A to Z of Growing Organic Roses
Have you ever found growing roses difficult?
Have you given up on roses in your garden because they have all died?
Shari-Lynn Safir shared with us that it may not be your fault that your roses have died. It is often the fault of the soil they are grown in. She suggests purchasing bare root roses from a local nursery such as Hortico, Pickering and Palatin Roses Be sure to place your order early on in the year to ensure the best selection. These roses have been grown in local soil and because of this have a much higher survival rate.
In general roses require 6-8 hours of sun per day.
There is a variety called Buff Beauty that will still give you lots of fragrant roses but requires less sun.
Planting Steps
Soak the plant for 8 hours before planting
Dig a large hole 3 feet deep
Create a cone in the centre of the hole of black earth
With the bud union 6-8 inches below surface spread the roots out over the cone.
Make a mixture of 1/3 black earth, 1/3 compost, and 1/3 sheep manure. (Do not use peat moss or Mushroom compost) Fill the hole 1/3 full with this and water really well.
Let it sit for a while and then went you come back step on the dirt in the hole to remove any air pockets
Fill the hole 2/3 full with the mixture from above put in a bunch of banana peels.
Finish filling the hole and plant garlic cloves around the plant
Transplant rose in early spring before leafing out.
Pruning
Safe to prune rose once forsythia is blooming
The first year after you plant don't prune.
Prune out any diseased, dead or damaged stocks
Prune out any suckers - they are branches with no thorns on them - you have to go right down to the root to take these off.
Prune anything that is less then a pencil size
If you are competing in flower shows prune to 6-8 inches, and hybrid teas by 1/2
Don't prune climbing roses unless you see a decrease in the amount of flowers and then take out the oldest cane.
More bang for your buck
If you are wanting climbing roses to go over a trellis wrap the vines around the trellis in a spiral this will result in laterals which will give you more roses. When training a climber on a well bend the canes horizontally to get laterals. Use old nylons for ties to prevent damage to the canes.
Feeding Roses
Place crushed alfalfa cubes (from a co-op store) around the roots or at the drip line
Horse Manure (that is at least 2 years old) great for roses and delphiniums
Water with manure tea - use a pail 1/3 manure to 2/3 water. Use 1 part of this mixture to 1 part water.
She suggests underwatering roses. Place a rain gauge under the plant only water them if the receive less than 1" of rain per week.
Do not fertilizer after August 1.
In the fall
Mound up the earth around, not against the canes, top with leaves and then manure. This will create a nice compost for the plant come spring.
Black Spot and Rust
- 1 Tbsp Baking Soda in 1 gallon of water
- 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 Squirt of mild dish soap
Spray every 5 days on the top and bottom of leaves
Prevent powdery Mildew
1 part skim milk to 9 parts water and spray once per week
General Purpose spray
1 medium onion chopped
3 -4 garlic cloves crushed
1/2 jalapeno chopped very finely
Steep mixture in 1 quart of warm water for 1 hour - strain well through cheese cloth.
Add 1-2 tsp baking soda to the remaining liquid.
Use 1 part of this to 4 parts warm water and put into a spray bottle. Add 1-2 drops dish soap to the spray bottle and mist plants in the early spring as a booster.
Apply in the early morning after rain (if it rains right after applying you will need to re-apply)
She told us to NEVER use pheromone traps for Japanese Beetles.
Not sure of where to find a certain type of rose check out www.helpmefind.com/roses
Here are some of the roses she shared with us.
Have you given up on roses in your garden because they have all died?
Shari-Lynn Safir shared with us that it may not be your fault that your roses have died. It is often the fault of the soil they are grown in. She suggests purchasing bare root roses from a local nursery such as Hortico, Pickering and Palatin Roses Be sure to place your order early on in the year to ensure the best selection. These roses have been grown in local soil and because of this have a much higher survival rate.
In general roses require 6-8 hours of sun per day.
There is a variety called Buff Beauty that will still give you lots of fragrant roses but requires less sun.
Planting Steps
Soak the plant for 8 hours before planting
Dig a large hole 3 feet deep
Create a cone in the centre of the hole of black earth
With the bud union 6-8 inches below surface spread the roots out over the cone.
Make a mixture of 1/3 black earth, 1/3 compost, and 1/3 sheep manure. (Do not use peat moss or Mushroom compost) Fill the hole 1/3 full with this and water really well.
Let it sit for a while and then went you come back step on the dirt in the hole to remove any air pockets
Fill the hole 2/3 full with the mixture from above put in a bunch of banana peels.
Finish filling the hole and plant garlic cloves around the plant
Transplant rose in early spring before leafing out.
Pruning
Safe to prune rose once forsythia is blooming
The first year after you plant don't prune.
Prune out any diseased, dead or damaged stocks
Prune out any suckers - they are branches with no thorns on them - you have to go right down to the root to take these off.
Prune anything that is less then a pencil size
If you are competing in flower shows prune to 6-8 inches, and hybrid teas by 1/2
Don't prune climbing roses unless you see a decrease in the amount of flowers and then take out the oldest cane.
More bang for your buck
If you are wanting climbing roses to go over a trellis wrap the vines around the trellis in a spiral this will result in laterals which will give you more roses. When training a climber on a well bend the canes horizontally to get laterals. Use old nylons for ties to prevent damage to the canes.
Feeding Roses
Place crushed alfalfa cubes (from a co-op store) around the roots or at the drip line
Horse Manure (that is at least 2 years old) great for roses and delphiniums
Water with manure tea - use a pail 1/3 manure to 2/3 water. Use 1 part of this mixture to 1 part water.
She suggests underwatering roses. Place a rain gauge under the plant only water them if the receive less than 1" of rain per week.
Do not fertilizer after August 1.
In the fall
Mound up the earth around, not against the canes, top with leaves and then manure. This will create a nice compost for the plant come spring.
Black Spot and Rust
- 1 Tbsp Baking Soda in 1 gallon of water
- 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 Squirt of mild dish soap
Spray every 5 days on the top and bottom of leaves
Prevent powdery Mildew
1 part skim milk to 9 parts water and spray once per week
General Purpose spray
1 medium onion chopped
3 -4 garlic cloves crushed
1/2 jalapeno chopped very finely
Steep mixture in 1 quart of warm water for 1 hour - strain well through cheese cloth.
Add 1-2 tsp baking soda to the remaining liquid.
Use 1 part of this to 4 parts warm water and put into a spray bottle. Add 1-2 drops dish soap to the spray bottle and mist plants in the early spring as a booster.
Apply in the early morning after rain (if it rains right after applying you will need to re-apply)
She told us to NEVER use pheromone traps for Japanese Beetles.
Not sure of where to find a certain type of rose check out www.helpmefind.com/roses
Here are some of the roses she shared with us.
Bonica
Just Joey
Louise Odier
Peace
Blaze
Double Delight
Julia Childs
New Dawn
Hope this inspires you to try a new rose next year!
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