Spring rose care and finger pruning demos

Water deeply and often because the roses are growing so fast that their uptake of water is massive.

Watering well in September allows the roses to grow to their maximum potential, establish a strong root system and produce new basal shoots that produce the best blooms.

Stems will stretch and form healthy, full buds to provide quality picking roses.

How much? While this depends on the temperature and the soil type, our recommendation is deep watering (40 minutes) two to three times a week.

Top up with fertiliser because the rapid growth also takes up nutrients and roses need a good balance, with a high proportion of potassium, to flower well. Fertilise towards the middle of September with 30g Vigorosa for hybrid teas, floribunda and bush roses, and double that amount for Panarosa, Spire and Climbing Roses.

If the controlled-release fertiliser Vigo-Longer was worked into the soil after pruning there is no need to fertilise, however the added “sweetener” of Vigorosa will give them an extra kick.

Safeguard blooms against thrips which have become the biggest “spoiler” and have spread countrywide. These tiny insects suck the moisture out of the new shoots and buds, leaving them deformed and small.

The best protection against thrips is the systemic Koinor that is applied as a drench to each rose bush. The roses will be protected for up to six months.

Bring your questions and pick up rose-growing tips

8 September: Ludwig’s Roses Egoli, 97 Lachlan Road, Glenferness, at 10.30am. Telephone 081-715-5110

9 September: Ludwig’s Rose Farm, Wallmansthal, at 10.30am. Telephone 012-544-0144

Finger prune hybrid tea roses to flower for longer. This simply involves pinching off the tips of a third of the new shoots with your fingers. This is done in early September, just before the new shoots form flower buds.

9 September: Ludwig’s Roses Pretoria East, Lynnwood Road, at 2pm. Telephone 012-941-9251

22 September: Ludwig’s Roses Big Red Barn, M18 Glen Road, between Irene and Clayville, at 10am. Telephone 081-410-0096.

Select new shoots that might be in competition with each other and pinch out the tip of one of them. Also pinch out those that look weak or are growing to the inside of the bush.

The newly pinched stems will flower about two weeks after the stems that were not finger pruned. This breaks the flowering cycle for the rest of the season and there should not be a day without one bloom on the bush.

Finger pruning is not needed for climbers, Colourscape varieties, Icebergs and most of the floribundas.

Revisit your pruning. It is now clear where new sprouting is taking place and where stems are too close together. Ideally, stems should be 20cm (the length of your secateurs) apart so they have space. Corrective pruning removes the superfluous stems, or those that are too close together.

Cut to a well-developed new shoot and not into the bare wood.