Super Tips to Caring For Your Roses

Roses have a reputation for being finnicky and difficult to care for, but don’t let that intimidate you: if you follow some basic guidelines, you too can have the most gorgeous blooms. We’ll focus on the trinity of care for roses: watering, fertilizing and grooming.

Watering Your Roses

Whilst some plants can handle long periods of drought, roses are not that hardy and need water on a regular basis. Establish a regular watering schedule appropriate to the time of year, roses will need more water in hotter, drier months.

A good rule of thumb to follow is to water your roses two to four times a week, for approximately 30 minutes a session. But this is only a guideline as watering also depends on the type of soil you have, for example, sandy soils need more frequent waterings than heavier clay soils.

Container roses need to be watered even more frequently. Water evaporates more rapidly from these plants. When you first get a container rose, water it thoroughly to ensure the plant gets established.

But since roses hate standing water, make sure that the area around them drains well. If you need to water your roses due to inadequate rainfall, the ideal time to do so is early in the day so the leaves have time to dry before nightfall.

Fertilizing Your Roses

Next to water, roses need good food to produce the beautiful, luxurious blooms that you are aiming for. Fertilizing your roses is thus essential to provide the plants with the nutrients required to grow and provide good flowers. When you first plant the rose bushes, ensure that you include a slow release fertilizer in the ground.

The optimum way to feed rose bushes is to fertilize them lightly but often. However, you should stop fertilizing before the winter dormant season sets in, you don’t want to encourage growth at this time.

First, every rose needs a sufficient quantity of nitrogen. This promotes the "healthy green growth" of the plant. Secondly, every rose needs phosphorous in order to retain a strong root system and flower production. And finally, your rose -- no matter what kind -- needs potassium for its continued vigorous growth. The best bet is to get a complete fertilizer. This contains nitrogen, phosphate, and potash.

Pruning Your Roses

The final part in our trilogy of rose care is grooming, in other words – pruning.
Pruning is one of the most difficult tasks involved in rose gardening, but it is also
one of the most essential. Pruning is the act of removing dead and damaged pieces of plant and will encourage new growth. You are also able to train your roses to face a specific direction by pruning. You can train the new growth to grow facing the outside of the plant and this will provide the plant with enough air circulation.

Begin by soaking your pruning shears in equal parts water and bleach. This helps to prevent disease as well as insects. It is also best to prune in the spring. You want time it right and do your pruning before you see any new growth or swollen buds.

Your smaller hand shears are best for pruning small branches. For the thicker and larger branches you will need a pair of loppers. These are best for branches that are thicker than a pencil. Cut all of the branches that are overlapping each other because these are often diseased or becoming diseased. You want to keep at least five healthy branches that are dark green and you want to clip off the black wood first. Your healthy branches can be cut to about four feet long or the size that you prefer.

Helpful Pruning Tips

• Always use sharp bypass pruners. Clean them before and after use to remove any diseases that may be present.
• Seal your cuts to keep out disease. Elmer’s glue is best for sealing and preventing diseases.
• Shape your bushes as they grow. This will add symmetry and your bushes will not grow wildly.
• Remove cross branches to promote strength.
• Keep the center of the bush free of growth. This keeps your bushes free of homes for insects.

If you follow these basic guidelines, you are sure to enjoy gorgeous blooms in summer.

Kendall Rowsby is an avid gardener and rose enthusiast. If you'd like to get more essential tips on growing roses then please visit http://www.romanticrosegardens.com/rose-garden-care/