Soil+Preparation

To prepare the soil there are certain basic things you should know and check before planting your roses such as:

 · Roses need a pH of about 6.5 in the soil. This is slightly acid soil. · Roses can grow in any soil, but they do seem partial to clay. However, there are three characteristics the soil must have; drainage, humus and the soil must be rich in nutrients or natural plant food. · Consider the micro-climate where the rose is to be placed. Roses need protection from drying winds. They need lots of sun and they need the air to flow freely around them. · Humus conditions in the soil it’s important to allow air and water to penetrate it easily. · Roses need nutrients from four basic “food groups”; nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and calcium. There are more to mention, but we don't need to worry about them in soil preparation. · Check the drainage. If unsure of how to check it, then dig a test hole about 12in deep and fill it with water. If it still has water in it in a couple of days, then it's obviously not draining well. · Weeding before plant your first rose. · Clay is consistently recommended mostly because of its ability to hold more water, thus making it less likely that the rose will dry out and because most roses are propagated by budding the desired variety onto a rootstock.

Now that we know these basic things we can begin to prepare the soil:

· Dig a hole 60cm wide and 60cm deep. If the topsoil is useable, separate it from the sand as it can be re-used in the hole. · Mix together a mixture that contains 2 parts topsoil, 2 parts compost, 1 part manure or buy a Soil improver, Landscaping or Rose Soil mix from a Landscape supply place. About 100 litres per planting hole is recommended. · A layer of manure can be placed at the bottom of the hole and then the hole filled with the above soil mix. · Place one handful slow release fertilizer at 20cm depth from the top where the roots of the newly planted rose will be situated. · Soak the soil thoroughly and lightly compact. · Now plant rose in this mix with surface of the plant even with the surface of the prepared area eg. Graft union about 5 to 10 cm above soil level. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Water every day for the first six month from October onwards up to 10 litres per day during warm weather is recommended for strong deep root development. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Enjoy the beautiful roses!


 * **Researched by:** Carolina Arevalo
 * **Edited by:** Ross L. Young

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