Climbing roses can be a wonderful decoration for pergolas, trellises and fences. However, in order for them to grow vigorously and bloom wonderfully in our gardens, it is necessary to perform appropriate care treatments in spring, enabling them to quickly regenerate after winter. Due to their specificity, climbing roses require a slightly different treatment than roses growing in a shrub form. See what the care of climbing roses looks like in spring!
Climbing roses are a wonderful decoration for pergolas, grilles and fences
For proper growth and abundant flowering, climbing roses require appropriatepruningandfertilization In winter, some shoots may freeze, not only due to low air temperatures, but also strong, frosty winds. Therefore, the first thing we should do in order to regenerate climbing roses in spring is pruning. We do it right after removing the winter covers from the shrubs. The method of performing this procedure depends on whether we are dealing with a variety that flowers only once or with a variety that repeats flowering.
Cutting climbing roses in spring
Climbing roses that bloom once a season are ramblers, while those that repeat flowering are climbers. Roses of the typeramblersbloom extremely profusely, but on last year's shoots. So they cannot be strongly pruned in spring because they will not bloom. After winter, remove only frozen shoots and shorten damaged ones. We perform the main cut in summer, right after flowering. The oldest shoots are then cut at the base. And since a mature plant produces a lot of young and strong shoots, we leave them to bloom next year.
Stems of climbing roses should be cut slightly obliquely, about 0.5 - 1 cm above the bud
Roses of the typeclimbersset flowers on both last year's and this year's shoots, therefore, among the varieties of this type of roses, pruning should be made to ensure balance. Perform the main pruning in the spring, cutting out the oldest 1-2 shoots at the base and those that are weak. On the remaining shoots, trim all the branches above the 2-5 bud. The thinner shoots are shortened more strongly, and the thicker ones are weaker. In summer, a corrective cut is made by removing the shoots that thicken the bush or grow to its center.
Remember that removingfaded inflorescencesaccelerates their re-sprinkling up to two weeks. We also remove as soon as possible
root suckersthat grow out of the rootstocks. Always use a sharp secateurs for cutting, so as not to injure the bushes. The cutting technique also matters.The shoot should be cut slightly diagonally about 0.5-1 cm above the bud.
Climbing roses are primitive climbers, they do not cling to supports, but only support them. Therefore, remember to bind them
Care for climbing roses in spring
Climbing roses are primitive climbers, they do not cling to supports, but support them. Therefore, we do not forget about theirtying . It should be done gently so that the string does not cut into young shoots growing thicker.
The vertical fastening of these vines to the supports makes them bloom only at the tops of the shoots. In order for the rose to shine with abundant flowers, its shoots must be tieddiagonally or horizontally , then the formation of new flower buds is stimulated.
Repeat flowering roses are tied flat to the support of the climber, so they produce a lot of side shoots on which flowers appear.
Fertilizing climbing roses in spring
Rose bushes require regular fertilization from the first year after planting. It takes a lot of energy for them to bloom repeatedly in the summer. Therefore, you must not forget to provide them with the necessary nutrients. Fertilizers need to be used wisely, however, as excess fertilization will cause exuberant growth and will generally weaken the plant, making it more susceptible to disease attacks. Depending on the season and the needs of our roses, different types of fertilizers (organic and mineral) can be used.
Tie the shoots of climbing roses very gently so that the string does not injure the plant
If you decide to use organic fertilizers, you can use them in spring and autumn. They release nutrients slowly, while in winter the microorganisms are not very active and there is no loss of nutrients. However, the manure applied in spring must be well distributed, otherwise it may damage our shrubs.If we use compost, remember to use he althy, pathogen-free plant material for its production. The deadlines for feeding roses with compost or cattle manure are February-March, May-June, October-November.
If you choose mineral fertilization, you can use long-acting fertilizers, eg Osmocote. We use this type of fertilizer in one dose because they gradually and slowly release nutrients into the soil.
When using fast-acting fertilizers, we use two doses. The first in spring (March - April) during the flowering period, and the second in full flowering (June - July). As of mid-July, nitrogen fertilization is no longer used. They will excessively stimulate the plant to develop shoots, which will not have time to wood before winter, which will make them sensitive to frost. From August to September, the dose of potassium and magnesium fertilizer is indicated.
In order for the fertilizer to be effectively used by the plant, gentlywaterthe place where it is supplied with water, then the nutrients will begin to be released near the root zone of the plant without any problems.
MSc Eng. Katarzyna Bańcerowska
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