The southern beauty is a climbing rose heat-loving and moody. Growing it in temperate latitudes is not an easy task. But few plants can compete with her for the beauty of flowers and the elegance of leaves. Gardeners are willing to do much to see the waterfalls of magnificent flowers falling from the walls, arches and arbors, with which the climbing roses delight their eyes. Preparing for winter is a responsible event, without which these plants will freeze during the first severe frosts.
Prepare your sleigh in summer
Roses do not enter into a state of natural rest as a result of prolonged selection of varieties. They meet winter leafy, which does not add to their frost resistance. They can easily withstand a short-term drop in temperature to -5 ...- 7 ° C, but if a thaw occurs in winter, already at zero degrees they start to grow. Both ordinary and climbing roses have this feature . Preparing for the winter for them should begin long before its onset.
The right fertilizer
In order for the shoots to mature well and strengthen enough, the plant is fertilized several times during the season. The last nitrogen fertilizing roses should receive no later than July. Since August, they can’t be brought in to prevent the growth of new foliage. How to fertilize climbing roses from the end of summer? Preparation for winter with the help of trace elements is the introduction of phosphorus and potassium.
Strengthening top dressing is used from the beginning of August. The first time a solution is introduced in which 20 g of superphosphate, 3 g of boric acid and 10 g of potassium sulfate are added to a bucket of water . Consumption - 10 liters per 4 m 2 .
The second top dressing is done in a month. It can be root or made on a sheet. 15 g of potassium sulfate and superphosphate are added to a bucket of water.
For foliar feeding, the concentration should be three times lower.
With the advent of autumn, earthworks around the bushes cease: loosening, digging and watering. This is done so as not to awaken the sleeping buds in the fall , not to weaken the already tender climbing roses.
Preparation for winter includes the complete removal of leaves before shelter. During wintering, they dry up and rot, which can cause the development of diseases.
How to prune a climbing rose
In the vast majority of varieties, flower buds are laid on the overwintered shoots of last year. If you cut them in the fall, then there will be no flowering. However, over the season the plant produces many powerful shoots up to 2-3 m in length, and putting them under cover is an impossible task. So to remove part of the lashes in the fall is a must.
The main corrective work is carried out in the spring. In autumn, the lashes are cut minimally, since it is not known how much during the cold time the climbing rose will suffer from frost and warming . Pruning for the winter should be carried out taking into account the characteristics of the variety and thickening of the bush.
Too young, weak and unripe shoots are cut. The old hard-bent branches and unripened tops are removed. The lateral shoots extending from the main stems and some conductors are shortened.
If the bush is very thickened, you can leave 11-12 promising shoots, cut the rest. If less than 10 shoots are formed on the plant, they cannot be removed.
Climbing roses include many species, and the degree of autumn pruning varies by variety. It is better to leave the lashes in the fall with a margin in case of aging or freezing in the cold.