On Jan 3, 8:06*am, "David E. Ross" wrote:
On 1/3/11 1:05 AM, Higgs Boson wrote:



This is a subject I'm inexcusably ignorant about for someone who has
gardened so long.

I tried to look on-line, but got only general info about NPK.

What I want to know is ***WHEN**** in relation to pruning.

I usually prune 3rd week in Jan.

Because of heavy rains (yay!) should I *prune earlier or later? *I
think earlier, if any, because later will give roses time to leaf out
before pruning.

Any info relevant to So. Calif coastal much appreciated.

HB

Do them now, between storms. *I started pruning my roses on Christmas
day, doing seven. *I got three more done on New Year day, but it was too
cold to finish. *I still have four left to prune. *When the last one is
done and no rain is expected for at least three days, I will apply a
dormant spray that is a mixture of light oil and copper sulfate. *See my
http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_rosepruning.html.

Don't feed them yet. *If your soil is heavy clay (as is mine), apply a
generous amount of gypsum now. *This is less a nutrient and more to
break up the clay. *When the growth buds start to swell (likely the end
of February or sometime in March), then feed. *After that, I feed mine
monthly, with the last feeding in October.

Great advice - thanks! I WAS a little iffy about feeding just before
the trauma of pruning!

I have been terrible about feeding over the years, so am making a New
Year's resolution to "feed, baby, feed" g. **What do you think of
the various granular products sold as "rose feed"?** Pour granules at
base, work in and water. Anything better?

soil, mine is pretty good. Although no doubt originally the
standard So Cal adobe, it's been modified for many many decades by me
and the previous owners, so now is nice and loamy.

If your roses have been in the ground for more than 10 years, however,
they can get a dose of phosphorus now. *Phosphorus promotes flowering.
Wait until the soil drys somewhat; you don't want to do this while it's
muddy. *Take a thin, study stick -- I use a length of steel rebar -- and
poke three or four holes in the soil around each rose, about a foot or
two deep and a foot away from the plant. *Fill the hols with either bone
meal or superphosphate. *This should last another 10 or more years.
Then, you won't need to worry about the phosphorus content of your
fertilizer, which is generally wasted becasue phosphorus does not
readily dissolve; instead, it needs to be where roots will find it.

Wow, that I didn't realize. Yes, most of my roses have been in the
ground way more than 10 years, so I will do the phosphorus when soil
dries. I assume there will be no harm done if phosphorus is injected
into OLD roses, not far from NEW roses I'm putting in?

Muchas gracias!

HB