Cape Cod Magazine / May 2011 / The Rose Man's Secrets

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The Rose Man's Secrets

10 tips to make your roses spectacular

1. The Hole: 2-feet wide x 16-18-inches deep (half the size for miniatures)
    
2. The Mix: Combine soil from the hole with 2 shovels of composted manure (or humus with manure), 2 shovels of peat moss, 1 cup granular lime, 1 cup superphosphate, 2 cups Rose-tone (half the amount for miniatures)
   
    
3. Plant: Place the bud-onion 2 inches below grade (grafted roses only), add soil in layers and tamp with fingers, water to settle soil and add more soil if needed. The remainder of soil mix is for a water well around the hole. Cover with mulch.
    
4. Sun: Roses need at least six hours of sunshine; morning is better than afternoon. There are shade-tolerant roses that need less sun.
    
5. Water: Daily the first week, then weekly or twice weekly (in hot weather), water deeply
   
    
6. (4 gallons/week); water early so foliage is dry by nightfall.
    
7. Food: "Feed" the roses Rose-tone, monthly April through September. Try Neptune’s Harvest (fish and seaweed) for bigger blooms and healthier plants.
    
8. Prune: When the forsythia bloom (not in the fall)
    
9. Spray: Many fungicides are available including Bayer products (not organic) or GreenCure (organic) for disease prevention and control. Use an organic insecticide only when needed.
   
    
10. Deadhead: Prune all through the season for repeat blooming; stop in October to allow hips to grow and lead to winter dormancy.
     
11. Winterize: Strip leaves after Thanksgiving, mound mulch or manure around rose 12 inches high; a newspaper collar (four layers thick) helps hold it in place.