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Rose Care FAQ
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- Are roses difficult to grow?
- What are the differences in the various classes?
- What is a wild rose?
- Why is virus indexing important?
- What is the bud union, and where should it be planted?
- What are the most fragrant roses?
- What are own root roses?
- What is the best way to control Japanese beetles,
blackspot, and powdery mildew?
- When should I prune my rose?
- Why are the roses waxed?
- What is the difference between patented and non-patented
roses?
- How do I protect my roses in the winter?
- When cutting roses to be taken into the home, where
should the cut be made?
- Are roses difficult to grow?
Roses are much less difficult to grow than, as an
example, a vegetable garden. If the rose grow follows these five
easy steps, they will have beautiful roses.
- Choose the proper location. Roses require a minimum of six
hours of sunshine per day. Morning locations are the best. The
sun will dry the morning dew and afternoon shade will protect
the flower color. Full sun is the second choice after morning
sun with afternoon shade.
- Check the condition of the soil. Roses like well drained loose
soil. If needed, add soil conditions to supplement the soil.
A good test is to dig a hole and fill it with water. In 1/2
hour, if water is remaining in the hole, the soil needs to be
conditioned.
- Start feeding the roses after they have sprouted six inches
and continue to feed until August 15th.
- Start spraying the roses with an insecticide and fungicide
as soon as they are planted, spray every 7 to 10 days, and maintain
the spray program until frost.
- Roses are heavy users of water. If you take a handful of soil
and it balls in your hand, there is enough moisture in the soil.
If it will not ball, water the rose using a watering wand or
soaker hose.
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- What are the differences in the various
classes?
Hybrid teas have the largest flowers of all the grasses and usually
bloom one per long stem. Hybrid teas have an upright habit and
are great for cut flowers. Hybrid teas are considered the queen
of roses because of their form and size. Grandifloras are taller
than hybrid teas with similar bud form although the flower size
is smaller. The flowers will sometimes bloom in clusters, but
can still be used as cut flowers. Hybrid teas and Grandifloras
can be grown in the same beds. Floribundas have a short compact
bush habit. The flowers are small and almost always bloom in clusters.
Floribundas are great for borders and mass plantings. They are
almost always in bloom. Because of this, they are ideal for people
who want a great deal of color in their gardens. Climbing roses
have very long canes that can be attached to fences and grown
upright as a pillar. Some climbers will only bloom once, but most
will bloom all season. Miniature roses are like large roses, but
on a miniature scale. The word miniature applies to the flower
and foliage size. The bush can get as tall as three feet. Miniatures
are very profuse in bloom and color.
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- What is a wild rose?
Most roses are not grown on their own root system. They are budded
on a rambling briar called Dr. Huey. This root system will sometimes
throw suckers that will out grow the actual rose bush. This is
the wild rose and should be cut at the soil line. Many times the
actual rose variety may die while the root system is still alive.
People may think the rose is still viable but it is not. The root
system should be removed and replaced with a new rose.
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- Why is virus indexing important?
Virus inhibits the growth and blooming traits of the
rose bush. The plants react the same as humans with a virus. It
is not able to perform up to its capabilities.
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- What is the bud union, and where should
it be planted?
The bud union is the point where the eye of the rose
variety was budded to the rootstock. It will become a large knot
as the plant matures. Anything above this knot is the rose variety
while anything below is the understock or sucker and should be
removed. In warmer climates the bud union can be exposed above
ground and not cause a problem. However, in northern climates
like Chicago and Detroit, the bud union should be planted at least
2 inches underground to help protect it during harsh winters.
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- What are the most fragrant roses?
Unfortunately there is not an easy answer to this. All colors
have fragrance. Gardeners have to read the tage of each variety
to see if the particular variety has fragrance. One exception
to this woul be lavender or purple roses. For the most part, all
varieties in this color range will have fragrance. The same can
be said for English roses.
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- What are own root roses?
These are plants that are not grown on a rootstock like Dr. Huey.
They are grown on their own root system. Most shrubs and minatures
are grown on their own root. The biggest advantage to own root
plants is winter survivability. If the rose variety dies to the
ground and the root system survives, the variety will still be
the same. The disadvantage is the size of the plant when it is
purchased. Budded plants will almost always be larger.
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- What is the best way to control Japanese
beetles, blackspot, and powdery mildew?
The best way to control beetles is to simply pick the
beetles off the plants and step on them. Some sprays are effective,
but stepping on them is the surest way to rid your plant of beetles.
Blackspot and powdery mildew have to be treated ona 17-19 day
cycle with fungicides like Immuno x and Funginex. Dormant oils
with lime sulfure should also be used in the early spring. This
treatment kills insect eggs and fungus spores.
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- When should I prune my rose?
Always prune roses in the spring after the fear of frost. A good
rule of thumb is to wait until the forsythia has started to bloom
in the neighborhood. Many people make the mistake of pruning in
the fall. This is wrong. The only fall pruning that should be
done is if the rose is in a very windy area. If this is the case,
prune the plant to about 30 inches to prevent wind damage during
the winter. This pruning should take place after a killer frost.
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- Why are the roses waxed?
The wax is applied to prevent the rose canes from dehydrating.
Without the wax, the canes would dry out, never allowing the plant
to break dormancy and grow new leaves. It does not hurt or inhibit
the rose at all. Wax simply allows the roses to be displayed and
sold at your local garden center while they are still dormant.
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- What is the difference between patented
and non-patented roses?
Patented roses are new introductions and have been on
the market less than 20 years (the life of a patent). Patented
roses have the advantage of the latest breeding techniques and
will be better all around roses. They will bloom more often, cycle
quicker, be more disease resistant, and have better winter tolerance.
Non-patented roses have been on the market at least 20 years.
They are the roses that would have been in your mother's and your
grandmother's garden. To have survived over 20 years makes non-patented
varieties very good roses. However, the patented varieties will
give your gardeners more satisfaction because of the improved
and innovative breeding.
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- How do I protect my roses in the winter?
The best protection is to go into the winter with a strong,
healthy, unstressed rose. Following the five steps in question
#1 does this. In addition, make sure the bud union is planted
at least one inch under ground (in cold regions). After the first
killer frost, usually around Thanksgiving, put about a foot of
dirt mixed with mulch over the rose bush. Lay sticks, straw or
some other material to help to prevent the dirt and mulch from
washing or blowing away; a rose collar works very nicely. If it
has been a dry fall, give the plants a good watering before mulching.
This has to be done before the ground freezes. Tying the canes
together and covering the rest of the busy with straw will give
added protection. There are many suitable mulches on the market,
but avoid using just leaves. Rose cones are not favorable because
of the heat build-up. Mice and rabbits like to nest under them
all the while chewing on the rose bark.
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- When cutting roses to be taken
into the home, where should the cut be made?
Roses have a series of leaflets on each stem. Some of
these are three leaflets, and some are five leaflets. When cutting
from the top of the rose, always cut 1/4 inch above the second
five leaflet that is facing outward away from the center of the
rose. The same applies when cutting from the base of the stem.
Cut the rose 1/4 inch above the second five leaflet. Most of the
eyes of three leaflets are blind and will not produce a rose.
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A very serious recent development to occur in the rose industry
is the emergence of downey mildew. This is not to be confused with
powdery mildew. They are two distinctly different fungi and have
to be treated differently. Downey mildew is the most serious disease
that can attack roses. The plant can defoliate over night. Once
you see the problem, it is to late. The conditions that favor downey
are temperatures around 50 degrees, still wind, and humidity 80%
and higher. To prevent downey you must spray weekly starting in
the spring when foliage starts to develop on the plants using a
zink, magnesium based spray. The powdery mildew and blackspot sprays
are not effective against downey. After the temperatures reach 70
degrees, you can stop spraying. There is a new product on the market
called Mancozeb with Zinc. Gardeners should use this, or a similar
product. This disease has been confused with blackspot as mentioned
above, blackspot and powdery mildew treatments have no effect on
downey mildew. |
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