October Rose Doctor

October Checklist for the Rose Garden.

With the sunlight bringing shorter days it’s time to start thinking about our winter protection of our rose gardens. You should have stopped your fertilizing by now but is a good time to adjust your soil. I just had my soil tested and found that my PH was 7.2 which is higher than it should be to make all the nutrients available to the plants. The plan is to add ½ cup of sulfur around each bush to bring the PH down to about 6.4. I purchased garden sulfur from Earth Science and contacted them about the right amount to add to the soil. Another thing I found out with my soil being heavy clay, Joe Bergs suggested I add gypsum to help break down the soil. These additives will not stimulate new growth but enhance the soil for better soil conditions over the winter months.

I would not do any pruning or deadheading until after a period of frost or freeze. Then it is time to start cleaning up the spent leaves, old blooms and petals from the garden. Check that you have the equipment you need to cover your roses. 

As I had mentioned in the spring, I had an over winter problem with voles eating my plants under my blankets which cover my rose beds. This year I will be using a product called I Must Garden Mole & Vole Repellent to keep the critters out.  I will be broadcasting this over my entire gardens before covering them with the blankets. Never be in a rush to cover your roses in the fall. Wait until we are sure winter is setting in and the critters are hibernating. You don’t want them to settle in under your covers for the winter like I did. 

There are many ways of winter protecting our roses for the winter. From rose cones to burying them in a pit in the ground. The thing to remember is that the ground in our area can freeze to 4’ down. The thing we want to protect against is freezing and thawing of the garden and the drying winter winds. 

1. Rose cones have been around for a long time. They are okay for a gardener who has a few roses. Make sure that you put at least 3, 1” holes in the sides for ventilation. Also put a brick on top or stake them down so they don’t blow away. 
2. Building Styrofoam boxes to cover your rose beds. This is a great way to protect roses in the winter. I had used them for many years with great success. They are built with a wooden frame covered with 2” Styrofoam. The cover for the boxes is the same material as the sides and can be opened when the weather gets warmer. The sides are usually 2’ tall to allow you to leave your canes longer. When I would open the boxes in the spring all of my roses had green canes with very little die back. The downside is building, assembly, and summer storage of the boxes.
3. Another way to cover your beds is concrete curing blankets. These are available from your hardware or big box stores. They provide a good insulation to keep our roses from freezing and thawing. This seems to be the way many rosarians in our area are using. Some build frames to support the covers to leave the canes longer. I prune mine back 12 to 18 inches to put the covers on. Remember to stake them down.