Rose Care in My Long Island Garden

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Posted by @Newyorkrita on
I have my own spraying and fertilizing routine worked out to keep my roses free of fungus and full of bloom.

On humid Long Island roses need lots of care to keep those lovely green leaves spot free and beautiful.

It has been said that I fuss over my roses. I must admit it is true, but it is so worthwhile. My roses are healthy, free of fungus, and full of blooms. The roses maintain spot-free dark-green leaves even when they are not in bloom. In short, they always look good.

Nice green fungus-free rose leaves.

 

It is usually hot and humid on Long Island in the summer. These are the perfect conditions for fungal diseases to strike. The most common fungal disease of roses here is black spot. Leaves get dark brown spots that gradually get larger while the rest of the leaf turns yellow. Eventually, the leaves drop and the gardener ends up with naked leafless sticks. This is not healthy for the roses and it is such an unsightly look for the garden. The leaves eventually will grow back, but then the entire cycle starts again. So I spray and fuss with my roses to keep them healthy and blooming. I need to do this to have beautiful green leaves and healthy roses.

Spring Routine Starts

Early each spring I start my rose care with heavy pruning. This is the most drastic pruning that I do during the year and my secret to nice, thickly branching, early spring shrubs. Pruning is done to a height of roughly 18 inches. Any dead or diseased canes are trimmed out. I have a lot of roses, so it usually takes about three days to finish them all. I know it is pruning time when I see the buds swelling in preparation to grow leaves. After the pruning, I apply Rose Tone bagged dry fertilizer. I really don't have any scientific method. I just toss the fertilizer all around the roses and I don't even bother scratching it in, but spring fertilizing is very important in ensuring heavy bud set.

First leaves of the year are darker and bigger after spring fertilizer is applied.

 

Leaves Appear

As soon as leaves appear and while they are still small, it is time for the first fungicide treatment of the year. The spraying continues at two-week internals until late fall. I never use insecticide. I only use a fungicide product. It has to be systemic.  That way I don't have to worry that rain will wash off my protection. I recommend Bayer Advanced Disease Control For Roses, Flowers & Shrubs or Bonide Infuse Systemic Disease Control. After spraying, I mark my calendar, noting the date of the spraying. Two weeks later I spray again. And no later than two weeks. So that means that I watch the weather forecasts, and if rain is expected, I spray a day early instead of a day or two late. Never go longer than two weeks between sprayings. This is very important to keep the roses totally pristine.

  Keep Spraying and Fertilizing

The spraying routine does not stop until late fall, but after the first two or three fungicide treatments, I start to add a liquid fertilizer. I have been using Neptune's Harvest Seaweed Fertilizer or the Neptune fish and seaweed blend. Roses are heavy feeders. I simply mix the liquid fertilizer in with the fungicide and spray. So I am foliar feeding the roses. During the hottest months of the summer, it is best to spray either early or late in the day. Any type of sprayer will work, even a watering can if you have only a few roses. Spray the entire rose shrub. I also like to use a hose-end sprayer. After the beginning of September, omit the fertilizer and go back to spraying fungicide only. This late in the year, I don't want the roses to continue pushing out new growth. Keep with the bi-weekly spray routine into late October.

Add Some Pruning

As stated earlier, my major pruning of the year occurs very early in spring. I prune all my roses heavily as soon as the leaf buds start to swell.

Roses are pruned heavily in very early spring.

 

The next pruning occurs after the June spring flush. I wait until the roses are pretty much done with their blooms and then I cut back the canes holding entire bloom clusters. This second pruning encourages another flush to set, which usually occurs in early August. After the August blooms I prune as needed. By late in the season, I am not pruning at all and I just leave the shrubs as is over the winter. That is pretty much it.

I do look at my roses often, especially when they are in bloom. During the spring flush I always take a lot of pictures. I enjoy my roses very much in spite of the fact that they are a fair amount of work to maintain. But they are totally worth it.

 
Comments and Discussion
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
A rose routine by abhege Feb 5, 2014 12:43 PM 13
Great Information by TBGDN Feb 4, 2014 4:29 PM 1

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