Tips on Caring for Roses

Everyone loves roses, but not everyone loves growing them. Let's face it, roses have a bad reputation for being hard to grow. In fact, they're not that hard to grow; they simply need routine attention. You can't plant roses and expect beautiful blooms while you sit back and do nothing. It's important that you make it a habit to care for your roses if you want them to look beautiful and healthy all summer long.

The first tip is to start out with a rose that is known to grow well in your climate. You can check with a garden center or your local county extension. The next thing is the site you choose. Roses need at least five hours of sunshine a day. Soil is also very important. They don't like wet feet; in fact, the soil should be well drained and very fertile. Also, when planting, make sure you give roses room to breathe--they need air circulation to reduce the chances of an outbreak of fungus or bacteria.

Roses are kind of like kids: they like to be fed, and they like variety. Mix fish meal, blood meal and alfalfa meal together and spread at the base of the plant. For mature roses, apply one cup of fertilizer around the base of the plant. Newly planted roses need only a quarter of a cup. Then work the fertilizer into the soil with a hoe. It's best to apply granular fertilizer two times a year--once in the early spring and then midsummer. In between, supplement the roses with a water-soluble fertilizer every two weeks.

It's also a good idea to mulch around your roses. Cocoa bean mulch works well to keep pests and weeds away. Apply about an inch or less around the base of the plant. Too much mulch reduces oxygen to the root system.

If you want blooming roses all summer long, you'll have to invest in a good pair of pruners and some gloves. As the roses begin to fade, remove the blooms. However, it's more than just cutting at the stem. Look at the leaves and go down the stem until you find a cluster of five leaflets. Then, cut the stem just above that point, at a 45-degree angle. This prevents water from sitting on top of the stem. The reason for cutting it in this location is so that it will send out a new shoot and a new bloom. But keep in mind, the next shoot is going to grow a little tall. So, if you don't want your roses above your head, feel free to move down on the stem to a lower cluster of five leaflets. A pruning sealer is also a good investment. Apply a dab of it to each cut to seal the cane, preventing insect damage and diseases.

And speaking of diseases, blackspot is the most common rose disease. If you want to grow roses, you'd better be ready to do battle with blackspot. There are many chemicals available that do a fine job in controlling blackspot. Just be sure to read the directions carefully. If you want to use organic methods, look for products that contain neem oil, which has been proven effective to control blackspot and other diseases.

Another common problem with roses is powdery mildew. It starts as small, white, fuzzy patches and can spread to the entire leaf surface, turning the leaves yellow and weakening the plant. To prevent this fungus, mix one tablespoon of baking soda and two and a half teaspoons of vegetable oil into a gallon of water. Then spray the plant, above and below the leaves, every couple of weeks. No matter what product you choose, a regular routine of spraying your roses is the key to preventing any disease.

And finally, don't forget to water your roses. They'll appreciate about two inches of water a week. Water them at the base of the plant. Hopefully, these tips will help you grow beautiful, healthy blooms so that you'll come out smelling like a rose.