Caring for your roses

Feeding your roses

If you feed your roses they will produce beautiful flowers. And if you give them their favourite rose food as soon as the buds start appearing and watering them well, they will surprise you when they keep producing.

Watering your roses

When your roses are young you need to keep them well watered but as they begin to mature you can cut back the watering to twice a week. However in Summer make sure you give them a good soaking without drowning them. When you water them make sure you only water the soil and not the plant as any lingering moisture on the leaves can cause fungal problems and you will don’t want that to spoil your beautiful roses.

Mulching

I like to use sugar cane mulch and if you can’t get any of that in your local area try pea straw or lucerne as it breaks down and nourishes the soil and it also helps retain the moisture. 

When spreading the mulch make sure it is about 5cm thick. Spread it in late winter or spring and then again in summer. One thing to remember is that if you let the mulch sit against the stems  it could cause collar rot. 

If unsure ask your local nursery and they should be able to help you.