April Rose Growing
...one of a series, for a complete year!

April Rose Growing is, for me, the real beginning of the Rose Growing Calendar. Buds are ready to open and the bushes are ready to bloom. Make yourself a yearly plan and follow it. Check out all our pages, make up the complete year and use it for your garden. A plan like that would surely help the production in your rose garden.

Things To Do For April Rose Growing:

-Finish all pruning by early April. Finger prune any unwanted shoots by rubbing the shoots off with your thumb. Where there are 2-3 buds growing from the same spot, leave only 1 shoot by 'rubbing-out' the others with your finger. This leaves room for one strong cane to grow. As well, rub out excess buds growing into the middle of the bush.

-It's time to start feeding your roses. By early April, the soil should be warm enough to carry the nutrients from the fertilizer to your plants. However, all fertilizers work best when the soil is moist. Depending on the weather, you may have to water your roses before and after you feed them.

An example of a good granular fertilizer is 8-16-20. The numbers represent the chemicals NPK: Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium and you can tell the proportions by the numbers.

Follow the instructions carefully for any fertilizer that you buy.

-If you can find a source of alfalfa meal or pellets (rabbit food) at a local feed store, a handful sprinkled around the base of each bush makes a good kick-start for your roses. Scratch into the soil and water well.

-Continue or start spraying with a preventive fungicide for disease (if you have begun such a program).

-Watch for signs of aphids and squish any intruders, wash them off with the hose, or use insecticidal soap. We do not condone the use of insecticides as many of them will kill 'beneficial' insects as well as the bad bugs.

Fertilizing

- Roses are described as 'heavy feeders'. They like an organically rich soil so an addition in the spring of 2-3" of compost or well-rotted manure laid on the beds will give your roses a boost after pruning.

-Liming the soil with a sprinkle of dolomite lime helps counteract leaching of the soil which comes with a rainy climate and the lime sweetens acidic soils. Balance is key here as roses favor a slightly acidic soil.

-The main criterion with fertilizer is to provide the necessary nutrients for your roses and we highly recommend obtaining a soil test to determine any nutrient deficiencies before applying fertilizer. A special rose fertilizer can be found at your local nursery. Read the directions carefully and apply as suggested.

-Liquid fertilizers are also available and should be applied as per instructions. Remember also, that granular fertilizer should not be applied to dry flowerbeds. Wet the ground before and after you fertilize or, better yet, apply in between our usual April rains to let Mother Nature do your watering!

-Another option is foliar feeding in your sprayer with your fungicide-spraying program or in addition to it. A weak solution of fish fertilizer, liquid kelp or soluble fertilizer such as 20-20-20 may be sprayed on the leaves of the roses. Liquid kelp is good as it contains many trace elements.

-Organic gardeners will find an array of organic fertilizers at their garden center. Fish meal, canola seed meal and other organic products work well in the rose garden.

[ July should be the last time you apply nitrogen-containing fertilizer, as you want your roses to 'harden off' in readiness for winter. Nitrogen stimulates new soft growth that will not have time to harden off and may die back in cold winters. You can continue with foliar feedings, though, into the fall. As well, Sulfate of Potash, 0-0-50, may be applied to your roses in September, about one cup per bush. Potash improves drought and disease-resistance and helps bring your roses into dormancy for the winter.]

So...now get outside and enjoy the spring garden. Time for April rose growing activities.

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