How much sunlight do roses need

To this day, roses are still the queen of flowers in the minds of many people. Even if they only have a small yard or balcony, they all hope to plant one or two roses. However, in the cold zone, it is difficult to grow roses and they often die. In addition, it is prone to diseases and insect pests, so it is definitely a very challenging job.

Roses are masculine plants. Sufficient light will make the rose flowers more colorful and the flowers more fragrant. Roses need 4 hours or more of light every day. If they are not exposed to the sun for a long time, the leaves of the roses will turn yellow. In winter, when the outdoor temperature is too low, the roses should be moved indoors for cultivation, but they should be kept near a window to ensure that the roses can get sunlight. However, if you know the trick, a rose can grow for more than ten years and bloom continuously every year. If you want the correct maintenance method, please read on.

What’s the secret to growing roses?

This means knowing what roses like. The roses we generally like to plant in our gardens are actually hybrid tea roses (Hybrid Tea), which are produced after more than a hundred years of mating in the horticulture industry. They bloom multiple times a year, with more beautiful colors, more petals and fragrance. Resistant varieties.

The difference between ancient and modern roses

This is a far cry from the original roses, which mostly bloom only once a year, are only red or pink in color, and are mostly single-petaled shrub varieties.
Later, in order to prepare the varieties we like today, grafting was used to graft modern roses onto original rose branches to form a graft lump. This lump is the weak part of the modern rose and will freeze to death once it is damaged by frost. This is The reason why many roses don’t survive the winter.
Modern roses also have several special requirements. They need sunlight and sufficient temperature. The soil needs to be well-drained. Of course, ventilation is very important.

Environment

It is very good to grow roses in southern my country, such as North China and Southwest China, but in places like Guangdong (too wet) and many places in the Northeast (winter is too cold), growing roses requires some effort.
Knowing your rose preferences is important when choosing where to plant them. Because the weather is colder in the north, you need to choose a south-facing environment without too much shade and a place that can absorb at least six hours of full sunlight every day.

Ventilation

Because roses need good ventilation, do not plant roses together with other plants. Each rose must be 1 meter away from other plants. Therefore, when you see most people planting roses, they all have a separate flowerbed for them. .

Soil:

Roses are also picky about soil, so it’s best to get the soil well before planting.
If the original soil is not good enough, it is best to replace it. Knowing that a rose can live for more than 10 years, the preparation in advance is definitely worth it.
And the deeper the roots of a rose, the healthier they are. Therefore, if there is good soil down to one meter underground, the roses can be deeply rooted and stronger.
Good soil must drain well, and currently the soil itself in many areas is not ideal. After many builders build a house, they dig out all the existing surface soil and sell it to landscaping companies.
After the house is built, a very thin layer of topsoil is laid on it. The bottom layer is almost entirely filled with construction waste and is definitely not suitable for planting. So if you want to grow good plants, you need to change the soil.
Manufactured soil can be made from a mixture of: surface soil, compost soil (it’s better to make your own), peat soil and animal compost.
These soils are sold in gardening stores, and you can adjust the amount yourself. You can add more surface soil and compost soil, and the rest can account for a quarter. (Peat soil is sold after dehydration, so it is best to soak it in water for one day before use)
Since roses have high requirements for drainage, it is best to add a portion of fine sand. Bags of sand are sold in gardening stores. I have seen that the land in many rose gardens is almost sandy, which shows the importance of adding sand.
If you really don’t want to change the soil, then add the peat soil, compost soil and sand soil mentioned above on the surface, knead it a little, and let the soil slowly mix with the original soil.

Planting:

In addition, digging holes is also very important when planting roses. Because drainage of roses is important, the hole needs to be dug very large. How do you decide the size of the hole?
If you are buying a potted rose, the hole will be twice as big as the pot. If you buy bagged roses (bare root roses), it is best to have a depth of 30 cm. After digging, spread 3 to 4 cm of pebbles at the bottom of the hole, and then put the soil mixed as mentioned above.

Treatment of different types of roses

If it is a potted rose, it can be placed smoothly into the hole. If it is an exposed-rooted rose, it is best to make the soil at the bottom of the hole into a small hill shape, and then spread the roots of the rose in all directions on the hill. In this way, the roots of this rose can grow steadily in all directions in the future. Then put the remaining soil back into the hole.
If you buy open-root roses, soak the roots in water for 12-24 hours before planting them. The roots will swell at this time. If there is no swollen part, it is necrotic and must be cut off before planting.

Pay attention to winter and summer

The height of the rose when planting is very important. As mentioned before, modern roses have a grafted lump. In cold zones, this lump is most afraid of frost damage.
It is generally believed that it is best to plant the lump 6 to 7 centimeters below the soil surface, and then cover the lump with soil before winter comes to avoid freezing to death.
But in the tropics, it is best to plant the lump 3 to 4 centimeters above the soil surface and avoid planting it under the soil to avoid excessive watering or poor soil drainage. If it is soaked in water for a long time, it will rot and die prematurely.
(There is still debate today as to whether the lumps should be planted on the soil surface or under the soil surface. In short, to avoid frostbite in the cold zone, they should be planted on the soil surface in the tropics)

Pay attention to moisture

Once the soil is filled and firmly planted with your feet, it’s time to water. Remember, roses need a lot of water, but there must be no stagnant water.
If there is water in the soil, the roots will rot and die, which is why dry areas are more suitable for growing roses than humid areas. This is why soil drainage is so important.
Therefore, when watering, pour enough water at one time, and then do not water again until the soil surface is slightly dry before pouring the next water. It’s best to test it first and wait until more than an inch of the soil is dry before watering.
In addition, roses are very afraid of wet weather and are prone to black spot and wet mildew. Therefore, the most ideal watering method is to water from the ground rather than from the leaves. The drier the leaves of the roses, the better.
Generally, when old gardeners plant roses, they install water pipes on the ground. Water seeps from the pipes into the soil, and not a drop of water reaches the leaves.
So you can water from the soil surface with a hose, or you can water with a bucket. In addition, gardening stores sell a kind of water pipe that allows water to seep into the soil. This will not waste water, and secondly, it will reduce the chance of rose diseases and insect pests.

Fertilizer

When planting roses, you can use organic fertilizer. It is best to add some bone fertilizer to the soil. Bone fertilizer contains high phosphorus fertilizer, which will help the plant roots grow. It is a slow-acting fertilizer and is suitable for use during planting. If bone fertilizer is not available, transplant fertilizer can be used.
In addition to regular fertilization of roses, some people have their own secret recipes. Because roses need iron fertilizer, I remember a gardener who was very successful in growing roses said that he often repaired people’s cars, so he accumulated the rust removed from the front of the car and buried it in the rose garden.
Some people also bury banana peels under rose plants from time to time because banana peels contain high levels of potassium. Of course, choosing an appropriate rose fertilizer is still the most important.
In cold zones, remember to spread about 20 centimeters of soil at the base of the rose before winter to protect the base of the stem.

When should we lay protective soil?

Experienced people will tell you that it is most suitable to protect the soil after the first serious frost damage before winter. Otherwise it will be too early. Roses are actually not afraid of snow, but of frost damage.
White snow has an insulating effect, so adding a layer of soil first, and then falling snow is equivalent to adding a layer of insulation.

Benefits of pruning

Pruning modern roses is very important, because roses bloom on new branches. If they are not pruned, without new branches, they will not bloom. Even the flowers are very small and unhealthy.
The best time to prune once a year is in early spring before new buds grow (about March to April, March in the south, April in the north). At this time, you can see that many branches are dead, and you can cut them all off at this time. , only the green living part remains.
Generally speaking, it is best to cut to about 10 to 15 centimeters from the ground. In order to allow air circulation in the middle of the plant, it is best to cut off the intersecting branches so that the branches can stretch out in all directions.
In order to make new flowers bloom quickly after the flowers fade, it is best to cut them off immediately after the flowers fade, leaving only about four inches, so that new branches will grow faster and new flowers will appear faster. Of course it would be better if you cut the vase.

Protection from pests and diseases

Roses are very susceptible to diseases and insect pests, so the ground should be kept clean, diseased leaves should be picked up and discarded as soon as possible, and do not water at night.
Many rose gardens and parks cover the ground where roses are planted with a layer of soil. Bark, cocoa beans, pine needles and other media can be used.