After this crazy winter when temperature went warm in
January, then too cold in February, it is nice to see the garden coming to life again . The air is warming up, the birds
are coming back and you hear them chirping again. The nurseries are brimming with new plants,
gardeners are swarming the garden centers and heading home to plant those beautiful plants. They are so enthused to start digging. But there are so many things to do first:
·
Gather some soil from four different sections
of the garden. Let them dry and take
them to your Cooperation Extension for a soil test.
·
Scatter Epsom salt in the garden. A handful for Hybrid Teas and other big
flowered roses will suffice and Minis get half the dosage.
·
Then start pruning. The basic rule is to prune your roses when
the forsythia blooms. Cut out all
diseased, damaged and dead wood, down to the white pith. If you see brown, cut further down. Seal all cuts with Elmer’s Glue.
·
After you have done with pruning, remove all
leaves and clean the garden of old, diseased leaves. They are the depository of blackspot spores
and mildew.
·
Next thing to do is spread some
fertilizer. I used a Bayer All-in-One Rose & Flower Care.
In some states, you can not buy the Bayer All-in-One which is much
better product than Bayer 2-in-One. Bayer All-in-One contains fertilizer,
fungicide and insecticide. I find this very effective in preventing diseases
and it gives my roses my first feeding for the season. Watch the weather forecast and spread it
before it rains. Some rosarians use
10-20-10 or 12-24-12.
·
Once the roses start leafing out, spray with
dormant oil. It seems to work. I don’t have much blackspot. Aphids should be coming in droves pretty
soon. Get some ladybugs. They will do the trick. Also put some nematodes in your lawn. They kill the grubs which later become
Japanese beetles.
·
Last thing to do is mulch. If you have mulch there already, add more but
stir the old mulch first. Some mulch
packs down and has to be stirred a bit for better water penetration. Mulch controls the weeds and keeps the bed
moist.
Roses are not difficult to grow contrary to
popular belief as long as you know what they need. Why do you think Roses have been around for millions of
years? All they need are food, water and sunlight. Just like you
and me.
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!
Check my other blogs:
