Should I cut my roses before tomorrow’s rain?
Andrea zone 9b
14 days ago
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BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14)
14 days agolast modified: 14 days agoAndrea zone 9b thanked BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14)Andrea zone 9b
14 days agoRelated Discussions
Should I cut back my rose before transplanting?
Comments (12)Perhaps in the climate the link originated in, that method works. From over thirty years of actually doing it in MINE, not reducing water stress on any plant whose roots have been significantly disturbed, damaged or reduced is a sure way to severely impact the plant. Leaving the original top growth when the roots have been reduced results in loss of canes and foliage, perhaps even the failure of the plant in this climate. I would venture to suggest it might in others with the sun intensity, heat and accelerated transpiration rates similar to this one. If I transplant a four foot bush with only about a foot and a half of roots without reducing the top appropriately, this heat, sun and transpiration rate will induce the plant to wilt and begin eliminating foliage, softer growth and in many cases, harder, woodier canes until it re establishes roots to balance the tops to the bottoms. Cutting the top back to about the same mass as the root ball, keeping it well watered, even shading it with sheets, old tee shirts, cardboard boxes or soil, either as a mound over the remaining plant or held in place with a cylinder of cardboard until new growth begins showing, brings them through every time. IF transplanting can be accomplished during a period of sufficiently long rain, reducing the top growth isn't as critical. The lower temps, reduced sun intensity, higher humidity and the regular bathing by the rain maintains the moisture in the plant, tremendously reducing (even eliminating) the water stress. The provided link is from Washington State with their greater humidity, rain, reduced sun and transpiration rates. When the weather here is similar to that, I don't have to prune many roses and other plants to transplant them because of the conditions. Most of the time, it is NOT like that here and not reducing the top to match the bottom will jeopardize the plant. If the poster's conditions mimic those of Washington State's, perhaps they don't need to reduce the top to mitigate the negative effects of cutting off so many roots. But, if the conditions aren't similar to that rainy, cooler, damp, cloudy type, I personally wouldn't risk it. Kim...See MoreRoses in bloom before the rain
Comments (6)Thank you so much Lilyfinch! Peggy Martin is coming into full bloom soon. I've got my dad now wanting to plant her around their fence and a couple friends on theirs as well. Love that rose and perfect for beginners too! You should definitely get her! She doesn't have the best rebloom like many of my other roses throughout the year but she is one heck of a showstopper in spring and will certainly give you that pop of color in your garden! I'll post again when she's in full bloom. That stinks your neighborhood doesn't allow chickens or ducks. :( If we ever move to another neighborhood rather than some land and a house, I've always said first requirement would be it must allow my feathered babies! lol The ducks have been so much more fun to raise than my chickens, they have such personality and are just so much cuter, although I will always love my chickens. :) ~Meghan By the way, see my pics are squashed too. I didn't feel like resizing since Annette said you can see it full size by clicking on it....See MoreRoses before the rain
Comments (19)Above is octopus arms on Darcy Bussell after gypsum on top. Pic. taken August 12. Carol: if your clay is high in potassium that will control the octopus arms. But if your clay is chalky (high in calcium) it will add more calcium and make the octopus arm worse. If your clay is heavy & gluey (high in magnesium) like mine, that makes it worse .. magnesium is the glue that holds tight to nutrients, including calcium. One person reported high-calcium & low potassium soil test, pH slightly alkaline .. and she gets thin long shoots, plus faded blooms. I use tons of gypsum to break up my hard-clay, but I always balance with high-potassium red-lava rock inside the planting hole, or watering with sulfate of potash (soluble potassium with NPK 0-0-50). I'm out of sulfate of potash as soluble fertilizer for pots, that's why I get octopus arms. Potassium makes the stem and leaves thicker, whereas acidic calcium (as in gypsum with 17% sulfur) will make the leaves and stems thinner, plus long octopus arms. Gypsum (acidic, with 17% sulfur) release of calcium is much faster than dolomitic lime. Thus gypsum is much riskier to use. I induced blackspots on a few roses when I gave too much acidic gypsum. TOO MUCH CALCIUM DRIVES DOWN POTASSIUM. Potassium is vital for disease-prevention. One year Evelyn lost all its leaves from rust fungal infection, after I dumped soluble gypsum around the bush. Evelyn likes it alkaline. Rust is very, very rare in my Chicagoland, happened only twice when I messed up soil's balance. I never see fungus growing on banana peels in my compost, but I see disgusting mold growing on slightly acidic organic matter, such as moldy citrus rinds, moldy strawberries, and white mold on alfalfa meal. If I feed roses alkaline & high potassium fertilizer, plus anti-fungal trace elements of copper & zinc & boron ... leaves become alkaline & richer in anti-fungal nutrients and less chance of fungal invasion. Fungus prefer it slightly acidic, fungus and pest gain entry easier when leaves become thinner as the pH drops. When I bought my 10 own-roots from Roses Unlimited, I was impressed at how thick the leaves were .. I wondered if RU used the $$$ potassium silicate. Too expensive for me to buy, so I spread 1 tablespoon of sulfate of potash around each own-root. A few waterings later .. and their leaves are super-thick compared to the control without sulfate of potash. Banana peels is very high in potassium, NPK of 0-3-42, that's 42 potassium compared to 50 potassium in sulfate of potash. Why roses are less healthy when it's acidic? As the pH drops, less potassium and calcium are available. In both rose-tissue analysis and hydroponics field studies, TWICE more potassium than calcium is recommended. I really don't need to give roses calcium: only when they are really tiny & wimpy as own-roots, or when it's right under rain-spout and there's leaching of calcium. There's only a few occasions that applying calcium was beneficial: Radio Times used to be right next to tree-roots that stole calcium. Tree roots also secrete acid that made the soil loamy. That rose stopped growing, so I gave it garden dolomitic lime (pH 9). It DOUBLED in size, and no more blackspots (leaves are more alkaline). I also gave it sulfate of potash. Bolero was under the rainspout, getting 32 gallons of water dumping on it every 1/2 hour. Lots of blooms for a tiny rose, but I notice less petals ... so I knew it needed calcium. I gave it Garden lime, and the petals count went up. Jude the Obscure is notorious for being wimpy own-root. Roots are like alfalfa sprouts, can't do acid-phosphatase .. so leaves are really pale. I gave it gypsum, and it doubled in size. Below is Munstead Wood with octopus arms at 3.5 feet, or 1.06 meter. Too much gypsum was given. Pic. taken August 12. It looks really silly invading Veteran's Honor next to it. Both pots get plenty of sun, no excuse for octopus arms. Each octopus arm has 3 buds, but I chopped them off. When I planted Munstead Wood into my clay, the root was solid, but didn't grow into 2-gallon as I expected, thanks to my being out of sulfate of potash....See MoreRoses before more rain
Comments (21)Beth - thank you!! Chandos Beauty is a fabulous rose!! It daily strikes me with its beauty and fragrance. I had to use the cup method though - to get rid of the thrips. You wouldn't be sorry if you bought Chandos Beauty!! Carol...See MoreAndrea zone 9b
14 days agoAndrea zone 9b
14 days agoAndrea zone 9b
13 days ago
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Moses, Pittsburgh, W. PA., zone 5/6, USA