Using mulch on the soil around the plants to retain the moisture in the soil is a good practice. Mulch will also keep down the growth of weeds and keep the soil cool. Use mulches of dry grass clipping, wood chips or straw. Mulch needs to be applied about 2-3 inches deep. Remember to replace it when it needs to be replaced. Even though using mulch is good. Organic mulch can bind up the nitrogen as they decompose, so you will need to fertilizer to prevent deficiencies in the soil.



For roses to stay healthy and strong you will need to make yourself a fertilizer schedule. This will need to be performed yearly and the schedule will vary depending on the type of roses you are growing. Check with a plant expert in your town to find out, what type of fertilizer schedule you will need for your roses. As a rule of thumb general-purpose fertilizers like the 10-10-10 or the 12-12-12 are usually adequate. The ration is ? to 1 full cup per plant. You will spread the fertilizer in a band starting 6? from the base of the plant and spread the band until it is 18? from the base of the plant. Your fertilizer will be a band around the plant will be 12? wide. Work it lightly into the soil and then water. Some roses will benefit from a second application after the spring bloom period ends. Then you can fertilize one more time in mid July for nonstop blooms or repeat-blooming roses. Never apply fertilizer after August; you do not want to encourage growth, which could be easily damaged during winter. Roses can be fertilized in the fall after the plant lay dormant. This fertilizer will not encourage growth, but will be there when they do start growing again in the spring. To increase hardiness during the winter fertilize with fertilizers high in potassium.

You can also use a timed fertilizer. They will release their nutrients slowly during the season and will finish in about 8 months, which will depend on the formula used in the fertilizer. These timed fertilizers will release there nutrients, but it will depend on the condition of the soil's moisture and temperature. These fertilizers are usually applied in May. You will use about ? cup per plant.

When pruning your roses, you may want to make this an every day task. You can dead-head your plant by making a cut above a 5 or 6-leaflet leaf with the cut at an angle facing outward. The purpose is to remove fading flowers before they make seeds. You will do this only if you have a healthy vigorous plant. If you have a weak or small plant, you may not want to remove that much wood. Removing wood is removing a part of the food making material.

If you have roses with hips, you will not want to remove the blooms by cutting them. You can just remove them with your hands and leave the hips still attached to the plant. You should not cut on your rose bushes after October 1 to give the plant a chance to begin to sturdy up for the winter.