by Wally Richards

FOR GARDENERS GROWING ROSES — ABOUT SUMMER PRUNING

Rose growing enthusiasts are very knowledgeable in the care of their roses, but for many others it can be a learning curve on what to do and when to do it; so with that in mind this is what you should be looking to do about now.

With the first flush of blooms over, withered flowers and rose hips (seed pods left after a flower has finished flowering) should be removed from your roses to keep them clean and tidy looking and by cutting the stem back to a true leaf .

This simple act will encourage new growth this time of the year and new buds and another lot of flowering.

Roses that only flower once in the season should be pruned after flowering is finished. They usually produce flowers on the second year wood and pruning them after they finish flowering will promote new growth which will flower next spring.

After the first flush of flowers is over on bushes that flower more than once a season, feed them well to promote new growth.

Place in the root zone sheep manure pellets, the new Wallys Real Blood and Bone along with a dose of Fruit and Flower Power for the magnesium and potassium.

If you have horse manure available then use that instead of the sheep manure pellets. Spread over the above products a little layer of compost as it helps the microbes break down material which not only feed the roses but assist in retaining soil moisture.

It is most important that you water regularly during dry periods. First year roses need a real good supply of water to establish their rooting systems.

Give the plants a good soak when you water. Don’t give them a light drink as this will only encourage surface rooting which you don’t want.

Deep watering will encourage deep rooting to the roses’ benefit.

If the ground has become dry then surface tension causes the water to run off the soil and not sink in. To overcome this, fill watering can with warm water and add a good squirt of dishwashing liquid to the water.

Lather up with your hand and then pour over the root zone as this breaks soil tension and allows future waterings to sink deep into the soil.

The same treatment can be used in all gardens, container pots and lawns when water does not penetrate.

If you have severe water restrictions then you may let your older roses go into summer dormancy. Give them sufficient water to keep them alive but do not cut back or remove spent blooms.

When the water restrictions are lifted, give them a good soak after applying the dishwashing liquid treatment. Two days later cut them back and feed them. It will not be long before new growth appears and flowering starts again.

Note you can use the same method to have your roses flowering for a special occasion.

You need to have local knowledge on how long it takes from cutting back to flowering and you can gain this by experimenting on a few of your roses. Keep a diary of the event times and this will give you a guide for the future.

Remember that different roses will respond differently and the weather will also pay a big influence as to the timing.

Hot weather will cause fungus diseases among roses, more so with high humidity. In dry hot situations roses are likely to be attacked by mites.

Mites are best controlled with sulphur and the way that sulphur powder can be used is by ‘Dusting’. Lightly mist with water the foliage you want to apply the sulphur powder to and then place a quantity of sulphur powder into a old nylon stocking to make a ball of sulphur in the stocking about the size of a tennis ball.

You hold the ball near the target area and tap it with a flat stick which releases a small cloud of sulphur particles onto the moist foliage on which it will stick and control the mites and fungus diseases.

This also protects against most summer diseases including rust and mildews and having sulphur it’s also ideal on grapes for fungus diseases.

Climbing roses are likely to put out new long growths in the summer and these can be trained while green to add to your framework.

Tie them carefully as the tender growth tips are easy to break off.

Check your grafted roses also for suckers or new growths below the bud union. These must be removed.

Roses growing on their own roots may set up new growths from the lower part of the trunk or even from under ground. These are fine and should not be touched if needed for new canes.

The health of your roses can be greatly improved by not using chemical sprays, which weaken the beneficial micro-organisms and fungi.

Instead use Perkfection (for roses and other plants) mixed with Wallys Mycorrcin.

These two, safe to use sprays, will enhance the micro-organisms and beneficial fungi, reversing the damage done by chemical sprays used in the past.

If white fly or aphids appear then a couple of sprays of Wallys Super Pyrethrum applied just before dusk will wipe them out.

For those gardeners that wish to further improve their rose displays then once a week spray the foliage with Magic Botanic Liquid (MBL)

Not only will the rose plants’ appearance improve but you may find that roses that did not have perfume previously will now have a lovely scent…

SUMMER PRUNING

Every year about this time I remind gardeners summer pruning is as important as conventional winter pruning.

This is particularly the case with fruit trees, vines and bramble fruits, but it applies to ornamentals — flowering trees, shrubs and roses.

Apples and pears — pip fruit — should be summer pruned about now to encourage the production of fruit spurs, carrying flower buds. Winter pruning, though necessary, is apt to produce a reaction, a bounce-back effect.

Summer pruning is very simple. It involves cutting back this year’s new shoots to within three or four leaf clusters from where they arise.

It can be done quickly by snapping the green shoots between the finger and thumb, leaving them hanging to be pruned off in winter, or properly with secateurs.

This checks the sap flow and growth is diverted to maturing the wood and the formation of  fruiting spurs. Fat flower buds — leaf buds are pointed — result.

Some small fruits, like blackcurrants and raspberry type fruits, should be summer pruned by cutting out the old canes or shoots which have fruited.

Spring-flowering ornamental shrubs and trees should be cut back after flowering, proteas and bottlebrush trees in particular. Follow up by watering in Fruit and Flower Power to aid the fruiting buds’ growth.

Grapes like tomatoes keep wanting to produce new growths or laterals; these should be nipped off unless really needed to have the growth go into the fruit, not more foliage.

P.S. If you have heart concerns you may find this study interesting…

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