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Island Lawn & Garden | |
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| Rose Care - The Proper Way | |||||||||||||||||||
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Martha's Vineyard is ideally suited for roses with our relatively mild winters and summer temperatures that rarely reach 90. But with proper care and attention, roses are the most labor intensive plant for which Island Lawn & Garden cares. Proper care roses comprises several facets, all aimed at maximizing bloom. Pruning - In the very early spring remove all deadwood and shape the rose bush according to its growth pattern, i.e., tall and short varieties, climbers, and bush varieties. Pruning should not be taken lightly. An angle cut to the left forces new growth to the right, and vice-versa. With a little thought and care in the spring, one can dictate the shape of the plant in June, July, August and September when it may be covered in blooms. Feeding- Roses are voracious consumers of nutrients. I begin feeding in the spring when new growth is between 1 and 2 inches. Here, that's usually by mid April. Thereafter, roses are fed monthly until the end of September. I have tried a lot of different rose foods but over the past 4 years have settled on one organic product. It releases nutrients slowly and is not harsh to the plant. I wouldn't use anything else now. It is important to stop feeding by October 1 in our climate because when we get the first killing frosts 6 to 7 weeks later, one wants the roses to be getting tired and ready to go to sleep for the winter. Deadheading - There are many old varieties of roses around that bloom once. But the majority of roses purchased within the past 20 years have a succession of blooms during the season. To maximise the quantity of flowers and length of blooming season, deadheading is critical. When a flower is past its prime, look down the stem to the first 5 leafed (vs. 3 leafed) branch and prune there. You'll be rewarded with a succession of blooms until cold weather stops the plant.
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| Clippers - Use this type. Anvil clippers can bruise the stem. Be prepared to spend $40 for high quality clippers which are well worth the few extra dollars. | |||||||||||||||||||
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Sprayer - ILG uses 2 gal. sprayers such as to the right since we may spray 100 roses in a given day. But sprayers of this type are also available in .5 gal. sizes. Important - Do not store spray mixes in the sprayer. They will gum it up, I guarantee. Thoroughly clean the sprayer after each day of use.
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