Growing garden roses is a rather painstaking process. These plants require increased attention. They need regular maintenance, consisting of watering, loosening the soil, fertilizing, pruning, shelter for the winter. But, if they are provided with competent care, they will delight the owners with long and abundant flowering throughout the summer.
Features of autumn rose care
Roses require special attention to themselves in the fall. Here it is necessary to ensure that the plants enter the dormant state in time before the winter frosts. And for this, it is important to feed the rose bushes in time, stop watering them, do autumn pruning and take care of shelter for the winter.
It is necessary to stop watering the bushes gradually, starting in August. That is, if the plants are watered abundantly in summer, then watering is significantly reduced closer to autumn. In September, roses must be completely stopped from watering.
The same should be done with dressings. In August, nitrogen fertilizers are no longer applied, contributing to the active growth of the stems. In late summer and until October, the bushes are fertilized with phosphorus and potassium. This is necessary to strengthen their root system.
Roses are fertilized in autumn by different means:
- granular. They are convenient in that they do not need to be diluted with water. Granules are sold ready-made, and it is enough to simply sprinkle them or bury them in the ground;
- liquid root. Products purchased from a garden store are diluted with water, as indicated by the manufacturer, and then applied to the soil. Such preparations are easily and quickly absorbed by plants;
- liquid foliar. They are also diluted in water according to the manufacturer's recommendations, but they are not applied at the root of the plant, but by spraying the bush.
Pruning roses
In addition to watering, fertilizing, pruning plays an important role in the autumn care of roses. If you do not do it, in spring the bush will look lethargic and will hardly please with abundant flowering.
Thanks to the correct autumn pruning of roses:
- new buds appear, thanks to which the bush will delight you with lush flowering;
- the root system is strengthened;
- useful elements accumulate;
- increased resistance to disease;
- stems grow more actively in spring.
Pruning of bushes is carried out in the second half of October. But the main thing is not to prune in warm weather. Otherwise, the bush will begin to form new buds, which will negatively affect its condition before wintering.
Before pruning, faded buds are not removed from the plant (at least a month before the procedure). It is important to leave them for seed ripening. Cut off excess branches with a clean, sharp pruner. And it is advisable to treat all the places of the cuts with an antifungal agent.
Gardeners use different ways to prune roses in autumn:
- easy. This implies the removal of a small part of the shoots. Light pruning for Bengali, English and braided varieties. With this pruning, 8 buds remain on the stem;
- average. It is used for all types of roses and is in great demand among gardeners. Only 5 buds are left on shoots up to 25 cm long;
- strong. Suitable for small but highly bushy varieties, as well as for hybrid tea species. In this case, the stems are shortened so that only 2 buds remain on them.
Autumn pruning rules
When pruning roses, it is important to consider the following tips from experienced gardeners:
- all manipulations are carried out in dry, sunny and calm weather;
- diseased, damaged and dry branches are removed from the bush at the root;
- no more than 5 trunks with buds are left on one bush;
- stems with buds should be healthy, whole, not affected by diseases and pests;
- pruning is done with a sharp and clean knife;
- the places of the cuts are disinfected with antifungal drugs.
Transfer
Sometimes gardeners are faced with the fact that rose bushes need to be transplanted to a new place. This should be done in the fall. Since during this period there is a fairly high level of moisture in the air.
An autumn transplant is carried out for various reasons:
- if the soil where the plant has grown for many years is too depleted;
- if the wrong place of growth was initially selected for the plant;
- if it is necessary to modify the appearance of the landscape design.
The transplant process itself is as follows:
- A hole is dug with a depth of 70 cm.
- The rose bush is dug around the perimeter at a wide distance from the base. This is necessary in order not to damage its roots.
- The rose is pulled out of the ground, and the earthy clod is shaken off.
- All diseased, damaged and long parts of the root system are cut off.
- A new hole, prepared for planting a flower, is watered abundantly.
- The plant moves to a new growth site.
- The rose is set in the hole, its roots are straightened, and the flower is covered with soil.
Preparation for wintering
An important stage in the autumn care of garden roses is their preparation for winter. To do this, in September, the plant is weeded, and the soil is loosened. Before the first frosts, the bush is treated with fungicides so that no fungal infections develop on it in winter. Then the plant is covered with earth, sand, sawdust.
The very shelter of the bush for the winter can be:
- frameless. That is, the plant is covered with branches of coniferous trees, dry leaves or sawdust. This method is used for frost-resistant varieties;
- air dry. The stems of the plant are bent to the ground, and a metal or wooden frame is installed on top. The frame is covered with any covering material (polyethylene, burlap).
Read also: Cabbage + vinegar: a duo that is not afraid of pests
Friends, do not forget to subscribe to the channel and LIKE if the article is useful!
#roses#autumn care#garden and cottage