Roses Garden Requirements: Tips On Watering, Fertilizing, Pruning and More

Pinterest Hidden Image

Rose Gardens require large amounts of water. Even in areas where rainfall is considered plentiful, occasional watering will usually be beneficial.

A regular irrigation program is necessary to obtain good roses in sections where the growing season is dry or subject to periodic droughts. The best method of applying water is in a small stream from a hose; drip irrigation also works well.

rose gardenPin

The water moving slowly will seep into the soil and thoroughly wet the soil media. A heavy water stream is often wasteful and ineffective; much of the water runs off, failing to penetrate the soil more than a few inches. To be effective, the water should penetrate the soil from 8″ to 12″ inches.

Cultivating and Mulching Rose Gardens

The roots of roses often grow relatively close to the soil surface. So, cultivation must be done with care. Removing weeds is the primary purpose of cultivation by hand pulling or cutting them at the soil surface. Weeds compete with the roses for nutrients as well as moisture.

Many gardeners use heavy mulches on their rose beds to help control weeds, conserve moisture, and add fertility.

Mulches of many materials have been used successfully on roses, including peat, ground corncobs, ground tobacco stems, buckwheat, and cottonseed hulls, spent mushroom manure, and well-rotted strawy manure.

The mulches are usually applied about a month before the roses bloom. They are spread evenly around the plants to 2″ or 3″ inches. All weeds should be removed and the soil raked lightly before spreading the mulch.

The mulching material slowly decays, becoming incorporated into the soil. Many gardeners leave their mulch throughout the year, adding new material as the mulch becomes thin and settles around the plants.

Fertilizing Rose Gardens


Roses are more often overfed than underfed. Judicious use of fertilizers will aid in producing superior blooms, but fertilizers will not replace good general care, including proper watering and spraying for insect and disease control.

Roses prefer slightly acid soil. If the soil is high in acid, it may be corrected by adding agricultural lime at about 3 to 4 pounds per 100′ square feet.

If low, the soil may be made acid by applying powdered sulfur at the rate of 1 to 3 pounds per 100′ square feet. Since the value of soil can change rather quickly, it is advisable to recheck with a soil test at monthly intervals after treating to see if another application of lime or sulfur is needed.

Good roses can be grown with little additional fertilization in good fertile garden soil.

Related: Do Roses Like Coffee Grounds And Bananas?

Soil And Element Deficiencies

If the soil is poor, the plants will soon show symptoms indicating a deficiency in one or more of the required fertilizer elements. Generally, most soils have ample quantities of necessary fertilizer elements except nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sometimes calcium and iron.

When the soil is deficient in nitrogen, the leaves, especially the younger ones, become yellow and are smaller than those on plants receiving ample quantities of nitrogen.

When phosphorus is lacking, the leaves become grayish-green, and a purplish tinge often appears on the underside.

A potassium deficiency is more difficult to diagnose because it may be confused with spray injury. Plants lacking potassium soon show a browning on the margins of the leaves, and sometimes a brown area appears on the flower stem just below the base of the flower.

Calcium deficiency causes the margin of the leaflets to die. Eventually, the entire leaf dies and drops off. The flowers may be deformed with brown spots near the margins of the petals.

When these symptoms appear, a soil test should be run. If the pH value is below 5, lime should be added to build the calcium supply.

Iron is necessary for the formation of the green color in leaves. When iron is lacking, the leaves may become yellowish, and the veins may stand out rather prominently.

Complete Fertilizers

The so-called complete or mixed fertilizers are probably the best sources of the elements needed by roses for growth, except calcium and iron.

They are sold in a wide range of mixtures, such as 5-10-5, 4-8-4, or 4-8-6. The figures in each case indicate the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, respectively, in the fertilizer. Thus a 5-10-5 fertilizer contains 5 pounds of nitrogen, 10 pounds of phosphorus, and 5 pounds of potassium in every 100 pounds of the mixture.

As a rule, most soils are well supplied with iron. However, in some sections of the country, as in the Great Plains area, iron may be lacking, causing the rose foliage to turn yellowish-white.

This condition is known as iron chlorosis and is corrected by spraying the foliage with ferrous sulfate. This is used at the rate of 1 ounce. of ferrous sulfate to 2 gallons of water.

When a complete fertilizer is used, it is advisable to apply it several times during the rose growing season.

Rose Fertilizer Applications

The first application should be made when the new spring growth is well established, and all danger of severe freezing is past. A second application may be made if the plants show signs of deficiency later on.

Fertilizers should not be used in cold climates after July 15 and in mild temperatures after August 15. When used too late in the season, they may stimulate new growth and delay the hardening of the wood before winter sets in.

In general, complete fertilizers are used at about 3 pounds per 100 square feet or a heaping tablespoonful for each plant. Spread the fertilizer evenly and scratch it into the soil, preferably just before a rain or before watering the rose bed.

Pruning The Rose Garden

Sharp tools could be used to give clean cuts. A fine-toothed saw is helpful on heavy canes.

The type of pruning to use and the time it should be done differently with the various roses classes.

Bush roses are pruned in early spring, just before growth starts. First, the deadwood should be removed; be careful to cut an inch below the dark-colored areas. If no buds are left on the olive wood, the entire branch or cane should be removed.

Next, cut out all weak growth and any canes or branches growing toward the center of the plant. If two units cross one another, remove the more vulnerable. Do not leave any stubs, but make the cut close to the cane or point it originated.

Finally, shape the plant by cutting the strong canes to a uniform height, but leave as much good wood as possible. Cuts made on the cane should be just above a potent outward-facing bud. In mild climates, vigorous plants can be pruned to 24″ to 30″ inches.

In some sections, the winters are so severe that much of the top of the plant is killed. Under these conditions, it is not possible to do much toward shaping the plants. If possible, save all live wood and make all cuts just above outward-facing buds.

Tree Roses

Tree roses usually require rather severe pruning; otherwise, the tops will become too large for the stem. After removing all dead wood, cut the live canes to 8″ to 12″ inches and shape the overall structure. Some pruning will be necessary during the flowering season, or the head will grow out of bounds.

The hardy rambler climbing roses should be pruned just after they have flowered. This will stimulate new cane growth and the development of laterals on which the following year’s flowers will be borne.

Remove all old wood at this time so the plant can put all its efforts into the development of the new young shoots. Where the roses are trained over a trellis or any support so high that one season’s growth will not cover it, some of the older shoots should be cut off at the ground, but the newer ones should be allowed to remain.

Solid and vigorous canes should be shortened so that laterals will develop and continue to elongate and eventually cover the supporting structure.

In the spring, remove all dead canes and weak branches, but prune sparingly because wood removed at this time will reduce the number of flowers produced later.

Many large-flowered climbers, especially the ever-blooming types, do not produce as much growth each year as the hardier climbers. For this reason, pruning must be less severe than on the ramblers and hardier climbers.

Most of the shrub roses should also be pruned after the blooming season. These plants are very hardy, so pruning is needed primarily to thin out and remove old canes. This type of rose is most pleasing when allowed to develop its natural shape in all instances.