A weed is a plant that you don't
want. There's an old saying that if a
weed can't grow in a garden, no other plant will grow there either. When my roses look very healthy, my weeds are
just as healthy.
At this time of the year, weeds are one of the biggest problems in the rose
bed. The best way to control it is to
pull it out and then mulch the bed right away so it has no time to resprout. Weed is an abhorrence in the rose
garden. A garden free of weeds is a
sight to behold. Roses will tolerate
some of them but the most invasive ones will choke your roses. They take out
the nutrients that you feed your roses. Have you noticed that weeds grow
luxuriantly in your rose bed? That's because they are sharing the meal with
your roses.
Years ago, I never put mulch in the garden. I like to see the soil around the rose bushes. However, as time goes by, I found out that I never stopped weeding. You become a slave in your own garden. There was no time to sit and enjoy and smell the roses. By the time I finished the last bed, the first bed was full of weeds again. That's when I decided to put down mulch. I use cedar mulch and the rose beds look much better with it. Mulch also retains moisture.
How about Roundup? Roundup is an herbicide. From what I read, it does more damage to your roses than at first believed. It does not show right away but comes up later on. If you are using it in other parts of your garden, take extra precaution to avoid contact with your roses. There are cases among rosarians who use Roundup where all their roses died or began their slow death. Just a mist of the Roundup will leave a death sentence to your precious roses. So be extra careful!
Hoeing is another method to control weed. For those gardeners who are environmentally conscious, this is the best method of weed control. The only problem here is that you can be too close to the rose bushes and may damage their roots. Another disadvantage is loosened soil, if too close to the rose bush, it will encourage suckers. Also hoeing the rose bed can sometimes wake up the weed seeds that are buried under the undisturbed soil and lets them germinate.
Whatever method you use, as soon as you clean up the bed, you should mulch immediately and make it at least 3" thick to discourage the weed from sprouting again.
Years ago, I never put mulch in the garden. I like to see the soil around the rose bushes. However, as time goes by, I found out that I never stopped weeding. You become a slave in your own garden. There was no time to sit and enjoy and smell the roses. By the time I finished the last bed, the first bed was full of weeds again. That's when I decided to put down mulch. I use cedar mulch and the rose beds look much better with it. Mulch also retains moisture.
How about Roundup? Roundup is an herbicide. From what I read, it does more damage to your roses than at first believed. It does not show right away but comes up later on. If you are using it in other parts of your garden, take extra precaution to avoid contact with your roses. There are cases among rosarians who use Roundup where all their roses died or began their slow death. Just a mist of the Roundup will leave a death sentence to your precious roses. So be extra careful!
Hoeing is another method to control weed. For those gardeners who are environmentally conscious, this is the best method of weed control. The only problem here is that you can be too close to the rose bushes and may damage their roots. Another disadvantage is loosened soil, if too close to the rose bush, it will encourage suckers. Also hoeing the rose bed can sometimes wake up the weed seeds that are buried under the undisturbed soil and lets them germinate.
Whatever method you use, as soon as you clean up the bed, you should mulch immediately and make it at least 3" thick to discourage the weed from sprouting again.
Contrary to popular belief, it is
not difficult to grow Roses. It
all depends on what kind of roses you want to grow. Roses have been around for millions of years, some in cemeteries
with no care whatsoever. All they need are food, water and
sunlight. Just like you and me.
Here at Rose Gardening World, we’ll educate you about the Rose - our National Floral Emblem
and the state flower of several states. Welcome to the Rose Gardening
World where Rose Gardening Tips,
Rose Growing Advice, Planting a Rose Garden, Rose Descriptions, Where to Buy
Roses, Where to see Rose Gardens, Rose Culture, Rose History, Rose Events, Rose
Verses are all here in one place.
We are constantly updating our contents
so visit Rose Gardening World often. We want to help you grow Beautiful Roses and we welcome
comments. Take time and smell the roses. Happy Rose Gardening!
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