'judy' comments & questions

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judy

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Winter Care / Protection most recent 29 JAN 06 SHOW ALL

Initial post 5 JAN 05 by BARBIE DOVER

I'm new to this sight, but my mother and grandparents always grew roses , my mother past away in 2003 so i planted my first yellow rose for her, then in feb. 2004 i was dignoised with stage 4 breast cancer which is what my mother past from, but somehow in march the second breast had cancer in it. i had 6 sergerys in 5 weeks. And after all this i started planting roses. I have 12 now there abe lincolns and hybread teas, but i have never grown them before but the good lord let mine bloom great over and over because when i was going through all my kemo when i would get really bad i would go mess with them roses. But now that winter is upon us i don't know what to do with them i live in mid. mo. could someone please help me? thank you for your time. BARBIE DOVER

Reply #1 of 4 posted 25 JAN 05 by Unregistered Guest

You could grow mini roses in your home. They do very well if you can put them into something like a fish tank to give them humidity . The place a flourescent light about 6 inches above them. They will grow and bloom for you. You can prune, fertilize, water and enjoy the blooms.	REPLY

Reply #2 of 4 posted 9 JUL 05 by judy

Reply #3 of 4 posted 9 JUL 05 by HMF supporting member

RoseBlush

Barbie........

First let me say, I am sorry you lost your mother and then went through such a rough time on your own. I can only wish you the very best.

I can't really give you any help with your from personal experience because I have grown roses in friendly cimates all of my rose life. However, I suggest you go to the Canadian Rose Society website and they have advice on how to grow roses in colder climates on the site. They also list which roses do best in various zones. That may help you.

Smiles,

Lyn
helpmefind.com

Reply #4 of 4 posted 29 JAN 06 by Lenage

Hi Barbie! I,m so glad you,re finding some solace with you roses, in such a difficult time. I hope my advice is helpful then, be it what it is. ...In the fall, just as the temp.,s begin to drop consistently, you give your roses a good watering, with no ferilizer,as they will no longer be growing as winter sets.Wait until the ground just begins to freeze. Then you,re ready to begin mulching them. Waiting for the ground to freeze,and then mulching, keeps the temperature stable later in the winter,when there,s alot of freezing/thawing,which hurts the roses the most, and sometimes, is the cause that will kill them.Waiting that little bit, also prevents encouraging rodents from nesting in the bases of your roses, and chewing the canes over winter,which,also kills them. Find good,rotted manure( sheep or horse is best..), or well rotted compost, and hill up the bases of your roses by a good foot or a foot and a half ( 12-16 inches deep) . These need to be rotted materials,as otherwise, you could burn your plants, as freshly decomposing materials will hurt them. You may wish to supplement this by also covering them up with fallen leaves, or rotted sawdust, or straw, another 12inches or so. Some people use cages to surround thier roses in,and fill them up with these materials. ( prevents the winds from carrying off thier protection..) Some people cut thier canes back abit to prevent them from whipping around in the winds ( causing windrock in the canes, which can split and damage them..) but, it,s sometimes better, to just tie them to a support of some sort,and trim them in the spring instead, to prevent infection on the freshly cut places. ...
Come spring, you only begin removing the mulch in small amounts, when you,re sure the frosts are over,and that the ground is beginning to warm up. You remove it small amounts at a time, bit by bit, maybe some each week or every 3 days or so, so that the rose can begin adjusting and growing to the new season. Be careful not to hurt any new growth that might have started under the mulches. Be gentle. Before leaves come out on the canes, cut and prune them( books might help, or use this site for more info..) and spray them with a lime/sulpher dormant spray to help protect them from any fungus spores or insect eggs that might have wintered over , near or on your roses.Most people say to wait for when the forsythia is blooming,as a guide for spraying times. After that, it,s spring,and you can enjoy your messing about with them again. I,ll be thinking of you, Barbie, and hoping that you are with us for a long time to enjoy roses with all of us. Many Blessings, Lenage.

Winter Care / Protection most recent 29 JAN 06 SHOW ALL

Initial post 22 FEB 04 by Unregistered Guest

Reply #1 of 5 posted 16 SEP 04 by Unregistered Guest

We call it to "minnesota tip" .
1. Water generously one or two days prior.
2. The day before, give the plant a good dormant spray such as liquid lime-sulfer.
3. The the rosebush canes together.
4. DO NOT prune the bush. This will cause open wounds and they will not heal properly.
5. Dig a trench, starting away from and working toward the bush. Dig it as long as the bush is tall. Same with the width and depth.
6. Pull the soil away from the shank to loosen the roots just to allow it to tip. Use a spading fork to help loosen around the roots.
7. Slowly and very carefully tip the bush into the trench and cover with About three inches of soil .
8. In about Nov --after the ground is cold- add about six inches of mulch or leaves to the top.
9. in the spring, about april slow begin to uncover it by first removing the mulch and so as it warms up.
10. When its standing water it well.

Reply #4 of 5 posted 9 JUL 05 by judy

Dear Trisha, Why would you add the mulch 'after the ground is cold' - isn't the point of the mulch to help protect the plant and keep the soil reasonably warm? I'm confused!	REPLY

Reply #5 of 5 posted 29 JAN 06 by Lenage

In answer to your question, Judy, the mulch is there to minimize the temp. fluctuations on the plants. You wait until the ground freezes, early in the season, so it,s not a deep freeze, and then, mulch your plants. Good deep mulch in your area. Then, as winter progresses, especially later, when there,s alot of freezing and thawing, ( Feb/.Mar), the temp around the roots of your roses remain stable until all danger of frost has past. In Hamilton, Ont. where I live, we experiance this freeze/thaw problem alot more ,as our winters are influenced by the great lakes.If the plants are allowed to thaw out before it,s time for them, they risk beginning to form new growth or at least, the sap running in the canes, which, a sudden subsequent freeze, would kill them, by causing them to burst. You also don,t want to mulch your plants too soon, as mice,and other rodents also would use your roses as a snuggly place to go, with nice stems and canes to chew. So wait until those guys have bedded down somewhere else..:P..(if your handy traps/ hunting cats don,t get them first..) Hope this sheds some light on your question. Happy growing! Lenage.

Reply #2 of 5 posted 17 SEP 04 by HMF supporting member

RoseBlush

Reply #3 of 5 posted 1 DEC 04 by Unregistered Guest

Darlene,

Just a note - I live in Calgary too - we're in zone 3a! (I sincerely wish we were in zone 5, but...sigh...nope.

Anything but the hardy explorer/morden roses needs to be covered here for winter. Another tip I've received from rose experts in our inhospitable climate is that you need to bury the graft point on your rose bushes at least 4" under the surface here....this ensures that the rose variety - which is often grafted onto much hardier root stock - survives our winters. Good luck!