Growing Organic Roses

Many people are now getting into growing all things organic. Farmers are doing it with produce and meats, so it is natural that you might want to grow your roses that way also. Many people have problems using the pesticides and insecticides that go along with growing roses and keeping them healthy. Well now you can use more natural methods of growing your roses. This section will show you how in a step by step method.
1. Each bush that you want to plant will need to have a foot of space all around it so that the flowers can get the proper amount of circulation. It also helps to prevent leaf diseases for your roses.
2. You will want to purchase organic roses. You will want to buy roses that have a sturdy green stem and no blemishes on them. Bare root roses are best for this.
3. Along with roses that have green stems, you will need to look for stems that have evenly spaced leaves that are close together.
4. You will need to use well drained soil so that you can promote the healthy growth that will give the flower all of the water and nutrients that it needs from the root to the flower’s head.
5. Fix the soil so that you can build organically. You should use a raised bead if drainage is a constant problem. Ask your local garden center rep about how best to fix your soil to be organically correct.
6. Soak your bare root roses in a large container of compost tea for many hours before you plant them.
7. You must mound up enough good organic sol that is mixed with an equal amount of compost in the middle so that you can spread the roots out and down from where they meet at the trunk.
8. Now, plant the rose at the point where the stem breaks into the root so that it is at soil level, or approximately 1 inch below the top level if you live in an area that is prone to hard winters.
9. You have to check your bare root roses first. If your roots grow out in a tight circle, you have to cut a straight slice down each of its four sides. A knife is good for this. Then you will dig a hole that is 2 inches deeper than the container and at least twice as wide.
10. Mix your organic soil garden soil with an equal amount of compost and use your hands to gently spread the roots into the soil mix.
11. You have to mulch to help you prevent your roses from being exposed to weeds, and water stress complications. It will also ensure that your roses remain at their lowest possible maintenance level.
12. You must feed your roses organically also. Fertilize with organic fertilizer and maintain a regular watering schedule.
13. Water your organic roses deep at the planting, and then once every week after that during growing season so that you can promote deep roots. Watering in the early morning is best.
14. You must cultivate the top inch of your soil around each of your roses and fertilize on a monthly basis with a balanced organic fertilizer. You will need a good granular type of fertilizer that you can work into the soil. Either that, or you can use a fish emulsion or seaweed based product that you can mix with water because it has all of the necessary nutrients that a healthy flower needs. Check the ingredients listed on the labels to ensure that they have nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron and calcium.
15. To help protect your bed against the various types of pests and insects that can plague your roses, put sticky yellow bars every ten feet to catch them.
16. You may use an organic pesticide if the problem is bad.
17. If your pest problem is severe enough, you may use insecticidal soap to spray over your roses.

Now you have all of the necessary knowledge that you need to grow your own bed of earth friendly roses. Your flowers will be just as beautiful as those that are not grown organically, and will likely have the healthiest life span that a rose can get.
Organic roses have some of the best color and “immune systems” that a rose can have. The fragrance of them can’t be beaten. Of course, it still helps to know how to prevent your roses from being taken over by diseases. The next section will help you with that.

Planting Potted Roses

It is common for people that have received roses in pots as gifts to fall so in love with their roses that they may want to replant them in their own garden. Adding a rose bush to any garden can be the best choice that you ever made.
Planting potted roses doesn’t have to be a taxing experience. With the right knowledge given to you in simple step by step format can make the task a great deal of fun. Here are all of the steps that you will need in order to plant your potted roses.
• You should plant contained roses in the spring, after you are absolutely positive that there is no chance for a return of the frost. If you live in a warmer climate like Florida or California, you will want to plant in the early autumn, once the weather has cooled off a bit.
• You will want to choose roses that do not have any flowers on them because you are simply trying to establish your roses. You are not trying to make your roses flower just yet. If you have to, trim the flowers off of them before you plant them.
• You definitely want to choose the right environment for your roses. You will want to plant them in an area of the garden that is susceptible to a lot of light in the morning, (at least 6 hours worth) because early morning light helps to dry the dew off of the flowers, which will help prevent fungal diseases.
• If you want the transition of your roses from a pot to your garden to go smoothly, you will need to prepare your soil very well. You want your soil to be well drained for the health of your roses.
• Once you have prepared your soil, you will want to work several spadeful of compost into the planting hole after digging in a hole that is about two feet deep.
• Tap your rose from its original container and plant it. You will also want to position it so that the soil level of the rose matches the soil level of the surrounding soil.
• Lastly, you will want to dig a mote-like ring around the rose so that you can pool the water.

That’s all there is to planting potted roses. See that was not so difficult was it? As you probably noticed, it is a lot like planting your roses that were never potted, but of course with some slight differences. It can be a very rewarding thing, to plant your very own rose garden.

Pruning Your Roses

Pruning your roses is one of the most needed and the most annoyingly difficult tasks that goes with proper rose care. It takes a steady hand the proper procedure to ensure the best possible roses that you can get.
Pruning your roses is basically the act of getting rid of dead and damaged pieces, and teaching the new growth to grow in the correct outward facing direction. That just means that you are training them to grow facing the outside of the shrub or bush. This gives your roses the correct amount of circulating air to thrive in.
Here is a list of the proper techniques to guide through the pruning process.
• Soak your pruning shears in equal parts of water and bleach. This will help to protect your roses from diseases and insects.
• Pruning in the early spring, just after the snow melts is best. However you want to do it before any new growth appears. The best time would be when the buds are swelled, or red.
• Hand shears are the best tool for pruning the smaller branches. (about 4 ½ inches thick) Loppers are best for the branches that are thicker or the thickness of a pencil. This will make it easier. You should use a heavy pair of rose gloves to avoid the thorns.
• You want to get rid of the winter protection that you set up like cones, burlap, and mounded soil.
• You want to get rid of the dead wood first. (That would be the black wood that is black inside as well as out).
• Next, you wan to get rid of the thinner wood, which is the stems that are thinner than a pencil.
• Cut all of the branches that cross or overlap one another because these are often diseased or will become so.
• Keep the remaining five healthy branches. These are often dark green. You will want to make your roses fluted or vases shaped, with an open center, and keep them from touching or overlapping each other.
• Cut your healthy canes to be about one to four feet long, or whatever size that you prefer.
• Cut you roses properly so that they stay healthy. Cut so that the bud is facing outside of the bush and at a 45 degree angle that slopes inward so that you can keep promoting the outward growth.
• You should use bypass pruners that work like scissors and not the anvil types because the anvils crush the stems and make the roses more available to diseases.

Caring for Your Roses

Taking proper care of your roses can seem like a very taxing, and time consuming thing to do, but the results of such care far more than make up for it. Unfortunately, roses are the most difficult flower to manage and keep healthy; however, all good things require high maintenance.
There are many small things that have to be done to keep your roses looking their best, but all of those small things add up to one very large one. Here are some great tips for the regular upkeep of your roses.
1. You should prune your roses in the early spring. Or at least once the others start budding because the buds will eventually become new branches later.
2. You should cut the dead and damaged branches first. Next, you should cut all but five of the leftover healthy branches. They should end up at about the thickness of a pencil.
3. Cut the bushes by approximately one third or one half, depending on how tall you want them. Cutting above the outward facing buds, Which is the buds that is on the outside of the rose bush because this will help the bud to grow upward; which will make the center of the bud open up for better air circulation and shape.
4. You should always sharpen your hand shears before pruning, and prune the climbing roses with caution. The branches have a tendency to overlap and you wouldn’t want to prune the wrong branches.
5. Mulching is necessary because it helps to keep your maintenance down a bit. Mulching requires your roses to need a lot less watering, weeding and helps prevent diseases. The best mulches are organic ones like wood chips, pine needles, and grass clippings.
6. Protect your roses during the winter months by adding a few extra inches of soil to the base of your roses. This should provide the extra needed heat in the winter.
7. You should avoid the white plastic cones when doing your winter protection because they trap too much heat during the winter thaw. They are also quite unattractive.
8. You should feed your roses water often, but lightly. When you water your roses, avoid directly watering the foliage because it will cause fungal diseases. You should water the roses at the roots.
9. Keep the area around your roses cleared to prevent them from getting locked in an area that doesn’t provide enough circulation.

Fertilizing Your roses

It is really important to fertilize your roses. That is how your roses get their much needed nutrients. Roses are much like people in the things that they need in order to remain healthy. Just like people they need water and food (fertilizer).
Most types of roses have to be fertilized frequently to keep them growing at a fast pace. You should fertilize with a fertilizer that is slow to release like fish emulsion or Osmocote at planting time. Be certain to follow the instructions properly from the label.
Avoid over fertilizing during the winter because by trying to promote new growth in the winter will make your roses more available to freeze damage.

Important Tip: You should never fertilize plants that are heat or water stressed. Water stressed plants that grow under a lot of heat will cause leaf and bud burn.
You want a steady temperature of approximately 70-80 degrees because your plants will get the most nutrients that are available to the plants. During the growing season, you can give the plants a water soluble fertilizer every two weeks.