Natural Rose Care
At Trinity Farm we follow a natural care regime as much as possible, rather than using chemicals. Our garden is also mix planted rather than a monoculture, which we believe helps attract beneficial insects and helps keep the garden in balance.
Ground Preparation for your Roses
If you have grown roses before in the soil, it is recommended you change the soil, as roses are said to exude substances in the soil, that prevent other roses growing very well there.
Planting your Roses
When you receive your roses give them a good soak, before planting. If they are quite dry even plunge them into a bucket of water and leave overnight.
If roses have grown there before, change the soil. Dig a large hole at least a couple of times bigger than the root ball. You can add some good potting mix or compost to the hole before planting. Don't put commercial fertiliser in the hole as you may burn the roots. Remove the planter bag, place in the hole and fill in hole. Firm in with the hands and your heel. If you want to use commercial fertiliser you can scatter it around the rose on top of the soil and then water in. If you have well rotted manure I would scatter that on top of the soil around the rose.
Also recommend mulching the soil with wet newspaper and then a cover of mulch - we use wood chips, but you can use bark, coco etc.
If roses have grown there before, change the soil. Dig a large hole at least a couple of times bigger than the root ball. You can add some good potting mix or compost to the hole before planting. Don't put commercial fertiliser in the hole as you may burn the roots. Remove the planter bag, place in the hole and fill in hole. Firm in with the hands and your heel. If you want to use commercial fertiliser you can scatter it around the rose on top of the soil and then water in. If you have well rotted manure I would scatter that on top of the soil around the rose.
Also recommend mulching the soil with wet newspaper and then a cover of mulch - we use wood chips, but you can use bark, coco etc.
Care of your Roses - fertilising
Roses are usually fertilised in the spring and then around Xmas time with commercial rose fertiliser.
We don't use commercial rose fertiliser which is high in nitrogen. The reason is that I found the nitrogen induced a lot of soft sappy growth in spring which attracted aphids.
In spring, we use a Fertco certified organic fish based fertiliser or organic blood and bone. Just use a small handful per rose scattered on the soil . These fertilisers have 14-16 minerals and trace elements.
To maintain the garden we use liquid feeds. I use liquid fish based fertiliser called Organic Boost, which also contains soil micro organisms or Nitrosol. These products are also used in the rose nursery, once a month.
We don't use commercial rose fertiliser which is high in nitrogen. The reason is that I found the nitrogen induced a lot of soft sappy growth in spring which attracted aphids.
In spring, we use a Fertco certified organic fish based fertiliser or organic blood and bone. Just use a small handful per rose scattered on the soil . These fertilisers have 14-16 minerals and trace elements.
To maintain the garden we use liquid feeds. I use liquid fish based fertiliser called Organic Boost, which also contains soil micro organisms or Nitrosol. These products are also used in the rose nursery, once a month.
Pruning
The advantage of heritage roses is that you don't actually have to prune! However, if you do want to prune, you have to treat those roses that flower once differently from those that repeat flower. This is really important and will affect whether you get roses produced the following year.
Shrub & Bush Roses
Once Flowering Roses - should be pruned lightly after flowering - so in the summer. If you prune them hard in winter like modern roses, you will get no flowers the following year. This is because they flower on last year's wood.
Repeat Flowering Roses - recommend continuous pruning by deadheading through the whole season - light pruning continuously will ensure the flowers continue to bloom - particularly beneficial for hybrid musks and tea roses. Rugosas don't require dead heading as they will repeat flower and produce rose hips on the same bush and often you want to grow them for the rose hips.
Ramblers & Climbers
You need to cut out any dead wood. Ramblers should be trained along a fence for example so the branches are as horizontal as possible to ensure you get more flowering spurs. Branches that grow away from the fence, if they cannot be trained back on the fence should be cut off. For climbers that perhaps grow up a post, the more the rose can be twined around the post and so the more horizontal the canes are, should achieve more flowers.
Shrub & Bush Roses
Once Flowering Roses - should be pruned lightly after flowering - so in the summer. If you prune them hard in winter like modern roses, you will get no flowers the following year. This is because they flower on last year's wood.
Repeat Flowering Roses - recommend continuous pruning by deadheading through the whole season - light pruning continuously will ensure the flowers continue to bloom - particularly beneficial for hybrid musks and tea roses. Rugosas don't require dead heading as they will repeat flower and produce rose hips on the same bush and often you want to grow them for the rose hips.
Ramblers & Climbers
You need to cut out any dead wood. Ramblers should be trained along a fence for example so the branches are as horizontal as possible to ensure you get more flowering spurs. Branches that grow away from the fence, if they cannot be trained back on the fence should be cut off. For climbers that perhaps grow up a post, the more the rose can be twined around the post and so the more horizontal the canes are, should achieve more flowers.
Rose Pests & Diseases
Greenfly
I found stopping using high nitrogen fertilisers stopped encouraging sappy growth that attracted aphids. Mixed planting attracted beneficial insects to keep aphids in check. The easiest way of getting rid of greenfly is by a quick blast with the hose. In the nursery we use a fine spray of mineral oil on a cloudy day or in the evening. Not in full sun.
Powdery Mildew
This takes the form of a white powdery substance on the leaves. We spray with baking soda - 2 tablespoons of baking soda to 9 litres of water. I often use alternative spray of milk and water 1:3 plus some liquid seedweed
Rust
This looks like orange dots on the back of the leaves. Remove all the leaves and burn - do not put leaves in compost or anywhere near any of your plants as it can spread on to susceptible plants. Recommend removing the leaves and spraying the plants with liquid fertiliser or seaweed to give the plant a good boost to aid recovery.
I found stopping using high nitrogen fertilisers stopped encouraging sappy growth that attracted aphids. Mixed planting attracted beneficial insects to keep aphids in check. The easiest way of getting rid of greenfly is by a quick blast with the hose. In the nursery we use a fine spray of mineral oil on a cloudy day or in the evening. Not in full sun.
Powdery Mildew
This takes the form of a white powdery substance on the leaves. We spray with baking soda - 2 tablespoons of baking soda to 9 litres of water. I often use alternative spray of milk and water 1:3 plus some liquid seedweed
Rust
This looks like orange dots on the back of the leaves. Remove all the leaves and burn - do not put leaves in compost or anywhere near any of your plants as it can spread on to susceptible plants. Recommend removing the leaves and spraying the plants with liquid fertiliser or seaweed to give the plant a good boost to aid recovery.