – 1 bucket;
• clay – 0,5 buckets.

Here you need to add fertilizer:

• bone meal – 2 cups;
• ash – a half-liter jar;
• double superphosphate – 1 cup.

Mix everything thoroughly and then fill the pits with this mixture when planting.

Roses are planted like this: at the bottom of the pit – a mound of soil, on it – a seedling. The roots are straightened for him and covered with prepared fertile soil, carefully tamping it down. Then the seedling must be watered and mulched to retain moisture longer.

If the roses are in containers, then they are simply placed in a pit with a clod of earth, so that the soil level in the pot coincides with the soil level in the flower garden, and they are covered with fertile soil.

Outdoor rose care

For full growth and flowering, roses need a high agrobackground, that is, they need to be watered and fed in a timely manner.

Watering

Roses should be watered from mid-May – by this time the soil usually dries out. Watering is enough for them once a week. The norm is:

• under bushes of medium size – 1 bucket per bush;
• for large plants and climbing roses – 2 buckets per bush.

“It is best to water roses in the morning so that the water has time to soak into the soil before the heat, so it does not evaporate,” advises agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova. – Or in the evening, but not too late, so that the drops that can fall on the leaves have time to dry. Otherwise, roses can overcome fungal diseases.

Closer to autumn, watering should be reduced – reduce the rate by half, and then the frequency – water once every 2 weeks. This is necessary for the shoots of the rose to ripen and prepare for winter.

Feeding

Roses are very fond of organic matter, so every 2 weeks from May to mid-July they need to be watered with mullein infusion (1:10) – 3 liters per bush. But this is not enough. Need more top dressing with mineral fertilizers:

• after spring pruning (at the end of April): 1 tbsp. a spoonful of urea per bucket of water – 3 liters per bush;
• at the beginning of May: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of urea per bucket of water – 3 liters per bush;
• when the buds appear: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of calcium nitrate per bucket of water – 3 liters per bush;
• 14 days after 3 top dressing: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of Kemira Station wagon in a bucket of water – 3 liters per bush;
• 14 days after 4 feeding: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of potassium magnesia in a bucket of water – 3 liters per bush.

And then until mid-September, roses should be fed every 14 days with phosphorus and potassium: 1 tbsp. spoon of superphosphate and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water – 3 liters per bush.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about caring for roses with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. Sokolova T.A. Ornamental plant growing. Tree growing // M.: Publishing center “Academy”, 2004 – 352 p.
2. Kiselev G.E. Floriculture // M.: Selkhozgiz, 1949 – 716 – p.
3. Kolesnikov A.I. Decorative dendrology // M.: Timber industry, 1974 – 704 p.
4. Dyakova T.N. decorative trees and shrubs: new in the design of your garden // M.: Kolos, 2001 – 360 p.
5. Golovkin B.N. etc. Ornamental plants of the USSR // M.: Thought, 1986 – 320 p.