|
|
|
Last Updated: Jan 10, 2007 - 10:15:57 AM |
There is nothing like a rose to enliven a garden and make your heart smile. Unfortunately, many gardeners rely heavily on chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides to grow their roses. You can easily grow chemical free roses, but you’ll need to change your habitats and ways of thinking about gardening. In general, the key to growing your roses without chemicals is to start them off under the appropriate conditions so that they are strong and resistant to pests and diseases. Here, we offer general rose gardening tips and a few special ones to help you reduce the need for chemicals when rose gardening.
PLANTING TIPS:
If you’ve purchased your rose in a container, make sure the rose is well-watered and the soil and root ball are moist before you plant it. Dig a hole that is roughly 2 ½ times the size of the root ball. Mix in a good amount of organic compost with the soil for a rich organic backfill (See the Guide to Composting to learn how to compost at home). Organic compost mixed in with your soil is one of the most important things you can do to grow healthy roses that resist pests and disease. A high quality planting mix will work in a pinch if you don’t have compost, but consider starting a compost pile as soon as possible so that you’ll have a source of organic material for your garden. Healthy soil is critical to reducing the need for chemicals.
Roses need time to develop their roots. That’s why you should plant your roses in the spring to early summer so they can grow strong before winter hits. If you’re planting multiple roses or other new plants in your garden, take into account that roses like to have space, so plant them spread out and not too close to your other plants. Most sources recommend that your floribundas, Hybrid teas, and grandifloras be planted around 18 to 30 inches apart. 8 to 12 feet is recommended for climbers, and miniatures should be planted around 12 to 15 inches apart.
When you plant, carefully take the rose out of the container and place it in the hole. Fill in the hole with the soil/compost mix and pack it in. Make sure that the soil arrives level with the ground and covers the root ball. If the root ball is even partially exposed your rose will probably not be as healthy. If you’re planting bare-root roses, the procedure is basically the same. You should take extra care while packing in the soil as to not damage the roots. With a grafted rose, you’ll need to place the graft union slightly below ground level.
There are many organic rose fertilizers available on the market that you can add after planting to keep your roses growing strong. Espoma’s Rose Tone is a great product available online and in many nurseries.
For more chemical free rose planting and maintenance tips, see here: Organic Rose Gardening Tips
THE MAGIC OF MULCH:
A layer of mulch around your roses is a great way to improve their health. Mulch is easy enough to come by as it can be anything from dried leaves, dead grass, or shredded bark. Your mulch should be clean and free of seeds, however. Mulch will help keep your soil moist for longer periods of time during the hottest weeks of the year and will keep weeds from setting down roots. Additionally, the mulch will eventually break down and add nutrients to the soil.
Learn more with these mulching tips .
FRIENDS FOR YOUR ROSES:
Companion planting is a concept that is very important for gardeners who want to reduce their reliance on chemicals. The basic idea is that some plants grown in the same garden plot will improve the health of all the plants. For example, roses are susceptible to a variety of pests, but the addition of garlic in the same garden will help keep these pests from attacking your roses. The reason is that some of the rose’s worst enemies are repelled by the scent of garlic.
Other plants help each other in other ways. For example, there are plants that change the soil chemistry, making nitrogen more available for plants that may need added nitrogen. Other plants grow together have beneficial relationships simply based on the shade that they provide.
For a complete list of companion plants, see:
ATTRA Companion Planting Guide.
WATERING YOUR ROSES:
As with all plants in your garden, the proper amount of water can mean life or death for your roses. Roses like a lot of water while they are growing and blooming. However, this doesn’t mean you should be running out to water every few hours. The best way to water your roses is with a slow, deep watering to allow the water to filter down and reach all the roots. Four to five gallons of water for each rose will work fine.
If you live in a drier part of the country, you should water about every four days. If your area gets a decent amount of rain, once a week is recommended. It’s always a good idea to water in the cooler hours of the morning or evening to avoid problems with evaporation and evapotranspiration.
PRUNING FOR HEALTH:
You should first prune your roses the following growing season after you plant them. Prune in the early spring before new growth appears. March is a good month in most parts of the U.S.
Pruning techniques is a subject for another article. However, we offer this link so that you can learn more about how to prune your roses properly:
Rose Pruning Guide
© Copyright 2005 GardenPlantCare.com
Top of Page
|
|
|
|
