An excerpt from the Newsletter produced by Knight’s Roses for Spring.
Here are some top tips for growing great roses:
- By now, you should have finished pruning and new shoots will be appearing on your rose plants with the unusually warm start to spring.
- Give the roots “a boost” by applying a soil tonic or root stimulant, such as Neutrog Seamungus. This seaweed-based soil and plant conditioner, recommended by Rose Societies, stimulates and supports root growth and development. It is also ideal for establishing new plants, particularly bare-rooted roses.
- We recommend fertilising with Neutrog Sudden Impact for Roses when the new rose shoots are about 2cms long. Water the fertiliser in after application or, better still, apply prior to forecast rain. This fertiliser is specifically tailor-made for roses and has a high potash content to assist in boosting flowering and offering improved disease tolerance.
- Mulch your rose garden. The benefits of applying mulch include: –
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- Weed suppression
- Reducing the amount of evaporation and watering needed
- The mulch breaks down and adds organic material into the soil
- The introduction of beneficial bacteria
- Encouraging earthworms that aerate the soil
- Regulates soil temperature
- Helps to prevent erosion from heavy rain
We and the Rose Society recommend Neutrog ‘Whoflungdung’ organic Mulch. It is a biologically activated, nutrient rich, weed free, absorbent super mulch. Apply the mulch in late winter or early spring, according to the manufacturer’s directions. Remember to keep the mulch away from the actual base of young roses in case it burns.
- Watering – It is important to water your roses with one good soak per fortnight as we have had a very dry spring. Roses in their first year may require supplementary water as their roots are not fully established and the young plants can dry out more quickly than well-established plants.
- If your plants are healthy, you will see strong water-shoots emerging from the base of the plant. These are typically rapidly growing and soft. They may need staking to prevent them from snapping off in strong winds.
Freshly applied Neutrog Mulch – over the garden bed and watered in
(Photo Credit: Melanie Trimper)
Contact Knight’s Roses for more information – phone 08 85231311 or email [email protected] or visit our website www.knightsroses.com.au