Fall rose case is easy. If you want great roses next year, here are four simple steps to make that happen.
#1 – It is very important to keep watering until the first hard freeze. During the winter, the cold winds will pull moisture from the canes, so it is important to have as much water as possible to prevent a lot of die back. It will also make the plant stronger so it has a better chance to survive a very cold winter.
#2 – You should stop dead heading now. If we continue deadheading, then the rose will instinctively try to put out new flowers. The danger here is that it pushes sap up into the outer, most tender branches to do so. A sudden freeze could freeze the sap. When liquids freeze they expand and this literally blows the rose apart from within by the freezing sap rupturing the cell walls. In fall roses instinctively send their sap down into the roots so there is no danger of that. Deadheading interferes with that process and you run the risk of damaging the roses.
#3 – You should also stop fertilizing so the plant will get ready to go into hibernation. Less light and lower temperature is what starts this process.
#4 – There is one more thing I would recommend. When I get my roses ready for winter, besides mulching around the base of my plants I broadcast Grass Magic. I use this product on everything. I put it in my rose beds, my flower beds, and my lawn. It is a natural, pelletized, slow release fertilizer that will give your plants a jumpstart in the spring. It contains 14 kinds of Mycorrhizal fungus that bonds with the roots. This allows the plant to absorb more water and nutrients. Grass Magic is available at Wenke Greenhouses and is even on sale right now!
If any of you have made a late purchase of a new rose, it is important to get it planted within the first few weeks of September. This will allow the plant to become established before winter comes. If you would like to purchase a rose, we still have a great selection of roses and they are now 50% off! Hurry in for best selection.
The last roses of summer can often be the sweetest – the nip in the air deepens the colors, and the blooms themselves are sometimes a bit larger than usual. Best of all, you don’t have to worry about pruning or fertilizing until next year so just sit back and enjoy the fall show.
Have a rose question? Larry can be reached at larrytheroseguy@gmail.com.
