How to Grow Roses

Acclimation Steps for Potted Plants

If you receive new plants or trees from Stark Bro’s in a pot that have already begun to grow tender, leafy foliage, it’s likely that they were cultivated in our greenhouses. To ensure these plants and trees are acclimatized (or hardened off) before planting outdoors, we recommend following these steps:

• Once your plants and trees arrive, unbox them and leave them in the pots they arrived in. Place them in a semi-shaded spot outdoors, such as a back porch, for a day or so. Then, move them to a sunnier area. While you should water your plants upon arrival, it’s also essential to allow the soil to dry out to promote the hardening-off process.

• Keep an eye on the foliage; if you notice signs of leaf injury before planting, move those plants or trees to a more shaded area with filtered sunlight and protection from harsh winds. Adequate air movement is crucial for hardening off the plant outdoors. Cool air helps toughen the tender new growth, but bring plants back inside at night if temperatures are expected to drop to or below freezing.

• After acclimating your plants and trees for 2-3 days, and if the weather conditions are suitable, you can plant them in their permanent location outdoors. Your new plants and trees should be able to handle conditions, provided that soil temperatures remain above 50ºF. Planting on a cloudy day will typically yield the best results.

It’s worth noting that these are general recommendations. Your specific growing environment may require some slight adjustments to these guidelines since different plants may take more or less time to harden off. External factors such as weather conditions, individual plants, and your location can also impact the process. If outdoor conditions are too harsh, it’s best to keep your potted plants near a sunny window, water them, and treat them like houseplants. You can then begin the process of hardening off your plants when the weather improves.

Sun and Good Soil

Your plant would love a sunny place with well-drained, fertile soil. But it will be quite satisfied with six to eight hours of sunlight. Good drainage is required to keep your plant “happy.” If your soil has high clay content, use our Coco-Fiber Potting Medium or add one-third peat to the soil at planting time. We do not recommend planting in heavy, pure clay soils.

Space for Future Plantings

Once you’ve found out about growing firsthand, you’ll want to expand your home orchard. It’s important to plan so that the future growth areas will be ready when you are.

Spacing and Planting Site

Spacing of rose plants will vary by type:

• Knock out varieties: 2 to 5 feet
• Shrub: 2 to 3 feet
• Climbers: 3 to 4 feet
• Mini Flora: 2 to 3 feet

• Potted roses can be planted as soon as the danger of frost is past in spring through early fall. Consider the planting site carefully. Roses like 8 to 10 hours of sun each day, but they will tolerate some late afternoon shade.
• There should be good air movement and drainage to prevent root damage.
• Plant away from large trees or shrubs, and avoid planting under eaves and overhangs.

Planting Tips

• Bare root roses should soak in a bucket of water 1-2 hours before planting.
• Prepare the soil by digging holes a little larger than the pots.
• Form a small mound of soil in the center of the planting hole to accommodate the root system.
• Gently remove the plant from the pot and adjust the planting depth so the soil line is the same as it was in the pot.
• Amend the soil you’re returning to the hole with peat moss or other organic material.
• Fill around the plant carefully, tamping down the soil to remove air bubbles.
• Water well and fertilize with Mills Magic Rose® Mix.

When To Prepare Your Soil

Soil preparation can be done at any time that the ground is not too wet or frozen. Your trees may be planted even when temperatures are quite cool. If a hard frost is expected, it is advisable to delay planting for a while until temperatures become more moderate. Generally, as long as your soil is workable, it is fine to plant.

How To Prepare Your Soil

• Roots grow faster when they’re spread out. Dig the hole deep and wide enough so the root system has plenty of room to easily expand. Keep the topsoil in a separate pile so you can put it in the bottom of the hole, where it’ll do the most good.

• To loosen the soil, mix dehydrated cow manure, garden compost or peat moss (up to 1/3 concentration) into your pile of topsoil. Make sure the peat moss you get is either baled sphagnum or granular peat. You can also add our Coco-Fiber Potting Medium or 2 or more inches of organic material and work in evenly with the existing soil.

Your lawn can provide you with ideal organic materials such as grass clippings and shredded leaves. Not only will the grass and leaves break down to provide soil nutrients, but they will help loosen the soil as well. You can gather these in the fall with spring planting in mind.

Common soil amendments:

• compost
• sand
• manure
• lime
• peat moss

Adding organic materials, such as our Coco-Fiber Potting Medium and compost will improve most every soil type. Organic materials bind sandy soil particles so they retain moisture and nutrients better. They also break apart clay and silt particles, so that water can infiltrate and roots can spread.

Soil Types

• Clay and silt soils are made of very small particles. They feel slick and sticky when wet. Clay and silt hold moisture well, but resist water infiltration, especially when they are dry. Often puddles form on clay or silt soils, and they easily become compacted.

• Loam soil is a mix of sand, silt or clay, and organic matter. Loam soils are loose and look rich. When squeezed in your fist, moist loam will form a ball, which crumbles when poked with a finger. Loam soils normally absorb water and store moisture well. Loam soils can be sandy or clay based, and will vary in moisture absorption and retention accordingly.

• Sandy soils contain large particles that are visible to the unaided eye, and are usually light in color. Sand feels coarse when wet or dry, and will not form a ball when squeezed in your fist. Sandy soils stay loose and allow moisture to penetrate easily, but do not retain it for long-term use.

Aphids

They are the size of a pinhead vary in color depending on the species. Cluster on stems and under leaves, sucking plant juices. Leaves then curl, thicken, yellow and die. Produce large amounts of a liquid waste called “honeydew”. Aphid sticky residue becomes growth media for sooty mold.

Natural Control

• Monterey Fruit Tree Spray Plus
• Monterey Horticultural Oil
• Using your garden hose aphids can be knocked off with a strong stream of water.

Chemical Control

• Monterey Fruit Tree Spray Plus
• GardenTech® Sevin® Concentrate Bug Killer

Rose Scales

Scales usually appear in clusters and are 1/8-inch long, color varies from white, gray or brown with crusty shells. Round or oval masses appear on stems and canes. Foliage wilts, turns yellow and drops from the plant. Growth is stunted and flowers are not produced.

Natural Control

• Monterey Fruit Tree Spray Plus
• Monterey Horticultural Oil
• Prune and destroy heavily infested canes.

Chemical Control

• Monterey Fruit Tree Spray Plus
• GardenTech® Sevin® Concentrate Bug Killer

Black Spot

Disease causing defoliation and black spots on leaves and thrives in moist conditions. Twigs may also be infected. Black spots are circular with fringed margins, if severe, spots can combine to cause a large black mass, can weaken and kill plants.

Natural Control

• Monterey Liquid Copper Fungicide
• Monterey Fruit Tree Spray Plus
• Prune and destroy infested canes.

Chemical Control

• Monterey Fruit Tree Spray Plus
• Ferti-lome® Broad Spectrum Landscape & Garden Fungicide
• Hi-Yield® Captan 50W Fungicide

Powdery Mildew

Whitish-gray powdery mold or felt like patches on buds, young leaves and twigs. Leaves may crinkle and curl upward. New shoots are stunted.

Natural Control

• Monterey Liquid Copper Fungicide
• Monterey Fruit Tree Spray Plus

Crown Gall

Plants appear stunted and slow growing; leaves may be reduced in size and few buds are produced. Round growths appear at the base of the plant around 2 inches in diameter. They first appear light green and turn brown and woody as they age.

Natural Control

• Monterey Horticultural Oil

Chemical Control

• Ferti-lome® Fire Blight Spray

Rust

Infection begins in spring and produces orange stage of disease and is occasionally found on new spears. Appears as small raised spot, yellow or pale orange, in concentric ring pattern. Spores are airborne to new growth where brick red pustules are formed on all parts. May turn yellow or brown, defoliate and die back. In fall the spores turn black and will over winter. Rust causes reduced plant vigor and reduced yields.

Natural Control

• Monterey Fruit Tree Spray Plus
• Prune and destroy all infected leaves, including on the ground.
• Using your garden hose aphids can be knocked off with a strong stream of water.

Spider Mites

Pinpoint size, many different colors. Found on undersides of leaves. Severe infestations have some silken webbing. Sap feeding causes bronzing of leaves.

Natural Control

• Monterey Fruit Tree Spray Plus

Chemical Control

• GardenTech® Sevin® Concentrate Bug Killer

Spot Anthracnose

Small red, brown or purple spots develop on leaves. Center of spots dry out and fall out of the leaves and leaf eventually turns yellow and falls from plant.

Natural Control

• Monterey Liquid Copper Fungicide

Chemical Control

• Ferti-lome® Broad Spectrum Landscape & Garden Fungicide

Botrytis Blight

Also called gray mold spreads in moist air and cool conditions. Rosebuds fail to open and are covered with a grayish brown fuzzy mold. Open flowers are speckled with yellow or brown dots and lower petals are wilted and brown. The stems below infected flowers become discolored.

Chemical Control

• Ferti-lome® Broad Spectrum Landscape & Garden Fungicide
• Hi-Yield® Captan 50W Fungicide

Leafhoppers

Various colors and similar to aphids this small, active, slender-winged insects are usually found on the underside of leaves. Retard growth, leaves become whitened, stippled or mottled. Tips may wither and die. This insect carries virus of certain very harmful plant diseases.

Natural Control

• Monterey Fruit Tree Spray Plus

Chemical Control

• GardenTech® Sevin® Concentrate Bug Killer

Thrips

Tiny, slender, fringed wing insects ranging from 1/25 to 1/8” long. Nymphs are pale yellow and highly active and adults are usually black or yellow-brown, but may have red, black or white markings. Feed on large variety of plants by puncturing them and sucking up the contents. Leaves and petals will have brown streaks and buds and flowers will be deformed.

Natural Control

• Monterey Fruit Tree Spray Plus

Chemical Control

• GardenTech® Sevin® Concentrate Bug Killer

Downy Mildew

Purple to red or brown irregular spots appear on young leaves with whitish to gray downy spots on the underside of leaves. Usually occurring in cool, moist spring conditions. Over-winters on fallen leaves, so fall clean up is vital.

Natural Control

• Monterey Liquid Copper Fungicide

Leaf spot

These fungi cause circular, or angular spots, variable in size having beige centers surrounded by a red zone. When affected tissue dies, it may drop out, leaving large ragged holes in the foliage. Fungi overwinter in infected plant debris and in infected propagation stock.

Natural Control

• Monterey Liquid Copper Fungicide
• Monterey Fruit Tree Spray Plus

Chemical Control

• Ferti-lome® Broad Spectrum Landscape & Garden Fungicide

Leafcutter Bees

Small bees that vary in color cut holes near the edges of leaves. Usually make their nest in dead twigs that accumulate, using the leaf tissue to line the nest and cap their egg cells. Remove dead twigs and other debris and cut out dead stems.

Control

• Consult County Extension Agent

Canker

Appears as sunken area on canes, yellow, red or brown in color. May have purple margin around area. Leaves are sometimes spotted yellow or wilting and stems may die back. Can occur throughout the year but usually during humid, wet weather.

Natural Control

• Monterey Liquid Copper Fungicide

Rose Slugs

Appear as pale green worms with large brown head, around ¾ inch long. They feed on the surface of the leaves leaving small holes between the veins with remaining tissue turning brown. Eventually entire leaf may be chewed except for the main vein.

Natural Control

• Monterey Fruit Tree Spray Plus

Pruning Tips

• Remove any broken, dead, weak, crossing or diseased branches.
• Remove dead wood to the nearest bud. The center of the stem should be white and healthy. If not, remove the entire branch or cane to the base of the plant.
• Remove one third of the oldest, woodiest stems by cutting them back the crown. This allows for new growth.
• Do not remove more than one third of the canopy height.
• Shape the plant as desired.

Before you begin, read and follow all instructions on labels.

When To Spray

At the First Sign of:

• Monterey Liquid Copper Fungicide for anthracnose, black spot, downy and powdery mildews, leaf spot and stem canker.

• Monterey Fruit Tree Spray Plus for aphids, scales, black spot, powdery mildew, rust, spider mites, leafhoppers, thrips, leaf spot and rose slugs.

• Ferti-lome® Fire Blight Spray for crown gall.

• Hi-Yield® Captan 50W Fungicide for black spot and botrytis blight.

• Serenade® Garden Disease Control for black spot, powdery mildew, rust, anthracnose, botrytis blight, downy mildew and leaf spot.

• GardenTech® Sevin® Concentrate Bug Killer for aphids and scale insects, spider mites, thrips and more.

Spring Bud Break (New Growth)

• Ferti-lome® Broad Spectrum Landscape & Garden Fungicide for black spot, anthracnose, botrytis blight and leaf spot.

Green Tip (through the delayed dormant stages)

• Monterey Horticultural Oil for scale insects, certain aphids and gall.

Winterizing Tips

• To protect the bud union, you can use mulch or garden soil and pile it up around the bush at least one foot, after the first hard frost. (In planting Zone 4: your first frost can be anytime during September. Zone 5: first frost can be as early as late September.) You can put a tomato cage over the rose bush and stuff it full of leaves, then wrap it with burlap.
• You may need to wait until the ground begins to freeze over, but long canes or climbers on bushes can be tied back to prevent “wind rock.” Pull the canes back as close together as possible, without pulling them hard enough to damage them, then tie them loosely together. Use a strip of soft fabric (a narrow strip of fleece or tear a strip from a worn-out sheet), or your local nursery probably offers rolls of self-gripping tape. Then you will have a more compact bush to protect, and your rose bush will be easily kept from the harm of winter injury.
• Do not prune your rose bushes or give fertilizers in the fall– you do not want to encourage new growth, which would then suffer from winter weather exposure.
• After their leaves fall off, container plants can be moved inside to an unheated shed, basement or garage… and a little water should be given monthly to prevent drying out