Content
Some gardeners do not dare to plant roses on their plot, fearing the difficulties of caring for the capricious beauty. But some varieties of roses are undemanding, do not require shelter for the winter, caring for them is simple and accessible to everyone.
Description
Polyanthus roses bloom profusely all summer and part of the fall until frost. Rose bushes are abundantly covered with small, bright flowers.
The main advantages of polyanthus roses:
- Highly decorative bushes;
- Long flowering;
- Frost resistance;
- No thorns;
- Good immunity;
- Undemanding to soil composition;
- Shade tolerance.
Bushes are used to decorate borders and ridges. Can be used as a houseplant, grown in pots and containers.
Characteristic
The bush is low, up to 50 cm in height, highly branched. The flowers are simple or double, small in size, up to 4 cm in diameter. Most often red or pink, less often white. They have no smell. The flowers are collected in large inflorescences; one brush can contain up to 50 buds.
The leaves are small, with ciliated stipules, glossy, dark green.
In the rainy, cool season, flowers may suffer from powdery mildew.
Landing
Polyantha roses will grow and bloom in any conditions, but in order to get bright, abundant flowering bushes, as in the photo, you need to know the rules of planting and care.
Polyanthus rose bushes are not afraid of high acidity of the soil, but these flowers develop best on loose, well-fertilized soil with neutral acidity.
The best place for planting polyanthus rose bushes is sunny and well-ventilated. These roses grow well in partial shade, but the branches of the bushes can stretch and sag under the weight of flowering brushes. In this case, it is necessary to make supports for the bushes.
The size of the planting hole is determined based on the size of the root system of the flowers. The roots of the bushes should be located freely in it; they should not be rolled up or bent.
Before planting the bushes, add the following to the planting hole:
- Mature humus;
- A glass of wood ash;
- Complex of microelements;
- Sand.
Humus must be checked for the presence of fungal spores. If a white coating is noticeable on certain parts of the substrate, such humus must be thoroughly dried in the sun before use, only then can it be used as a fertilizer for growing flowers.
Complex fertilizers, especially nitrogen ones, must be applied strictly according to the instructions. Excess nitrogen in the soil can harm flowers. It is advisable to choose fertilizers marked “for roses”.
Sand is added only to heavy, clay soils. The amount of sand is determined depending on the density of the soil. Sandy soils do not require application.
The basic rule is that the size of the above-ground part of the flowers should be equal to the underground part.
After planting flowers, you need to monitor the soil moisture, avoiding drying out and waterlogging. If there is a threat of night frosts, polyanthus rose bushes must be covered.
Care
Caring for polyanthus rose bushes is not difficult; timely watering and pruning are often enough for roses to fully develop. In some cases, bushes of these flowers may need treatment for insects and fungal infections. How to properly apply insecticides and fungicides is indicated in the instructions.
Polyantha rose bushes easily tolerate even prolonged waterlogging of the soil, but this can affect flowering. Therefore, watering the bushes is carried out only when the soil has dried well. Typically, rose bushes only need watering once a week.
It is advisable to prune the bushes several times; the first time is carried out in early spring, when the first leaves of the flowers begin to appear.
In the spring, frost-damaged branches and remnants of old leaves need to be removed from the bushes. No more than three trunks are left on the bush; they must be shortened by a third. Branches growing inside the bush are also removed.
During the growing season, you can form a bush to get a more decorative flower. If the tip of a green shoot is removed, it will begin to produce new branches. At the end of each of these shoots, a flowering brush will appear by mid-summer.
Bushes of polyanthus roses very rarely get sick, but in cool, rainy weather, spores of pathogenic fungi begin to actively multiply. If the bushes have been pruned recently, fungi can enter the flower through the fresh cut. To avoid infection, pruning bushes should only be done in dry weather.
Pests rarely cause serious damage to polyanthus rose bushes.Since the flowers of this rose are unscented, most flying insects do not notice it. Of the sucking insects, aphids most often annoy bushes. Treatment against aphids is carried out in dry, windless weather. A solution of the aphid preparation is prepared following the instructions. Usually 2 - 3 flower treatments per season are required.
Reproduction
Polyantha roses are very easy to propagate. Cuttings of these flowers take root easily; with good care, they practically never fall out. In addition to cuttings, seedlings of polyanthus roses can be obtained from seeds.
Cuttings
For cuttings from flowers, healthy green shoots up to 15 cm in size are selected. They are cut with a very sharp knife so that the cut is even, without protruding fibers. Before planting, rose cuttings can be soaked in a stimulant solution according to the instructions.
The cuttings are placed in a container with a damp, clean substrate and covered with a lid or plastic bag to reduce water evaporation. The following substrates can be used to germinate flower cuttings:
- Peat;
- Coir;
- Perlite;
- Sawdust;
- Sand.
Peat absorbs water well, but dries out very quickly; it is necessary to constantly monitor the soil moisture. Cuttings can die even after a short drying of the substrate. May contain fungal spores and microorganisms harmful to cuttings.
Coconut fibers are good for growing roses from cuttings. Cuttings growing in peat are rarely affected by mold or rot.
Perlite absorbs water well and releases water when cuttings need it. With its help, it is easy to provide the cuttings of polyanthus roses with the necessary humidity. Free from harmful microorganisms.
Wet sawdust can only be used to germinate flower cuttings treated with fungicides. They may contain microflora harmful to flowers in large quantities. It is necessary to carefully monitor uniform hydration.
Sand is least suitable for growing cuttings. It compresses easily and is easy to over-moisten. The resulting flower root system will experience oxygen starvation. It is advisable to calcine the sand to get rid of pathogenic microorganisms.
When the first roots appear, flower seedlings transplanted. For further growth, roses will need bright sunlight and a lot of nutrients.
You can plant flowers in a temporary bed, the so-called shkolka, or grow flowers in containers before planting them in a permanent place. The basic rule is that young roses can be damaged by direct sunlight and overdrying.
In hot weather, the temperature under the plastic film may be too high, so it is better to use agrofibre. Seedlings of these flowers are planted in a permanent place the following year.
Growing from seeds
When growing a rose from seeds, it is necessary to keep in mind that not all seedlings inherit maternal characteristics. Some flowers will look nothing like the rose from which the seeds were taken.
The seeds of most varieties of polyanthus roses require mandatory stratification, except for the Chinese rose “Angel Wings”, another name is angel rose. Its seeds germinate well and quickly, and seedlings begin to bloom a few months after sowing the seeds.
Polyanthus rose seeds are treated with disinfectants, dried, and then soaked in a stimulant solution. They are planted in clean soil, wrapped in a plastic bag and placed in a cold place for 2 to 3 months. The seeds of these flowers require sub-zero temperatures to activate growth, so they can be buried in the garden along with the container. If roses from seeds are grown at home, you can place the container in the freezer.
In the spring, take out the container and move it to a warm, bright place. After 2 - 3 weeks, the first flower shoots appear. After their appearance, the plastic film is removed; for the first 3 days, it is necessary to spray the flower seedlings 2 - 3 times a day.
Flower seedlings are planted in a permanent location when the threat of frost has passed.
Conclusion
Growing polyanthus roses is not burdensome, but with their help you can decorate any corner of the site. These beautiful flowers will gratefully accept care and care, rewarding you with wonderful, long-lasting flowering.
