Caring for a Rose Bush
How do I take care of a rose bush? I have a bush growing out in front of my house. It's quite large and when it blooms it blooms with many roses.
I'm afraid to prune it. What should I do for my rose bush?[/b]
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IntoRoses
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The Helpful Gardener
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- Location: Colchester, CT
All roses are not alike. Shrubs need different care than teas which need different care than climbers that want something other than what species roses would. The first order of business is to determine what kind of rose you have and we can go from there. Some general care items in the meantime...
Cut off any diseased or dead branches, taking care that the last bud you leave points out and not into the bush. This is a good time to fertilize; special rose foods are available, but use something longer on the second and third numbers (like a 6-8-8). Mulching around the base will help retain moisture and add organic content; this is the best reason in the world to start a compost pile (nothing better for mulching roses).
Give us a yell when you determine what you have and we'll come up with a schedule of pruning for you; the above should help until then...
Scott
Cut off any diseased or dead branches, taking care that the last bud you leave points out and not into the bush. This is a good time to fertilize; special rose foods are available, but use something longer on the second and third numbers (like a 6-8-8). Mulching around the base will help retain moisture and add organic content; this is the best reason in the world to start a compost pile (nothing better for mulching roses).
Give us a yell when you determine what you have and we'll come up with a schedule of pruning for you; the above should help until then...
Scott
*smacks forhead and continues rain dance around the sticks in the ground that should be roses* 
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The Helpful Gardener
- Mod
- Posts: 7491
- Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:17 pm
- Location: Colchester, CT
Hybrid teas only bloom once; some more than others, and healthy, happy ones for longer than sickly ones, but once is it. Try other rose types for longer or seasonal blooms and remember to dead-head to extend bloom time. As for the rose you have now, a good feeding and some remedial pruning will help a lot; improve that soil with a good mulch of compost and next year will be better...
Scott
Scott