Summer 2017 has been a complete disaster for my rose gardening
Donna Roesink Zone 6a Ohio
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (108)
kitasei
6 years agoHouse Ideas
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Is my soil a disaster for roses?!
Comments (18)Generally, when you buy an organic fertilizer i.e. fish emulsion, bone meal, or whatever, you will be given a number like 5-1-1. Like kimmsr says, those numbers are what is readily available. As far as knowing exactly how much is enough and what is too much goes..... Well, the short answer is that it requires more sophisticated soil testing and then sufficient, yet not excessive, rates can be calculated based on the material being used, plant choices, and the soil chemical/physical properties. Of course, there will always be wild cards such as unexpected rain, but that goes for organic sources as well as synthetic. I'm perfectly comfortable with synthetic, but it is important to think ahead and be responsible with them. With that in mind, and the fact that you've got the manure and slow release in there already, I would scratch the 13-20-7-3 because that would be overloading with phosphate(#2 to nitrate on the list of stuff you don't want leaching into your ground water). I've found through experience that a good rule of thumb is that many plants (roses among them) will do well with approximately 1.5 lbs. of actual N pre-plant per 1000 sq. ft. with maintenance follow-ups of about 1 lb per 1000 sq. ft. applied when color and growth dictate. (The rates above are in the neighborhood of these approximate rates) Again I say 'approximate' and 'about' an awful lot because we're kind of winging it here based on a lot of un-knowns and generalities. A more expensive test could really nail it down though. Phosphorus and potassium pre-plant applications are best based on testing. However maintenance, once at sufficient levels, is generally lower than nitrogen (hence the 16-6-8 and only twice a year). As far as sulfur goes. Keep in mind that it does not easily move through the soil and will only affect the pH as deeply as it is incorporated. For this reason it should be blended with native soil as uniformly as possible to a 6 to 9 inch depth where the majority of feeder roots are. Again, this change will be slow and is only temporary. As far as a sulfur rate goes, that's really tough to say. The three main factors for calculating that rate are 1)pH 2)lime content and 3)half saturation percentage of the soil. We have a sketchy idea of one of those. Let's assume the pH of 7.5. If you were dealing with a sandy loam with a half sat. of 14 and a low lime content, you would need about 1/2 pound per 100 sq. ft. (or 5 per 1000) to get you somewhere in the range of a pH of 7 over time. If you have a clay or clay loam with a half sat. of 35 and high lime content, you're looking at about 4 times that. That's a call you'll have to make based primarily on estimated texture and the pH that you derived from the home test kit (unless you have the soil tested by a lab). More sand = less sulfur. More silt and clay = more sulfur. I'd go low to start because sulfur tends to burn roots if over-used....See MoreMy Summer with Roses (in Containers)
Comments (4)It is SO encouraging to read about your roses in containers on a balcony!!! I, too, have all my first Old Roses in containers on my balcony. They were all in bands from Vintage, three of them received in the Spring, and three more that I bought from Vintage quite recently. Because we went through a protracted move from Merced, CA to Sacramento, CA this summer, the Spring ones (which I had potted up when I got them) spent June and July in the garden of relatives here in Sacramento, but they are on my balcony now. The other three are also potted up doing OK. FIRST GROUP: Devoniensis - still with the relatives, but doing all right, not growing a lot. Mme. Antoine Mari - doing very well, in spite of my having made a few mistakes. Only a few flowers, but getting ready to give me a few more on longer, more vigorous canes. Nigrette - a small 1935 HT, doing very well, and with a lovely growth habit. NEW GROUP: These are not all Old Roses, as my sister wanted Oklahoma. Mlle. Jeanne Philippe - came with a few lovely little light yellow blooms on it (blooms should eventually be apricot). Hanging in there. Mlle. Cecile Brunner, the shrub - swinging right into action, making new branches, buds, etc. Oklahoma - also came with a bloom and bud, truly gorgeous in color, it is now apparently working on roots. I don't really have enough sun, either, but I'm going to give it a good try. So far I've been moving the pots around, trying to find the optimum sun conditions for each of them. Parts of my balcony get about five to six hours of sun, but it's afternoon sun and can be terribly hot in the summer. It was too much for little Nigrette in the last hot spell, about 3 weeks ago, and I moved her into the shade as soon as I realized it. To know that your roses have done so well in even a bit less sun has really made me feel more optimistic!! Thanks, Laura...See MoreHelp! My garden is a disaster for roses and I'm a sucker for puni
Comments (10)Some posters from your area will probably come along and give you some good advice, but in the meantime, let me get you started. If you are not going spray, then you are going to have to search out the roses that are very disease-resistant. That includes roses like Knock Out--which is why it is doing fine. I haven't grown most of the roses on your list, but I have seen roses like zephirine drouhin and abraham darby on blackspot magnet lists. In other words, don't even try to grow them if you aren't going to spray. Two things you can do now. 1)Check out the thread I started tonight about "Year-end Review: What are you Blackspotters" (or something like that). You don't want to grow any of those roses. 2) Go to the search box at top or bottom of the page and type in "disease resistant" or "blackspot"--that should call up dozens of threads talking about what roses you should or shouldn't be growing. And yes, there is hope for you. Since you are already becoming obsessed with roses (like the rest of us), just continue on learning more about roses, and you too can develop a lovely garden of roses--I promise you. Kate...See MoreSummer has arrived; I guess rose season is almost done...
Comments (24)Bart, in my blog there is an article whose title is: "Calculator of shadows and other systems to know where to plant a tree that protects a plant at noon" If you want to visit, this is the link: http://eljardindelaalegriaenmadrid.blogspot.com.es/2016/11/calculadora-de-sombras-y-otros-sistemas.html In this article you will find a tool that I find very useful. It is a "shadow calculator". You put the geographical latitude to which your garden is located, the height of the adult tree, and the day and month of the date you want to calculate. It will give you how much the shadow of that tree you will imagine on the date you have entered (The shadows projecting any object in summer are much shorter than in winter). Maybe I'm not the one to explain it well using the translator. But if you visit the page you will understand what I say. It is a very valuable tool to know where exactly to locate the tree so that during the summer it projects its shadow towards the zone that you want. I think you should use as measures meters and centimeters (there are pages on the web that will translate your unit of measurement that you use meters and centimeters) I hope that helps. I also speak in this article of another design program that is free and you can download the web. It is very easy to use and is in your language. Easy to use and very useful to know how the shadows of the trees will be planted in a certain place. The program is SketchUp....See Moreenchantedrosez5bma
6 years agoVaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
6 years agoenchantedrosez5bma
6 years agoVaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoPatty W. zone 5a Illinois
6 years agorosecanadian
6 years agoVaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
6 years agorosecanadian
6 years agoenchantedrosez5bma
6 years agorosecanadian
6 years agoenchantedrosez5bma
6 years agoUser
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoUser
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoVaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
6 years agojim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoKristine LeGault 8a pnw
6 years agorosecanadian
6 years agoenchantedrosez5bma
6 years agorosecanadian
6 years agoPatty W. zone 5a Illinois
6 years agojim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoPatty W. zone 5a Illinois
6 years agoDingo2001 - Z5 Chicagoland
6 years agoenchantedrosez5bma
6 years agoPatty W. zone 5a Illinois
6 years agoPatty W. zone 5a Illinois
6 years agojim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoenchantedrosez5bma
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoDingo2001 - Z5 Chicagoland
6 years agototoro z7b Md
6 years agorosecanadian
6 years agoenchantedrosez5bma
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoDonna Roesink Zone 6a Ohio
6 years agorosecanadian
6 years agojim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
6 years agoPatty W. zone 5a Illinois
6 years agojim1961 / Central Pennsylvania / Zone 6
6 years agoenchantedrosez5bma
6 years agorosecanadian
6 years agoenchantedrosez5bma
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agorosecanadian
6 years agoenchantedrosez5bma
6 years agorosecanadian
6 years agoVaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
6 years agoDonna Roesink Zone 6a Ohio
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoenchantedrosez5bma
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoDonna Roesink Zone 6a Ohio thanked enchantedrosez5bmarosecanadian
6 years ago
Related Stories
SPRING GARDENINGHow to Grow a Rose Garden in Pots
Everything can come up roses, even without a plot of soil in sight. This step-by-step guide to growing roses in containers shows you how
Full StoryHOUZZ CALLShare Your Summer Garden and Outdoor Living Upgrades
We want to hear about how you’ve made — or you’re planning to make — your patio, porch or yard more enjoyable and usable
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES5 Favorite Yellow Roses for a Joyful Garden
Make 'cheery' the name of your garden game when you order your roses sunny side up
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES5 Favorite White Roses for a Purely Beautiful Garden
How does your garden glow? With roses that look like light and smell divine
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES3 Ways to Revel in Summer Garden Sweetness
Patiently observe what works and doesn’t work in your landscape
Full StorySUMMER GARDENINGHouzz Call: Please Show Us Your Summer Garden!
Share pictures of your home and yard this summer — we’d love to feature them in an upcoming story
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES6 Captivating Roses for an Alluringly Fragrant Garden
Perfume your garden with aromas from richly spicy to lightly sweet, without sacrificing an inch of color
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 StoryWORLD OF DESIGNEngland’s Most Famous Garden Designer Has These Tips for You
Lancelot 'Capability Brown' was born 300 years ago, but his ideas about naturalistic landscape design may be more relevant than ever
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES10 Sizzling-Hot Summer Container Gardens
Use these dramatic combinations to create standout displays for your patio, porch or entryway
Full Story
Patty W. zone 5a Illinois