| If roses are expected to perform in the 'show-stopping' manner that most gardeners envision, a few steps need to be taken to prepare them for 'the show.' If given the following care, your roses will be off to a great start this spring. Pruning while the plant is still dormant and ideally just after the last frost, removes buds without reducing the energy stored in the roots and canes. The heavier you prune, the more buds are removed and the more energy will be available to each remaining bud. The farther down the cane a bud eye is, the stronger it's cane and larger it's bloom will be. Canes the thickness of a pencil will produce strong flowers. One exception is with roses that bloom only once a year, remember to prune after they bloom. If pruned the following spring, you will be sacrificing blooms from these varieties. No matter what type of rose you are pruning, deadwood should always be removed. It harbors diseases and insect eggs, it's unattractive, and it's not going to come back to life! Always cut (dead, damaged, or live stems) about a quarter inch above a bud-eye that faces away from the center of the rosebush. This practice encourages good air circulation, increased sunlight penetration, and an attractively shaped bush. Remember that healthy canes are firm, but not all are green. Some are red, purple, chartreuse, or a mix of these colors. Once the dead, mushy or brittle wood is cut out, cut any canes that are infected with stem canker, a fungal disease that forms irregular blotches on older canes. Cut infected canes at an unblemished bud eye below the canker. Disinfect pruners with bleach or Lysol spray after each cut. Prune canes that are crossing each other (remove the weaker ones), old and thick, woody canes, weak and spindly canes and all suckers (undesirable shoots that grow from the rootstock, below the bud union). Only grafted roses can produce suckers, and they need to be removed from the point where they emerge form the rootstock, otherwise they'll keep coming back to haunt you! If you're unsure of how much to remove when spring pruning, start by cutting off the twiggy ends of each can, eventually removing at least one--third of every cane. If you find later, that you could or should have cut further down on the cane, this can be done when pruning the first spent blooms. Don't be shy, a healthy rose bush is quick to send it's new growth out! For roses that have been mounded with soil, decomposed manure, or mulch for winter protection, be patient when removing this protection in spring. Do not remove all of it at once, and wait until new growth emerges fromt he dormant buds. Leaving the material there to use again during an unexpected, final freeze/frost, and also to culitvate into the soil as a beneficial amendment, is a good idea. Roses need an average of 1 to 2 inches of water per week starting in early spring. Giving this amount, all at once. as a deep, thorough watering is preferred to encourage deep rooting. Water at the soil level whenever possible. If overhead watering is practiced, water early in the day to allow the foliage ample time to dry before the hot afternoon sun comes along. Unless a soil test reveals specific nutrient deficiencies, a balanced fertilizer of equal parts N-P-K is recommended. Dry, granular fertilizer should by applied to the soil surface and worked-in to the soil and spread to the roots by watering just after the buds begin to break and foliage appears. A 'scientific two-handfuls' applied around the circumference of each bush's drip-line is adequate. Liquid fertilizer could also be applied instead of granular. The granular releases less immediately, but tends to longer lasting effects. Most roses benefit from a second and third application after their first and second flushes of bloom. Once these tasks are completed, your roses will be on their way to offering a wonderful display of growth, color, fragrance and beauty to the garden throughout the rest of the year. Enjoy! |
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 1605 South Big Bend Blvd Richmond Heights, Missouri 63117 314-645-SEED • fax-314-645-0121 |
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