Fall Pruning
Fertilize or Not
Fertilizing Mulched Roses
First Time Growing a Rose Bush
Getting Shoots to Grow on Bottom
Golden Climbing Rose
Golden Wings in a Container
How do you prepare a rose bed
How to Have More Blooms
Japanese Beetles Question
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Fall Pruning

Question: 
I know it's really early for this question yet, but I have no idea what to do when fall comes. My 2 Lincolns are my first roses. I need someone to guide me through the steps of pruning. If pictures are needed, let me know, and I'll post a few. I also don't quite know what tools I need, nor preparations for the later fall. I don't have very much money to spend, so I need the simplest methods. Thanks ahead of time for any help. You guys have all been so good to help me with my Lincolns over the past few months. Thanks so much for all of your time :)

Answer: 
You really don't need to prune in the fall. I the bushes are higher than 3-4 feet you can cut the back to that height with a pair of hedge shears. Just tie the canes together so they don't whip in the wind then hill up 10-12 inches of soil, mulch or wood shavings over the bottom of the bush. A ring of chicken wire filled with shredded oak leaves will also work as will bags of leaves packed around the base of the bush. The latter is easier to pick up next spring. None of these should be applied until after the soil freezes.

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Fertilize or Not

Question: 
Can I fertilize my roses with organic fertilizer of sea kelp, molasses, fish emulsion and Magic Mills Mix every week?  I'd skip the molasses as it may draw bugs. They won't eat your plant but they can be pesty.  My friends told me that they have mature roses in their backyard. And they bragged with me how they never fertilize or water those plants anymore at all. They claim it thrives and gives beautiful flowers.  And it is not only one person that makes that claim, but several of them say the same thing. So this makes me curious: how can they bloom without fertilizer and without enough water. I heard roses like us to fuss over them? What is the difference between a mature rose that has been fertilized and water and the one that doesn't if they both give beautiful flowers? 

Answer:
This year with all the rain most plants have not needed to be watered much. 
I'd look at those roses they are bragging about. Many like to stretch the truth. A mature well rooted bush in naturally rich loose soil will perform quite well without a lot of care. If you're in a new home where the top soil was removed and replaced with subsoil, It'll take a long time to get naturally rich soil again. You need to get the whole story from your friends. Roses don't usually just happen. It's true they usually require more care, especially hybrid teas. Your friends may have easy care shrub roses that don't require coddling.

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Fertilizing Mulched Roses

Question: 
We now have 13 roses in our rose garden and I have been debating mulching them for all the reasons given to mulch roses. The question I have been pondering is how to properly fertilize them if they are mulched. Do rose gardeners use a liquid fertilizer program, and if so, what brand names are commercially available that provide all the necessary nutrients?? Or, do rose gardeners use a dry pellet fertilizer and remove the mulch from around the rosebush prior to fertilizing or just spread the fertilizer around the rosebushes on top of the mulch and water it in??

I would appreciate your advice on fertilizing rosebushes that are mulched. 

Answer:
The best thing to do is to pull the mulch back, apply the fertilizer and scratch it in, Then replace the mulch. Soluble fertilizers that can be sprayed or laid on the mulch leach out really fast. They are meant as a snack not a meal for the roses. 
Best to apply manure, an organic mix (Mills Magic Rose Mix), or slow release such as Osmocote and scratch it in at the dripline of each bush. 

Any soluble such as Miracle Grow or one of the Generics from Wal*Mart or K-Mart will work for a snack. Fish Emulsion or Alfalfa Tea is a great snack that also helps the soil. Laying the fertilizer on the mulch will just lock up a lot of the nutrients until the mulch breaks down. Get it into the soil.

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First Time Growing a Rose Bush

Question: 
I am a novice gardener and I planted climbing rosebush this spring. I have a few questions if you don't mind. My rose bush has developed some eaten holes in the leaves, even on the new growth. It appears as if gnats are eating it. What should I do? Also, I am noticing some yellow leaves (burning?). Any Ideas? Oh yeah one more thing: When and how should I prune?  Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

Answer:
Don't worry about the insects. They don't eat that much and a few holes in some of the leaves won't harm your rose bush. Not knowing for sure where you live, at this time of the year I'd suspect Japanese beetles. Caterpillars also eat holes in leaves but many caterpillars become butterflies so I don't recommend killing them.

Yellow leaves, if on the lower part of the bush could indicate spider mites. Turn a leaf over a check for very tiny spots. If the spots move you have spider mites. They can be controlled by washing under the leaves with a strong spray from a water wand. The yellow leaves will come off also but they will anyway even without the wash. Doing this every other day for a couple of weeks will disrupt their breeding cycle and they'll soon disappear. There are miticides but they are rather expensive. If you have just a few bushes the water wand is better.

Another reason for yellow leaves is that sometimes leaves just wear out. Unless the whole plant loses it's leaves it's not a problem. One other reason would be blackspot. When a bush becomes infected with that fungus the leaves will get dark spots then turn yellow and fall off. Spraying regularly with a fungicide will prevent that. Any labeled for blackspot will work. Make sure you follow the directions on the label and mix just what you need at the time. I like Ortho's Funginex, Fertilome's Liquid Systemic Fungicide or Immunox. All are available at most any garden center, Home Depot, or Wal*Mart.

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Getting Shoots to Grow on Bottom

Question: 
This is a question on how to get the bottom of a rose ( hybrid tea ) to get new shoots out of the bottom of the canes? my roses look pretty good . I have a very tall peace and Mr. Lincoln . some of my roses had a lot of winter-kill, and the tops or middle up have leaves. how do I get leaves or shoots to start breaking out of the bottom of the canes. do I cut back on a cane to get it to promote growth . please let me know some advice.

Answer:
To get new canes to grow from the lower part of the bush you'll need to cut way down to a dormant bud eye which will force it to send out a new cane. Keep in mind that hybrid teas are notorious for having naked feet which is why so many gardeners are going with shrub roses. About the time you succeed getting the look you want it'll be fall and time to put them to sleep. Easier to plant miniatures or annuals at the base of those leafless bushes to hide their immodesty. 

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Golden Climbing Rose

Question: 
First of all, I am sorry to hear about your stroke! My brother-in-law had the same thing happen on Thanksgiving day and he is just 46 years old. It left him completely paralyzed on his right side. I am amazed at the amount of determination and courage it takes to come back from such a state. He is doing well now, as it sounds like you are. I will pray for your continued improvement!

Now, to the roses...
I am not sure if you charge for your help...let me know if there is a fee. :o)

I am hoping that you might have some advice for a woman who has just planted her first rose (a Knock-out) and I am frustrated by my search for a climber to go behind it, as a back drop. I am trying to find something that would be close to the color of a Stella de Oro daylily, a deep golden egg-yolk yellow. I have been looking at pictures of many roses, including Garden Sun, Autumn Sunset, Royal Sunset but it is hard to get a true sense of what the color will be in person. I would love your suggestions. I, too, live in zone 5, so winter hardiness is also a consideration. 

Answer:
I like Autumn Sunset. It's from Westerland which is a hardy rose, although anytime you get temps below zero for any length of time you'll experience dieback except on the Buck roses or Canadian Explorer roses. Even with winter protection that part of the canes exposed will often dieback. Unfortunately , In our zone all but hardiest climbers seldom attain any great length due to the winters and 6 month growing season. Knock-out is a great rose. Those yellows that are really hardy are only once bloomers.

No I don't charge for advice.

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Golden Wings in a Container

Question: 
Hi. I am kicking around the idea of planting my golden wings in a container for a few years. Right now it is still in the 6 inch pot that they ship in. I was wondering how well it would do. Has anyone grown this rose in a container? I've never grown roses in anything but the ground, so I'm still a little hesitant. 

Answer:
Golden wings can make a very large bush. I planted mine with the bud union buried and now G.W. suckers all over the place. It was one of the first that came back good after my move and one of the first to bloom this spring. Putting it in a container may keep it in line. 

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How Do You Prepare A Rosebed

Question: 
How do you prepare a rose bed?

Answer:
I would l ike to cover the area with black plastic over winter. The following summer, I remove the plastic  exposing a weed free spot of ground with no grass roots to fight. I then put a six inch deep pile of horse  manure over the bare soil plus grass clippings, leaves, and compost and rototil it in, add more manure  and let it set over winter. Early spring, more manure, perlite if it's clay, alfalfa meal, plus anything a  soil test tells me might be needed. I then rototil it again but not too fine, and plant the roses. All you need to add after that is Mill's Magic occasionally and top dress with manure each fall. Making a rose  bed is a year long job, not something to do in a few days. Once you have the soil right, the roses take  care of themselves. You can always tell if you've done it right by the number of earth worms you have in  your soil.

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How to Have More Blooms

Question: 
Just wanted to say thanks for the advice on the blue and green roses.

I'm seeking more advice. I was wondering if you could give me some tips and techniques on the subject below.

How do I increase the amount of blooms on each plant? I know that with proper care and fertilizing I can have huge healthy blooms,  but I want to know if there are techniques to double or even triple the amount of blooms per plant. Perhaps it's in the pruning, or even something 
like "splitting" the branches towards the top, but I am unsure of this and 
am seeking expert advice. I know there has got to be a way to increase bloom amounts, but I'm stuck... Can't wait to hear from ya!

Answer:
You start by pruning properly in the spring. Severe pruning promotes larger but fewer blooms on long canes. Longer pruning promotes more blooms and overall taller bushes. Deadheading and keeping the old spent canes pruned back keeps the flowers coming. Spraying a fungicide regularly to keep the leaves on the bush also helps with blooms. Leaves make the food that makes the flowers. If your leaves all drop off due to black spot you'll not have many flowers. Working good organic fertilizers and manure in around the bush supplies the good nutrients needed to keep the bush healthy. I never heard of splitting the branches but deadheading and then watching for new canes to start from the leaf axils will often give you two or three new canes where you only had one and each cane will produce a flower.

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Japanese Beetles Question

Question: 
It's almost August. I have not seen one Japanese Beetle in my yard in north central Ohio. I don't keep a garden diary so I can't check the dates they normally arrive. I tried to search this forum because I know I posted their arrival last year but I couldn't find that thread. Did they move out of Ohio?? (YES!!!)

Answer: 
Droughts not the reason. The cold winter plus all the rain we've had has destroyed many of the grubs. If we have a normal winter, they'll be back with a vengeance next year. They don't part they have an Orgy.

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