Content
The standard form of plants attracts attention with its unusualness. But standard roses are considered the most spectacular. They have every twig, leaf, bud and flower in sight. And the plant itself resembles a huge bouquet on a thin stem.
But it is the shape that confuses novice gardeners when they have to cover rose bushes for the winter. Without such a procedure, plants are not able to survive in central Russia. How to cover a standard rose for the winter will be discussed in the article. In addition, we will present to your attention a video in which experienced gardeners will share their secrets.
Proper planting is the key to wintering
If you decide to plant a standard rose on your site (popularly called standard roses), then first it is best to watch a video about the rules of placement and preparation for winter.
How to prepare roses for winter:
The fact is that already during landing you need to accurately determine the direction of bending the trunk in front of the shelter.
There are a number of rules that you need to pay attention to:
- It is not advisable to plant standard roses next to buildings, because problems will arise when laying down the crown for the winter.
- You cannot plant bushes with their cones facing the path. Firstly, standard roses will interfere with movement.Secondly, especially if the garden paths are covered with concrete, the plants freeze to the bone; no shelter can save them.
Care before shelter
In order for the shelter of standard roses to be successful, and for fragrant rose bushes to bloom on the site next season, the plants need to be prepared for wintering.
- In the last ten days of August, standard roses need to be fed so that the plants gain enough strength for wintering. You need to “forget” about fertilizers containing nitrogen until spring in July, so that new shoots do not form that do not have time to ripen before sheltering. At this time, standard roses, like all representatives of a large family, need potassium-phosphorus supplements. Thanks to them, plants’ shoots ripen faster, the root system is strengthened and frost resistance increases.
- Already in September, standard roses stop being watered. After the 15th, foliage and buds are removed. Leaves are pruned gradually over several days. But if rose bushes grow in the country, and it is not possible to deal with them on weekdays, then you can trim the leaves at one time. Fallen leaves from standard roses need to be raked out from under the bush, as pathogens or insects may remain on them.
- The next stage before shelter is pruning. The shoots of the trunks are shortened, as well as the branches that have grown inside the bush. If there are shoots on a rose bush that have not had time to ripen or are damaged, then they need to be removed.
- In October, the soil under standard roses is loosened so that enough oxygen reaches the roots and sprayed with iron sulfate or Bordeaux mixture. Moreover, you need to treat every centimeter of plants and the soil around them.
- Every rose bush needs to be hilled.The height of the ridge must be at least 20 cm, and the grafting site must be covered. Hilling promotes high aeration of the root system. In addition, soft soil does not freeze as much in winter. Moreover, hilling is carried out on dry soil so as not to provoke the growth of new shoots of standard roses before shelter for the winter.
The time to prepare the trunks for wintering is indicated approximately. In each region you need to rely on meteorological reports. Even in the same region, winter begins at different times every year. Standard roses are finally covered for the winter, when the night temperature drops to -5-7 degrees.
Sheltering roses for the winter
Covering methods
The trunks are covered in almost the same way as other types of roses. There are different ways:
- Covering with spruce branches or leaves of other plants. Let us immediately note that for harsh winters this method of protecting standard roses is not always effective.
- The air-dry method involves installing a frame and insulation with various non-woven materials. The ends are not closed immediately, but only when temperatures drop to -10 degrees. If enough snow falls, then such a shelter saves standard roses even in severe frosts.
Shelter step by step
A standard rose is obtained by grafting varietal plants onto a rosehip rootstock. Such plants are considered frost-resistant. But the grafted part is the most painful place. It is she who can suffer from frost. Therefore, the trunks require protection. We’ll tell you step by step how to cover a standard rose for the winter and give you the opportunity to watch a video.
Step one - bending the plant
If the rose is a first year, then bending it to the ground before sheltering it for the winter will not be difficult.But what about older trunks, which, due to low temperatures in winter, cannot be covered in a vertical position?
Firstly, such work must be done gradually, accustoming the barrel to a new position. A hole is dug in the direction of the plant's slope, being careful not to damage the root system. although, according to experienced gardeners, this does not harm the plants, since standard plants will successfully grow their root system in the spring. Then we slightly bend the standard rose and fix it with some material, for example, staples, so that it does not take on a vertical position again. The next day we bend it down again, and so on until the plant is pressed to the ground.
The standard rose must be bent correctly, away from the scion, as shown in the figure. The lump serves as a guide.
If you act in the opposite direction, the barrel will break. As a result, the crown of the standard rose should end up on the ground.
Step two
Then a hole is buried at the base of the trunk, the root system is hilled up, and the stem is fixed with a bracket. You need to put something strong under the trunk at the root so that it does not break under the weight of the snow. This could be a log or a bottle, depending on the size of the plants.
Step three - covering
Leaves or spruce branches must be placed under the crown. The top of the shoots is also covered.
In winter, the shelter is relatively warm, so rodents often hide under shelter from frost. Naturally, they can nibble on roses.To prevent this from happening, plants are sprayed with iron sulfate before wintering. But to be on the safe side, it is better to place poisonous drugs or naphthalene under the crown.
Step four - choosing material for covering
Each gardener decides what to do next at his own discretion. You can install arcs or a frame in the form of a house with roses, and throw non-woven material on top.
You can do it differently: cover the insulated crown with a large cardboard box.
The main thing is that precipitation does not get under the shelter. At first, the roses are not covered tightly and leave holes. When the temperature drops to -7 degrees, all holes are sealed.
Many gardeners in the middle zone make the mistake of covering rose bushes by not insulating the stem itself. In recent years, snow has fallen late or in insufficient quantities. And the frosts do their insidious work: frost holes appear on the trunk, and in the spring the rose does not please the eye with the green foliage, not to mention the flowers. Therefore, at the last stage of shelter, the trunk is also insulated. Throw any covering material on top.
Another way
If the roses are not tall, no more than 80 cm, and the climatic conditions are not too harsh, then they can not be bent down, covered in a vertical position. The bushes are sure to spud. A bag without a bottom is put on the crown and tied at the grafting site. Then they are filled with foliage or spruce branches.
The bag is tied on top and waterproof material is thrown over it. Before the onset of frost, wrap it in spunbond.
We cover the trunks:
Conclusion
Never be fooled by sellers' claims about the frost resistance of roses unless you live in the south.It’s better to play it safe so that in the spring your garden is decorated with such huge bouquets of roses on thin legs.
By the way, resistance to cold depends on the color of the buds. The most fragile roses in this regard are those with yellow flowers, followed by white ones. But the trunks with red and pink flowers are the hardiest.
