How to keep roses blooming
Roses are a very beautiful flower among garden plants. You can choose to plant them in containers, which not only maximizes the space of balconies, terraces and stairwells, but also beautifies the entire indoor environment.
Potted plants can better control moisture content and light conditions, and potted roses are a good choice when your garden soil is poor and not suitable for growing high-quality roses.
Items to prepare
Professional potting soil
Larger flower pots
Compost
Bone meal or blood meal
Perlite
Gravel
Special fertilizer for roses
Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)
Choose the right rose variety
Not all rose varieties are suitable for planting in pots. For example, climbing roses need to provide good support conditions to grow well, otherwise they will run around. Similarly, large rose varieties tend to bloom large flowers on the higher side, which are easy to tip over when planted in containers and are not suitable for pots.
Here are three roses that are particularly suitable for planting in pots and containers:
Ground cover roses: When they fall on the edge of the pot, they will stay low and look cute. Depending on the size of the pot and the type of ground cover rose, it can also be decorated around larger potted plants.
Miniature roses: These roses are bred to produce pretty little roses, so they naturally lend themselves to growing in pots.
Patio roses: If you want a rose that is larger than a miniature rose but not as large as a standard rose, try a patio rose, a multiflora rose that reproduces on a smaller scale.
Choose the right pot or container
When potting your rose bush, choose a relatively large pot, preferably one that is at least 35cm in diameter. Roses have deep roots, so the deeper the pot, the better.
The soil in a pot transfers heat faster than garden soil, so clay pots are generally better than plastic pots because clay transfers heat from the sun to the soil in the pot more slowly.
If you must use a plastic pot, use a light-colored plastic pot, which does not absorb heat as quickly as darker plastic. Make sure there are enough drainage holes in the bottom of the pot, and lay a layer of gravel or medium-sized rocks about 3cm high at the bottom of the container.
Prepare the potting soil
When growing roses (or any other plant) in a container, there is a delicate balance of moisture. Use a soil that drains well and breathes well to reduce the likelihood of root rot, while retaining enough moisture.
Soil media that drains too quickly will dry out before the roots can absorb water, and soil that is too heavy in organic matter may stay moist but can cause root rot.
Mix a potting soil mix of one-third commercial potting soil, one-third garden compost and one-third organic matter, and add a cup of perlite to enhance drainage. Add 1 cup of bone meal to the soil mix, and you can also add fish meal or blood meal for extra nutrients.
Planting Roses
Fill the pot about two-thirds of the way full with the prepared soil mixture, then remove the rose from the nursery container and place it in the pot. Fill around the rose with the remaining potting soil, pressing it down firmly against the lower rhizome.
Place your potted roses where they get at least seven hours of sun a day, which on a balcony may mean moving the pots throughout the day to keep them in the sun.
For adjacent potted roses, keep them at least 30cm apart to ensure good air circulation.
Water regularly
Water thoroughly immediately after planting, saturating all the soil, and keep a close eye on the roses so you know when to water. A good rule of thumb is to water when the top of the soil surface is dry.
Keep potted roses in moist, but not wet soil. Ideally, the soil should be as moist as a wrung-out sponge.
Not watering between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. will yield unexpected rewards. This period is usually the hottest part of the day, and evaporation accelerates during this time. Keep as little water as possible on the leaves. Wet leaves can lead to powdery mildew and other fungal infections and plant diseases.
Keep your potted roses happy with drip irrigation, which delivers water directly to the root zone rather than spraying the leaves.
Fertilize Properly
When placed in the soil in a pot, roses will quickly use up all the available nutrients. In any case, roses are nutrient thirsty and potted roses need to be fertilized more frequently than garden-grown roses.
Use a balanced fertilizer designed specifically for roses every two weeks to ensure your plants are getting the nutrients they need for proper growth and vigorous flowering. Any balanced fertilizer will work for roses.
In the spring, sprinkle a tablespoon of Epsom salts around the base of the plant to provide magnesium for healthy foliage growth. Follow fertilizer directions carefully, as overfertilization can be as bad or worse than not fertilizing at all.
Apply fertilizer to the soil rather than to the foliage (unless there are instructions to do so), as salts in fertilizer can burn the leaves.
Stop fertilizing about eight weeks before the first expected winter frost, which will prevent the plant from developing tender young shoots that can be damaged by frost.
Repot regularly
With the exception of miniature roses, most potted roses need to be repotted every two to three years, as they can quickly deplete the nutrients in the potting soil. Using freshly prepared potting soil each time you repot will keep nutrient levels at an acceptable level. Salts and minerals from fertilizers can also accumulate in the soil over time, which can damage roses, but changing the soil regularly should prevent this.
Frost protection
To keep potted roses alive through the winter, choose rose varieties with different cold tolerances based on your region’s cold rating. Alternatively, you can also provide frost protection with these four measures:
Mulch: You can add some mulch to the top of the container and pile it around the pot for added insulation. However, be sure to keep the mulch away from the plant itself; if wet material is constantly touching the trunk or branches, it greatly increases the chances of insects or diseases attacking the rose.
Burying: If you have a garden, another option is to dig a hole in the garden and place the entire container inside. Cover the soil on top of the container with garden soil, but make sure the soil does not touch the crown (where the plant is in contact with the roots). Although this is not a very attractive technique, it can help your roses survive the harshest winter climates.
Bottomless Box Structure: Even without heating in the winter, the temperature inside a sturdy bottomless box structure can rise enough to protect your potted roses from the cold. It is usually effective in moderately cold climates, but not in areas with very severe winters.
Move Indoors: Move to a room that provides enough sunlight, your roses may prefer to spend the winter in a garage or home. When switching locations, cure the plant so that it gradually adapts to the new environment.
Pest and Disease Control
The most common pest on roses is aphids, which usually gather on buds and leaves, sucking out the sap and causing the diseased areas to wilt. When aphids are first spotted, they can be sprayed off the plant with a hose, or you can pick them off by hand with gloves, which can be a tedious task during an infestation.
Potted roses are susceptible to a number of fungal diseases, including powdery mildew and black spot. While there are fungicides that can treat fungal diseases on roses, the best strategy is prevention, and ensuring that the area where you place your potted roses has good air circulation will reduce the chances of fungal infection.
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