Rose Gardening?

in tropical coastal areas

Rose Gardening?
Hello,


Rose gardening can be a little tricky as roses love to get wet, but must dry off before the sun goes down or you will start to get mold. Also, they like to dry out before you water them again. Because of their high nutritional needs they must have systemic rose food at least 3 times a year. What I mean by systemic rose is food that keeps the bugs away, (if they bite the plant, well let's just say they are no more :) as well as feeding the plant. They must be pruned back after every blooming, and try and get as many of the old woody stalks as you can because they are no longer really producing, and on hybrid teas you want nice long stems. What you want to do is leave is 3-4 good, new stalks about 1 foot high after pruning. In snow, it is a good idea to cover their roots (and they have a rather prolific root system and many people place them too close together) with a good thick layer of shavings, then put a paper bag over them, if you think they are going to get frost bite and tie it to the base of the rose. That is for cold climates. I have been working on some hybrids that last up to two weeks in 120 degree heat. One more thing, always make sure that the roses have at least 3/4's of the days sunlight. I've found the pinks, blues, silver like a little shadier places, where the dark reds and whites love the sun, so plant accordingly.


Also for any of you who have problems with ants and other critters. I have found a product called Perma Guard that not only kills the ants, but because they walk over it, they take it back to the hill, thus killing all the other ants, and the best thing about this stuff is that it works, and is NOT harmful to mammals :) The down side is that it is expensive, but you get two bags of the stuff and mine is still going strong, (amount I still have left) 7 years after I purchased it. Great stuff, and you do not have to worry about children or your dogs or cats if they accidently get some on them, just wash it off. But it is always a good idea to keep watch with any substance you are putting on your plants.


Hope that helps with rose questions in cold weather. Now on to your question. One of the biggest problems is that in a wet environment, they rot, however if you can make sure to keep water off the rose itself, water, let dry, and only water again when it is dry, you should't have too much trouble. And because they are going to bloom more prolific, make sure they have the systemic rose food. Also, another way to go in the getting rid of bugs department is use a little soap, just your old fashioned clean your dishes soap, put it in a sprayer, and spray your roses with this mixture, and allow them to dry. I can't stress enough how roses love to get wet, dry and get wet again. More people kill roses by planting them too close (their root system can reach 5 feet or more) or watering them to death. Hope this helps for both tropics and cold.


Sincerely,


ND
Reply:It is difficult.Roses like a cool climate and do not like salt laden winds.Give it a try you might get lucky....