JOIN USWith the winter setting in, gardening in the sun is a hobby that many would like to pursue.
Harpreet Ahluwalia, founder and principal designer at Earthly Creations with expertise in gardening and environmental space- designing for Terracotta garden accessories and decorations shares some tips to grow roses in this season.
Planting roses: Plant roses where they will receive a minimum of five to six hours of full sun per day. Roses grown in low sunlight may not die at once, but they weaken gradually.
Provide them plenty of organic matter when planting and don’t clutter them.One can wear sturdy gloves to protect their hands from prickly thorns. Have a water hose or bucket of water and all your planting tools nearby. Keep your bare root rose in water until you are ready to place it in the ground.When you transplant your roses, make sure to dig a much bigger hole than you think you need (for most types, the planting hole should be about 15 to 18 inches wide) and add plenty of organic matter such as compost or aged manure to allow the bud bloom fully.It is recommended to place a 4-inch square of gypsum wallboard and a 0.75 to 1-inch nail in the hole to provide calcium and iron, beneficial for the growth of roses.
Watering roses: Water your roses diligently. Soak the entire root zone at least twice a week in dry summer weather. Avoid frequent shallow sprinklings, as it will not reach the deeper roots and may allow fungus to grow. Roses do best with 90 inches of rain per year, so water the plants regularly.Roses love water – but don’t pour excess of it. Roses don’t grow well in pot full of water and they will die if the soil is too wet in winter. The ideal soil for rose plantation is to be rich and loose, with good drainage.
Improper drainage will lead to destroy the buds before they dwell well in place. Use mulch – organic manure excellent for rose plantation. To help conserve water and encourage healthy growth, apply a two to four-inch layer of chopped and shredded leaves, grass twigs, or shredded bark around the base of your roses. Allow about an inch of space between the mulch and the base stem of the plant.
Winterising roses: Do not prune roses in the fall. Simply cut off any dead or diseased canes.Stop fertilising six weeks before the first frost but continue watering during dry autumn weather to help keep plants fortified during the dry winter.Mound, mulch, or add compost after a few frosts but before the ground freezes. Where temperatures stay below freezing during winter, enclose the plant with a sturdy mesh cylinder, filling the enclosure with compost, mulch, dry wood chips, pine needles, or chopped leaves.Clean up the rose beds to prevent overwintering of diseases. One last spray for fungus with a dormant spray is a good idea.