Winter Care of Knockout Roses - Is it necessary?
mindyspaid
15 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (15)
wirosarian_z4b_WI
15 years agocatsrose
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Caring for pruned rose bushes over winter
Comments (8)I would do nothing to care for rose bushes in the winter except to very occasionally water them if the winter has been dry. No self-respecting rose even blinks if the temps go down to 36 degrees. Now if your temps were to go down to 16 degrees, that might concern me a bit--but our winter temps in Zone 6 have gone down to 0 degrees and I have never lost a rose to winter temps. (The only protection my roses get is randomly blowing leaves from my neighbors' oak trees--not much protection at all, in other words.) Kate...See MoreWinter care of roses with powdery mildew problems
Comments (5)I've grown Jeanne La Joie for years and years and never had a powdery mildew problem with her. Blackspot definitely just not PM. Since PM is a definite problem on some of my roses I know that it's not just my climate. I suspect that the difference may be location. Jeanne La Joie is located along a fence in a windy site where air circulation is no problem. Also "dry feet" on a rose can help contribute to PM, so always make sure that your roses are well watered. As to picking off each and every leaf of roses prone to PM it sounds good, but most of us have a life. Your best offense is a good defense. For PM the Triflorene found in Ortho's Fungunex (sold now as Ortho's Rose Pride) gives very good protection against PM. But you must have it in place as soon as conditions are ripe and even before the leaves have fully leafed out. As soon as the day time temperature hits 68-70 degrees in spring start spraying per label instructions. Fungunex is also good for preventing blackspot if you have that. You might want to add a layer of bark mulch in early spring under the roses to cover up any leaves which may have fallen during winter and are harboring disease. Once PM strikes there really isn't any effective way to cure it. Preventative spraying will not return the affected leaves back to looking good, but will prevent new infection. Now you can spray with any material you like. But if it isn't doing the job then what's the point. I used the Cornell forumla years before and it not only wasn't effective on some of my roses, it actually harmed others. But then we have a long growing season with lots of time for disease to take hold....As for Thrips, I've found nothing effective against them that I didn't consider too toxic. They are cyclical, so some years are worse then others. Personally I've gotten rid of those roses that suffered severe Thrips damage every year and just live with the occasional damage on my other roses....See MoreCl. Blaze, Knock Out Rose winter care
Comments (6)Rose growing and Minnesota is a lot of trial and error for each of us- I've killed more than have lived but I'm stubborn (or stupid). I planted tender hybrid teas (15)last year and asked a similar question to yours..Jan (Dentaybow)posted a link for the Far North forum and some of their methods of rose protection. I tried one that amounted to planting the bud union 4 inches below soil level- then in the fall mound with 18 inches of soil and cover with another foot or so of mulch and cover with a tarp for winter. The key was that the whole entire bed was done this way, amounting to more than 2 feet of protective covering and complete surrounding for the roses in the center of the bed. I used raked leaves.I planned the bed to be rose-only with winter protection in mind. They all had dieback but only 3 died- some on the outside were "one-cane wonders" until I took mercy and shovel pruned them. I have Mordens and other hardy roses that I didn't do anything to- some years they dieback to the soil but then send up new shoots, don't be too hasty in writing them off in the spring. The climbing Blaze? I would wrap in burlap and bend them over and cover with some kind of mulch in my yard but like I said, it's trial and error...and hard work, sigh....See MoreKnockout Rose? mysteriously growing in old red rose bush?
Comments (10)It's probably the rootstock. I would mark those canes and see if they bloom again this summer, if not it's almost positively the rootstock. Dr. Huey is a once bloomer that only blooms on old wood. If it reblooms you know it's not Dr Huey rootstock. If it's rootstock most likely the grafted rose will die out and Huey will take over. Someone more knowledgable will have to advise if there is any chance of saving the grafted plant by cutting those newer canes off all the way down below the ground - my only experiences with Dr Huey were cases where the grafted plant had completely died off during bad winters and I ended up removing the entire plant....See Morekarl_bapst_rosenut
15 years agoharryshoe zone6 eastern Pennsylvania
15 years agoTerry Crawford
15 years agodiane_nj 6b/7a
15 years agoroseman
15 years agodan_keil_cr Keil
15 years agolinrose
15 years agomad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
15 years agotruli
15 years agoTerry Crawford
15 years agotruli
15 years agoTerry Crawford
15 years ago
Related Stories
WINTER GARDENINGPruning Secrets for Exquisite Roses
Encourage gorgeous blooms year after year with this time-tested advice on how to prune your rosebush in winter for health and shape
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESLearn the Secret to Bigger and Better Roses
Grow beautiful roses using both ordinary and unusual soil amendments
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESWhat Kind of Roses Should You Grow?
Want to add the beauty of roses to your garden? Find out which ones, from old-fashioned to modern, are right for you
Full StoryPLANTING IDEASGreat Garden Combo: Rose + Clematis for Small-Space Impact
We all need somebody to lean on. And when a rose supports a climbing vine, the results can totally transform a small garden
Full StoryHOUSEPLANTSOutsmart Winter — Make Houseplants of Your Garden Growers
No need to watch Jack Frost play Wreck the Rosemary. Bring your garden inside for the winter, using containers and these guidelines
Full StoryHOUSEPLANTSHow to Force Amaryllis Bulbs Indoors
Enjoy vibrant red blossoms even as gardens turn snowy white, by teaching this hardy repeat performer to ignore the calendar
Full StoryYELLOW FLOWERSGreat Design Plant: Winter Jasmine Gladdens Snowy Gardens
Sunny yellow flowers defy the frost, bringing cheer to the garden on gray days
Full StoryLIFE6 Ways to Beat the Winter Blahs
Snow and dark days dampening your spirits? These ideas will have you looking on the bright side
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Knock Out Roses
As glorious as their high-maintenance kin for a fraction of the work, Knock Out roses make even beginners look like garden stars
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES6 Wonderfully Easy Roses for Any Gardener
Look like an expert even if you're just starting out, with these low-maintenance gems of the rose world
Full Story
phil_schorr