Watering

Give roses a thorough, deep soaking a few times a week. This guarantees more flowers. The best way is to water the soil, not the leaves, using a soaker hose or a regular hose with a bubbler attachment that will let water seep out gradually for a few hours. Water roses in the morning. In the evening, there is more likelihood of disease-fostering moisture lying around on the ground or on the plants.

Insect and Disease

Roses are prone to bugs and disease. Weekly spray and treatment programs will help keep roses healthy. If more than 10 roses are grown, it would be less expensive to use a separate insecticide and fungicide. Read all directions on the pesticide package before using. For fewer plants, a good multipurpose rose dust or spray would be fine.

Fertilizers

There are many different fertilizers and ways to fertilize. Roses should be fed every 4-6 weeks up to August 1st. Late fertilizing will not let the plants harden for Winter. A liquid fertilizer that delivers food straight to the roots when they need it, and does not remain in the soil, is recommended. Liquid fertilizers may be applied to the soil. Dry fertilizers should be scratched in the surface, then watered.

Roses should not have food before "bedtime." Feeding in Fall, when the plants are about to go dormant, will make them put out tender growth that will only be Winter killed. For warmer climates, provide a feeding in mid-to-late. August.

Winter Protection

In late Summer, roses will begin to wind down for the Winter. Do not feed or prune heavily for fear of promoting new growth. However, keep watering so there will be enough moisture around the roots after the ground has frozen.

A traditional way of protecting rose bushes is to mound soil around the base of the plants. about 6" -12". This not only protects from extreme cold. but helps to keep roots from drying out. Another method is to erect a barrier around the bushes or entire bed. This would be a pen filled with leaves, shredded bark. or other loose material. This method helps keep ice and wind from breaking up the branches. Other meth- ods include wrapping plants with burlap or purchasing "rose cones" that fit down over the entire plant.

Pruning

Start pruning rose plants in the Spring. After removal of the winter cover, there may be some dead canes. Check the color of the canes. Brown is very much alive; white is dead. Cut back canes that are longer than 18”.

The goal in pruning back rose bushes is not only to make the bush more compact, and to make it flower more, but also to open up the center. This helps to get more sun into the center, promotes air circulation to ward off disease, and creates an open space that displays the flowers well.

When cutting roses, remember to count leaflets. Cut back to a leaf with at least five leaflets so that a new bud will form. Make cuts on a slant to encourage water to drain off the cut. Coat large cuts with a commercial plant wound sealer.