Rose Planting Methods and Timing
A brief knowledge sharing on the methods and timing of planting roses and related topics on the techniques of growing roses for beginners, a very useful piece of knowledge, recommended for collection!
Roses belong to the Rosaceae family, also known as red roses or thorn roses. The dried flower buds are used as medicine. First, choose a plot with good ventilation, abundant sunlight, and relatively dry terrain for planting. It is not suitable to choose low-lying plots. Usually, the land is plowed and turned over before winter, combined with the application of organic fertilizers, leveled and finely raked for planting.
First, Propagation Methods
Roses are commonly propagated asexually in production, through methods such as division, layering, grafting, and cutting. Division is the most commonly used method. The timing is in spring, autumn, and rainy season, with dormant period being the best.
(1) Division
It can be done before sprouting in spring, in autumn, or during the rainy season. As roses have a very strong tillering ability, you can select old plants that have been cultivated for 3 to 4 years the previous year, which are strong, free of diseases and pests, and manage them intensively, applying sufficient fertilizers and intentionally injuring the roots to promote a large number of root tiller growth. Division is carried out during the dormant period or before early spring sprouting. Dig up strong root tillers growing next to the mother plant, each clump should have 2-3 stems, dig them up with roots and transplant them. The spacing is 1.0m x 1.5m, dig a pit with a diameter and depth of 27cm, apply 5kg of decomposed manure to each pit, cover with some soil, mix slightly, plant one clump in each pit, cover the soil and press firmly, water thoroughly to settle the roots. Then, prune the stems, leaving 20-25cm above the ground and cutting off the top part.
(2) Cutting
Select the current year's strong, disease-free, fully developed, and completely lignified branches, cut into 10-15cm long cuttings with 3-4 nodes, cut the lower part into an oblique surface, and treat with a rooting agent for better results. Then insert them into the loose bed soil, leaving 1/3 of the cutting above the ground. Keep the temperature and humidity after insertion, and they can be transplanted after they take root and sprout. Softwood cuttings can also be done during the rainy season, selecting semi-lignified branches after flowering, removing the top part, taking the middle and lower semi-lignified branches, inserting them into the bed soil, and transplanting after they take root and sprout.
(3) Layering
Usually done during the rainy season, select the current year's branches, bend them into the soil, injure the part of the branch that goes into the soil, apply agricultural fertilizer, cover with soil, and let it take root. After taking root and sprouting, cut it off from the mother plant and plant it with soil.
Rose Planting Methods and Timing
Second, Field Management
Roses are plants that like fertilizer, and decomposed organic fertilizer should be applied when planting. Generally, it is necessary to apply fertilizer 4 times a year: apply a bud-promoting fertilizer before the early spring sprouting, a flower-promoting fertilizer before flowering (around May), a flower fertilizer during the flowering period, and an overwintering fertilizer before overwintering. In early spring, if the weather is dry, water should be provided in a timely manner to promote bud differentiation and extend the flowering period. During the growing period, it is necessary to frequently cultivate and weed the roses. Roses are afraid of waterlogging; if water accumulates for a longer time, the lower leaves will turn yellow and fall off, and the plant may die, so it is necessary to drain the water during the rainy season. After entering winter, turn over the rose garden, apply fertilizers and earth, and for those with sparse branches, apply more earth to promote branching, otherwise, apply less.
Third, Pruning and Shaping
Since roses bloom on the current year's branches, regular pruning can make the plant grow vigorously, have a proper shape, and extend the flowering period. Pruning is divided into flowering period pruning and dormant period pruning.
(1) Flowering Period Pruning
After flowering, prune the diseased branches, insect-infested branches, and aging branches to promote continuous rejuvenation of the plant. After the first batch of flowers, cut the flower branches 15-20cm above the base to promote new branching, which will result in more and better-quality flowers the second time.
(2) Dormant Period Pruning
Before sprouting in early spring, leave 4-5 branches per plant and prune them 40-50cm above the ground, leaving 1-2 lateral branches on each branch and pruning the lateral branches to 2 buds. A single rose plant can live up to 20 years, with the most flowers produced in the third year, and starting to decline from the fourth to fifth year, with a decrease in flower yield and quality, tending to age, so it is necessary to rejuvenate. The method is to dig out the old roots of roses planted for 4-5 years during the dormant period, remove the diseased and aging branches, and replant them. Also, divide the dense and vigorous clumps or cut the aging rose plants to the ground in autumn and winter, then turn the soil between rows, apply cake fertilizer and other decomposed organic fertilizers, and water sufficiently. Although the yield of flowers will be low the following year, the yield will greatly increase in the next 2-3 years.