Rose Care FAQ

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  1. Are roses difficult to grow?
  2. What are the differences in the various classes?
  3. What is a wild rose?
  4. Why is virus indexing important?
  5. What is the bud union, and where should it be planted?
  6. What are the most fragrant roses?
  7. What are own root roses?
  8. What is the best way to control Japanese beetles, blackspot, and powdery mildew?
  9. When should I prune my rose?
  10. Why are the roses waxed?
  11. What is the difference between patented and non-patented roses?
  12. How do I protect my roses in the winter?
  13. When cutting roses to be taken into the home, where should the cut be made?

  1. 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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  2. 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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  3. 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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  4. 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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  5. 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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  6. 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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  7. 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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  8. 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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  9. 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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  10. 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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  11. 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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  12. 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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  13. 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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