Many rose growers like to retire and enjoy the fruits of their labor in August. But now is the time to start planning for the fall. You can fertilize your roses one more time, but not after August 15. Foliar fertilization can continue into September. The point is to avoid new succulent growth that won’t have time to harden off before it freezes. If you have pruned and cleaned the shrubs properly, you should have little or no black spot disease. If you cut off the faded blooms and water the beds well, the rose bushes should grow taller and wider in preparation for a spectacular bloom in September. What rose care should be done in August, we explain in this article!
Should the temperatures drop and the nights become cooler, the buds will have time to develop into larger and more beautiful flowers. Together with the nourishment available to the rose bushes from the lush greenery, this can only lead to a wonderful and colorful display of blooms. Now is the time to tackle any projects you might need for the winter.
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Rose care in August: fertilizing
It’s time to fertilize ornamental plants for the third and final time this growing season. Roses should be fertilized in August, but no later than August 15, as the dormant season begins in late August. Dig a shallow circle around each rose bush and add a cup of organic fertilizer. Water thoroughly. When you are done fertilizing and watering, go back and water again – a half gallon per bush. Fertilize miniature roses with no more than one cup of fertilizer. Always water thoroughly. They don’t need as much fertilizer – and you don’t want to burn the roots.
Roses need plenty of water and fertilizer during the season. The abundance of blooms is the reward! If your roses have pale green foliage, weak, spindly stems, and small flowers that start at the bottom of the plant, the rose bush may be nitrogen deficient. Nitrogen is necessary for plant cell growth and respiration.
Continue to water the plants
Perhaps you have yellow leaves on your rose bushes this time of year? This could be due to the humidity in our area, or if the yellow leaves are at the bottom of the bush, they may be older leaves. Pick off any yellow leaves on the rose bushes and any in the ground around the bush. With good watering, new leaves will soon appear. August is usually hot and dry. You should water the plants one inch per bush per week. Two inches is better. Continue watering roses until mid-October if there is insufficient rainfall.
Check for diseases and pests
Care for roses in August must also be carried out in terms of diseases. Check your roses in August for spider mites on the lower leaves of rose bushes. The leaves will have a lighter color as the mites suck out the sap. Spray under the leaves from the bottom to halfway up the rose bush with a garden hose. Spider mites usually do not linger at the top of the bush. Spray again in three days and again in three days. In 9 days you should have broken their breeding cycle. Check in a week or two to see if the mites have returned. If they have, repeat the above procedure. Generally, the spider mites will be gone by early September unless there are very warm days.
Warm days in late August and September with cool nights may favor powdery mildew. If weather permits, spray weekly. Organic growers use milk and baking soda with success. Simply mix a pint of milk with two tablespoons of baking soda in five gallons of water and spray liberally over foliage and stems. This remedy can be used throughout the year. You should be able to avoid black spot and powdery mildew problems.
If your rose bush looked healthy last week and you suddenly notice a cane with wilted leaves, it is most likely canker. If the cane is not green but dark in color, you should cut the canker out of the rose bush. Cut down to the part of the cane where it is green. In some cases, this may extend to the ground. Crab canker is usually caused by damage to the rose bush.
Remove faded flowers
Continue to remove faded flowers . Faded flowers should be cut off 4 inches above the highest fifth petal. A new “eye” will form in the axil of the fifth petal, which will produce the new rosebush. Faded flowers should not be cut during the second week of September. This is another process of hardening the rose bush for the winter. It is okay to cut roses to take home or share with others. Leave some of the flowers on the rose bush. If the petals fall off the flower, it is a rosehip and should be left on the bush. It is okay to cut off a few rose hips for decoration.
Mulch rose beds in August
During the hot days of August, it is very helpful to mulch the rose bed . Try a two to three inch layer of compost, dry grass clippings (fresh or green clippings remove nitrogen from the soil) or dry cow manure. Adding dry mulch will keep weeds out and retain water in the soil.
Rose care in August: pruning
Roses that were not pruned in July can still be pruned until mid-August. In very cold areas, pruning does not need to be done until the end of August. Plants that were pruned in July will sprout and corrective pruning can be done. Pay attention to which eyes have sprouted heavily and cut them back. Competing shoots will also be easier to spot and can be cut out.
Care climbing roses in August
Care for roses in August must also be carried out for climbing roses. To make room for new growth, older branches can be removed and the remaining shoots from the previous season can be tied to a support as horizontally as possible. Tying them horizontally activates all the eyes along the stem, which then form shoots and flowers. The result is many more flowers than if the stems are allowed to grow upright, resulting in flowers appearing only at the end of a stem. If you tie the stems to a support, don’t tighten them too much, as the stems will thicken as the season progresses. The stems can also be tied to other stems, not just the supports.
Once the main shoots are tied, the side shoots on each stem can be reduced to about 10-20 cm. If you leave a stump with 2-3 eyes, the new growth will develop quickly and the best flowers will come from these shoots. You should not hesitate to cut off excess shoots or side shoots. If possible, also remove the leaves.
