Dr. Grow: Rose bushes offer Mom long-stemmed roses for years to come

Floral roses such as these may be easily available now, but an investment in beauty is a rose busy go grow your own.

Roses and Mother's Day seem to go hand in hand. As a youngster, I remember everyone would wear rose boutonnieres or corsages to church on Mother's Day. Today a favorite gift for Mom is a rose bush.

If you plan on giving a rose bush to Mom on Sunday, then follow the instructions below. This will help her and you become a successful hybrid tea rose grower.

Buy only No. 1 grade rose bushes. Growers grade bushes on several characteristics, such as number of good stems, diameter of the stems, etc. No. 1 bushes are more expensive, but they are more vigorous.

Choose only rose varieties that have a quality rating of 8 or better. The American Rose Society rates rose varieties from 1 to 10 based on several characteristics such as disease and insect resistance, color, form, etc. 10 is the highest rating. Your garden center should know the rating of each variety it sells. When buying highly rated roses, you get varieties that are resistant to disease and insect problems.

After the rose varieties are selected, then choose a good site to plant the bushes on. Find a spot where air flows readily in order to reduce incidence of disease. Avoid rose beds next to slat fences or large shrubs that reduce wind movement. The roses should be in full sun. Finally the soil should be a rich sandy loam. If you soil is poor amend, it so that it is up to good rose growing standards. I'll cover soil amendments and soil development in another column.

Now planting begins. Dig a large hole for each plant. The hole must be wider but not deeper than the root wad of the plant. Remove the rose bush from its container. If it is potted, shoot a jet of water at the root wad to remove some of the soil in order to free root ends. This teases roots into the new soil. Then place the bush in the hole and backfill with the excavated soil. When finished, the bush should be on a slight mound, 1 to 2 inches above the existing soil level.

After planting, water the bush with a solution of water and root starting fertilizer. This root stimulator should be high in phosphorous relative to nitrogen and contain rooting hormone. The nutrient phosphorous enhances root development. At weekly intervals, water the bushes two more times with root stimulator.

Once the rose bushes are established, begin fertilizing monthly through September with rose food purchased at your local garden center. If the roses are already established, begin fertilizing in the middle of April. Fertilization before then will encourage the bushes to break dormancy too early. Their succulent new foliage may be damaged due to late frosts.

The fertilizer purchased should include a systemic insecticide. Many roses are attacked by aphids and rose sawfly, commonly referred to as rose slugs. The systemic insecticide moves into the rose bush through root uptake from the soil. It is an effective way to get the insecticide to the insect infestation.

Begin a weekly spray program in April that alternates the use of two or more of these fungicides; daconil, Cleary's 3336, or funginex. These applications will help control black spot and powdery mildew that is so prevalent on roses in this area. Continue this program until the end of September. Be sure to use a sprayer that produces a fine spray mist. This mist will provide better foliar coverage and will ensure better control of fungal diseases.

In November cut the rose canes back to about 18 inches. Keep three to four canes. In December cover the rose bushes above the graft with straw, leaves, or bark mulch. The graft, the junction between the desired rose variety cutting and the wild rose root stock, is the swollen part of the stem near the soil. Covering too early will stimulate the bush to continue to grow in the fall instead of allowing it to go into dormancy. The plant will then be more susceptible to winter damage.

About the first of March remove the mulch and cut the canes to 10 or 12 inches. Remove any dead canes. Be prepared to cover the rose bushes with a frost blanket if temperatures go below freezing. Any new growth is succulent and is very susceptible to freezing and frost damage.

In April again begin the fertilization and spray program listed above. These simple steps ensure growth of long-stemmed roses that Mom will enjoy for years to come.

Paul Schnare of Cape Girardeau has been in the lawn & garden business for more than 20 years. He's an adjunct professor in horticulture at Southeast Missouri State University.