Hello,

I hope you're all doing well!

I was wondering what's the best way to indicate if I should water a rose or not, in a pot and in the ground?

What are your own methods?
I know it varies a lot based on location and season and sun but what's a good way to tell?

I'm struggling with figuring this out honestly I feel like i'm always rolling the dice haha

Thank you for all the help!

Yep, rolling the dice is about it. There is really no sure way to know. Every climate is different. All soil conditions are different. Each rose is different. Add that to local current weather conditions and there is no way to be certain of anything. With time, practice and experience you just kind of get a feel for it.

I'm in Michigan so my conditions are very different from yours but here is what I do. Pots I generally water when the soil is dry past about an inch from the top. But that varies. If it is very hot I water daily. I water each pot until I see water coming out the drainage holes in the bottom so I know I've wet all the soil.

Ground roses usually get watered about every third day depending on weather. But how you water matters too. If you just hold the hose over the rose for a few seconds and then move on that won't work. You have to water deep. Which means really soak them for a while so the water has time to really seep deep into the soil. It is much better for the roses to water deeper and less often than to water shallow, a little bit, everyday.

In your heat and drought I'm sure you will have to make adjustments. It might be a good idea to look into some kind of irrigation system to keep them hydrated and conserve water.

Yeah, seilMI is right. A moisture meter might help while you get the hang of it. They're $10-$15 bucks: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014MJ8J2U/

I have heavy soil that holds water but even at that during a heat wave the ground will crack so I usually water, not new roses, over head for one hour as I do not always get to my largest bed.
I also more often than not, treat with bio-fungicide for Black Spot after that if the bed starts to show an infection.
I also use Cocoa Bean mulch putting it down at least two inches deep and will go feel under the mulch to see how moist it is at times.

For new roses I do the bowl around the plant and even with heavy soil, because I work it well when planting, I can put a gallon on a rose and 17 out of 19 times the water will not be standing within ten seconds, SO , I do stand and watch and depending on how fast the water goes away, will determine whether it gets a gallon or more.

Thank you guys (:
This is helpful!