How to Garden Organic Roses

Healthy roses have fewer pest problems.

Conventional wisdom surrounding roses states that the only way to grow large, healthy, beautiful roses is to constantly tend to rose shrubs with fertilizer, pesticide and fungicide applications. While roses are heavy feeders and must be defended against fungus and insects, a gardener can do so without resorting to chemicals. Roses that are kept healthy using organic means such as compost and organic fertilizer are less prone to diseases and insects. The insects and diseases that a healthy rose plant develops can easily be treated using organic fungicide and pesticide as well.

Instructions

Planting

1. Dig a hole for the rooted canes of roses that are twice as wide as the shrub. Roses should be set with the tops of their root balls flush with the soil in the south. In northern climates, roses should be set deeper to keep the roots from freezing.

2. Scratch compost into the walls of the planting hole with a garden fork to feed young roses. Mound up the soil in the center of the planting hole.

3. Fan the roots of roses out across the mound of soil. Rose roots should be straight, never bent in the hole.

4. Cover the rose roots with soil. Mulch around the roots of roses with wood chips to smother weeds and hold in moisture. Continue to keep roses covered with mulch from spring until fall. Mulch helps to keep out weeds, loosen soil, hold in moisture and adds nutrients to the soil.

5. Water roses so that the soil is as damp as a wrung-out sponge. Roses will not do well in heavily watered soil. Water roses so that they receive the equivalent of 1 inch of water per week.

Fertilizing

1. Fertilize roses with an organic fertilizer in early spring, late spring, early summer, midsummer and early fall. All roses use lots of nutrients and need some fertilization. Proper fertilization keeps roses healthy and resistant to diseases and insect attacks. Use a general purpose fertilizer (10-10-10) for the first two feedings and a low nitrogen fertilizer (0-10-10) for the last two feedings. This will prevent the roses from developing new growth late in the year that may be damaged by frost in fall.

2. Scatter granular fertilizer according to package directions around the drip line of roses. Scratch the fertilizer into the soil using a garden fork.

3. Mulch roses with an application of compost. Compost will feed roses and smother weeds.

Pruning

1. Remove all weak rose canes that are smaller in diameter than a pencil in early spring before new growth appears.

2. Remove branches that are broken, damaged by cold weather, grow inward or rub one another.

3. Remove any diseased growth at the first point you notice it during any part of the year.

4. Remove any branches that grow below the rose's graft scar. These branches, which are known as suckers, will steal the energy and nutrients from the plant.

Spraying

1. Water roses thoroughly before treating with organic fungicide and herbicides.

2. Spray roses and the ground around them with an organic fungicide, such as Rose Pharm or Garlic GP organic fungicide, directly after pruning in early spring to kill any fungus that may have overwintered.

3. Spray roses every seven days from March until May with an organic fungicide to eliminate any mildew or mold. Spray the canopy from both the top and bottom to achieve complete coverage. Spray every 14 days with an organic insecticide, such as insecticidal soap.

4. Increase the duration of organic fungicide sprays to every 14 days once the weather becomes dry in summer. Eliminate the use of insecticides during this time. Treat any insects you find during summer months, such as spider mites, by spraying them with a blast of water from a garden hose.

5. Spray roses with a fungicide every seven days during fall and early winter months until the plant goes into dormancy. Spray with an organic pesticide every 14 days.

Tips & Warnings

• In colder climates, rose growers may have to protect roses from cold weather. Pruning roses near the ground and covering the canes in piles of leaves or mulch will protect hardy roses from cold weather. Additionally, a blanket of snow provides insulation from cold weather.

• Some organic pest and fungicide manufacturers combine organic pesticide and fungicide into one product to help reduce frequency of spraying.

• It is a good idea to rotate pesticides and fungicides to avoid allowing pests and fungi to develop resistance to any particular pesticide or fungicide.

References

• Texas A&M University Extension: Rose Care
• Ohio State University Extension: Planting Roses; Jane Martin, Angie Eckert
• Mississippi State University Extension: Insect Pests of Roses; Dr. Blake Layton; 2008

Resources

• University of Minnesota Extension: Cultivation Tips