Spring Rose Care, Feeding Help Plants Flourish
Prune, Fertilize, Remove Winter Protection When Roses Break Dormancy
May 15, 2009
Mid-spring pruning and fertilizing is integral to helping established roses flourish, while cooler temperatures provide excellent conditions for planting new varieties.
Roses should be pruned after the yellow blooms on forsythia bushes have fallen, advises Nancy Lindley, author of “Roses for Michigan,’’ by Lone Pine Publishing. “It’s better to procrastinate for a week or two than to prune too early,’’ she said.
Cleaning House
If you haven’t done so, remove protective mulch and mounds of soil packed around the base of rose plants last fall. Old leaves should be cleaned from the ground and removed from canes.
With leaves out of the way, carefully examine canes and prune out those that did not survive winter. Cut back the cane until you reach green, healthy tissue, Lindley said. Remove damaged canes.
Cut out canes that cross and grow towards the center of the plant, even if they are in good condition, Lindley recommends. Doing so will improve plant shape and vigor.
Food and Fungus
Roses are heavy feeders and appreciate an early season application of slow release fertilizer. Nitrogen encourages vigorous root growth and lush foliage. Granular fertilizer should be raked into the top 1-3 inches of soil or mulch and watered in.
Roses bothered by black spot last year can be treated with a fungicide right after pruning to kill spores remaining on the canes and in the soil, she said.
As May unfolds, watch for small green, black or red insects that suck juices from leaves. Dislodge them with a blast of water from the garden hose. Do this in the morning so foliage has time to dry before nightfall, Lindley said.
Easy Care Roses
Gardeners who prefer low-maintenance roses should consider planting Rugosa roses from Asia and Explorer roses from Canada, Lindley recommends.
“They are pretty darn hardy and disease resistant,’’ said Roger Lindley, who with wife Nancy, operate Great Lakes Roses in Belleville, Mich. “Those roses are great for vacation homes and places where people are there for only part of the year.’’
A product line from The Conrad-Pyle Co. called Knock Out roses are a popular choice for time-strapped gardeners and those looking for low maintenance roses. Introduced in 2000, the Knock Out line is winter hardy to USDA Zone 5 and heat tolerant.
Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc. of Grand Haven, Mich. has several highly-rated Oso Easy roses in its Proven Winners collection.
“The Oso Easy Rose Series is designed for home gardeners that are on the run and just want their landscape to look nice,’’ said Tim Wood, product development manager at Spring Meadow Nursery. “They grow only one to three feet tall and bloom all summer long in full sun.’’
