Forum:

flowers

June 2024 Upate: How can I pamper an antique rose?

Matt McSpadden

gardener

Posts: 2907

Location: Central Maine (Zone 5a)

1465

I like...

posted 2 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

At my old house there were some antique roses that smelled better than any flower I have ever smelled. For a lot of reasons that are irrelevant to this post, I dug them up in January and replanted them at my new house the next day. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I got as much of the roots as I could. There were 5 plants, and they got fairly squished by my boys sledding over them before I realized it. Three of them are turning green and appear to have buds forming. Two have partially broken stems. One is intact, though crooked.

I don't have any chance to go back and see if there are any more plants at the old house, and I REALLY want these to survive so that I can clone them later. Normally I tend to just let plants go and not bother fertilizing them, but in this case I would make an exception. I know roses are a bit different than your average vegetable, so I was hoping someone could give me some advice on how to pamper them a bit this year, in order to get them healthy enough to take cuttings from down the road.

"When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind." C.S. Lewis
Visit https://themaineingredient.com for organic, premium dried culinary herbs that are grown, processed, and packaged in the USA.

greg mosser

gardener

Posts: 1793

Location: the mountains of western nc

570

I like...

posted 2 years ago

3
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

they really like potassium. they’d probably happily take all the banana peels you could mulch them with.

Matt McSpadden

gardener

Posts: 2907

Location: Central Maine (Zone 5a)

1465

I like...

posted 2 years ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I forgot to add a picture of what I am trying to save.

rose.jpeg

Matt McSpadden

gardener

Posts: 2907

Location: Central Maine (Zone 5a)

1465

I like...

posted 2 years ago

1
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Thanks greg.

We eat bananas, so I could easily add some of those. Thanks.

Luke Mitchell

gardener

Posts: 586

Location: Pembrokeshire, UK

437

I like...

posted 2 years ago

1
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Another useful source of potassium - one many of us have in abundance - is wood ash. Be sparing when using it as too much will clump together when wet (and will turn into a heavily akaline, cuastic lye). I add mine to the compost heap but you could mix a little with compost and apply it that way.

Small-holding, coppice and grassland management on a 16-acre site.

PEP - BB80 Badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by gir bot

oddball - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Haasl

Matt McSpadden

gardener

Posts: 2907

Location: Central Maine (Zone 5a)

1465

I like...

posted 2 years ago

4
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Thanks again for that good advice... life happened, and weeds came in, and I thought only one stem survived. I was getting a little bummed about it and never got around to do anything.

I was walking by the garden yesterday and noticed the one stem leafing out. I then noticed rose leaves in several other places. Come to find out 4 of the 5 roots I dug up, had sprouted, but from the roots not the stems. I was so excited i weeded the whole patch, cut out the dead stems, and added some compost. What do you guys think?

20230623_182251_resized_2.jpg

20230623_182253_resized_2.jpg

20230623_182256_resized_2.jpg

Matt McSpadden

gardener

Posts: 2907

Location: Central Maine (Zone 5a)

1465

I like...

posted 2 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Update:

The one stem that survived (as opposed to the new ones growing from the roots) developed a bud. I was so excited. It started opening slowly, and I would go check on it daily. The day it opened all the way into a pretty pink flower... I forgot my phone to take a picture. The next day the Japanese beetles had eaten it down to the stem :(... Didn't even get to enjoy it for two days. The rest of the plants seem healthy, though there is a lot of holes from the Japanese beetles. I pick them when I can, but boy do they love those roses.

I have heard of the soil innoculant, something like milky spore, as a way of helping with Japanese beetles. Obviously picking them off manually too. Any other natural or organic methods that you have had success with to keep away or kill Japanese beetles?

Matt McSpadden

gardener

Posts: 2907

Location: Central Maine (Zone 5a)

1465

I like...

posted 1 year ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

So... apparently they did not need as much pampering as I thought. These guys ended up being pretty tough. I have done no weeding or really anything this year, and I have a bumper crop of roses. So beautiful and sweet smelling. I think roses should smell good... not smell like nothing.

20240626_200401.jpg

20240626_200408.jpg

20240626_200414.jpg

I RELEASE YOU! (for now .... ) Feel free to peruse this tiny ad:

montana community seeking 20 people who are gardeners or want to be gardeners

https://permies.com/t/359868/montana-community-seeking-people-gardeners