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Rose Maintenance
Meomye
Posts: 949
Hi, could someone please tell me what needs to be done to my roses at this time of year? for example, should I be using rose clear or feeding etc,? thanks
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It won't hurt to use rose clear, blackspot spores will be present on stems and the soil surface, they lie dormant till the weather really warms, treating now reduces the population, just make sure you treat on a warmer day with no rain forecast.
Start feeding now. Use rose fertiliser. Pruning needs to be done by the end of March. I spray for fungal diseases just as the leaves start appearing, but as Dave says, you can start earlier.
Thanks everyone for the replies, not sure about all of them but I know I have a few David Austin's, probably 2-7 years old. I just wanted to give them a good start to the season because some of my roses don't develop a lot of flower heads and they often look 'spindly', so I am sure they need some sort of TLC.
If they're spindly, prune them harder, cut out the weaker stems and leave three or four thick stems. Feed mulch and water them, don't be timid with roses they love being pruned hard.
Can I ask if the same applies to a weeping rose tree which I planted last spring? Is hard pruning? It has, what looks like old wood at the start of the branches, should I avoid cutting into this?
Thanks folks
With weeping roses you have to be a bit more careful BryceyD, You cut back to give you a symmetrical shape. Take out any dead wood and older thicker stems. You want to encourage the younger supple stems. Take a step back as often as possible to keep an eye on what your'e doing. Then feed and mulch it.
I fed my roses today. I use toprose in the borders and liquid rose feed for the climbers next to the house but only because I find it difficult to get the granules in the right place. The new growth is looking really good this year. I always prune in the autumn and tidy up any old wood in the spring. I have never thought of using rose clear on the stems in the spring.
Thanks Dave, do you have any other good advice about weeping roses, I find it quite hard to get advice other than climbers and plants? For instance, if I prune feed and mulch just now how often should I then feed, been winging it a bit?
Thanks
Hi Meomy.I have about 50 roses of different ilks.I am lucky enough to live not far from a registered rose grower so have picked up some good tips over the years.When they are dormant early in the year spray the rose and surrounding ground with Armillotox. You can look up correct pruning for different types of rose on the websites.When you cut blooms always cut down to where there are five leaf growths if you cut above three the blooms will go blind . Take out dead growth in late autumn.feed now( and just like rhubarb they are very partial to manure )and also after the first flush of blooms .If you should get any blackspot pick the leaves off and collect up any which have dropped and burn ,don't compost. AND talk to them and tell them how beautiful they are!!!!!!!!