How many Knock Outs?
Moses, Pittsburgh, W. PA., zone 5/6, USA
last year
last modified: last year
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (16)
hugogurll
last yeardianela7analabama
last yearlast modified: last yearRelated Discussions
Prepping for Knock-Outs
Comments (4)Hi, I decided to give them a try and have bought some of them very recently, so I tell you what I did and we'll both learn from the answers of those having KO roses since longer time. 1-I read they do well in humid climates and in the heat. Let's see... 2-every source I found reports continuous blooming. I found that double KOs should have a longer blooming season than KOs. 3-for roses it is best to dig a deep hole (I dig a 2"x2" hole, 3" deep, which is maybe too much but helps burning calories...). Then I fill the hole with good fertile soil/loam. There are many threads about good soil for roses, some are very detailed, but I have seen that in general roses are less picky than supposed. In my opinion (and in my personal experience), a good loam and roses will be happy. 4-I am not sure, as you say you are in a zone 7 but you say to have hot summers. How can it be? I am in a zone 8a, I use china roses in full sun, and I use rugosa roses where they get 4 hours full sun and then shadow (i.e. rest). Personally I love the small pavement rugosas and the large roseraie de l'hay, as they are completely carefree and repeat well. PS: I have read that KOs become large ball-shaped bushes, like 7"x7", whereas Double KOs tend to remain smaller, like 4"x4"....See MorePreparing Knock Outs for Winter
Comments (6)Right, in the East, don't prune in fall unless something is badly in the way and creating a nuisance. I too have had canker (probably botrytis cane blight) start in pruning cuts when I topped some plants in November. It ran down the canes a foot or two, not a catastrophe. I would top again if we have a heavy ice storm predicted, but that's once a decade. Apparently her roses are hardy enough that basal winter protection is not needed. It would probably do more harm than good. You may have heard various tips for cultural practices that increase winter hardiness, but none of them are proven to work. I treat my roses the same in fall as I do in summer. So, she should enjoy the roses while they last and then forget about them until spring. Her pruning time would be around April 1....See MorePlease help: What's wrong with my knock-out and how do I fix it?
Comments (1)I'd guess your rose bushes have been visited by the same rose slugs (sawfly larvae) that tend to attack rose bushes every late spring/early summer. This is usually a temporary problem--then the good predator bugs come along and gobble up the rose slugs, and there is no more problem. However, the bush is often left with ugly damaged leaves. I would just pluck off the worst looking ones, and then wait patiently for the bush to produce new leaves (followed by buds and then blooms). In the future, it would help if you checked the bushes in the late spring/early summer for tiny, tiny green wormlike things--usually on the underside of the leaves. When they are present, squish them. That will keep them somewhat under control until the good predator bugs arrive a couple weeks later. As for the not flowering well problem, that is just part of the normal bloom cycle of any rose. A rose blooms for a couple weeks, then the blooms deteriorate (turn brown) and fall off, then the bush rests and renews itself, then it starts blooming again. Most roses go through several bloom cycles per season. When the blooms deteriorate, the bush will look better if you deadhead it (pick of the brown old blooms). Deadheading sometimes encourages the bush to begin blooming sooner also. Hope that helps. Kate...See MoreHow large is your MATURE Knock-out Rose?
Comments (12)As others say, it depends on conditions. I grow two red double KOs--one in the backyard in all day sun and the other in the front yard in mostly shade, although some of it might be described as "high shade" or "bright shade." That one also gets several hours of early morning sun. I was surprised to discover that the one in lots of shade is nearly twice as large as the one grown in all day sun (and in Kansas, that afternoon sun in July and August can be a killer sun!). The larger one is maybe 6-7 ft tall and 4-5 ft wide--never really pruned. It also doesn't get watered as much as the backyard one. Not surprisingly, it isn't as bloomiferous as the backyard one either, although it is much bigger. The backyard one--in full day sun--is not much of a grower--maybe 3.5-4 ft tall and 3 ft wide. It is usually lightly pruned every spring--seems to suffer from winter dieback more than the one out front. But as I mentioned above, it is much more bloomiferous than the one in front. Hope that helps. Kate...See MoreArtist-FKA-Novice Zone 7B GA
last yearlast modified: last yeardianela7analabama
last yearlast modified: last yearArtist-FKA-Novice Zone 7B GA
last yearlast modified: last yearBenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14)
last yearlast modified: last yearArtist-FKA-Novice Zone 7B GA
last yeardianela7analabama
last yearlast modified: last yearArtist-FKA-Novice Zone 7B GA
last yeardianela7analabama
last yearMeg-zone8aOR
last yearSteve_M in PA
last yearArtist-FKA-Novice Zone 7B GA
last yeardianela7analabama
last yearArtist-FKA-Novice Zone 7B GA
last year
Related Stories
GARDENING 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 StoryDOORS10 Ways to Work Screen Doors, Inside and Out
Take this functional feature up a notch with one of the many alternative door styles available
Full StoryARCHITECTUREDesign Workshop: The Many Highlights of Translucency
Evoke mystery, create interest, preserve privacy and more with translucent architectural elements inside and out
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: 10 Acres, 3 Generations and Many Animals in North Carolina
Check out a throwback-style cabin that celebrates simplicity, reclaimed materials and family
Full StoryHOLIDAYSDeck the Halls in Many Colors
Branch out from the traditional palette and discover a merry rainbow of colors for your holiday decor
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: A New Midcentury-Inspired Home Stands Out Just Enough
Behind this home’s subdued midcentury exterior is a minimalist interior with high-end finishes and materials
Full StoryTRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURELook Out for a Widow's Walk Revival
Gazing out at the ocean has happier associations these days, but your eyes may be glued to this rooftop deck's high style
Full StoryBARN HOMESHouzz Tour: A Warm Washington Barn Rolls Out the Welcome Mat
With plenty of space for visiting family and community groups too, this barn has a new role as a modern rustic guesthouse
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: Bringing Out the Midcentury in San Francisco
Renters give their 1950s apartment loads of personal style with color, pattern and a rediscovered wood floor
Full Story
dianela7analabama