On Sunday, January 5, 2014 10:19:59 PM UTC-8, David Hare-Scott wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:

Climate here in So.Calif coastal has been anomalous (sp?) last few

years. Hot, cold, hot, no respecter of seasons.



Right now, it's not even our version of "winter"; more like 70-80

daytime temp. (Not that I'm complaining about the sunshine, but we

are in deep trouble for rain locally as well as in the mountains.

Little or no snowpack, big trouble for domestic water use and for

agriculture.)



My roses did not do their usual holiday season flush; just a few

blooms.



I neglected to feed several months ago. So now I don't know what the

hell to do! Normally I wouldn't feed until some time after I prune

(usually around 3rd week in January.



Is it safest to just proceed normally, rather than screw them up by

feeding now and pruning later?



Help!



HB



I have no experience of roses having a flush of blooms in late autumn or

winter, I live in a warm temperate area but even so they are leafless and

dormant at that time. Do yours lose their leaves? When? When do they bud

with the new season's growth?



In general there is no point in feeding unless the season is such that they

will grow strongly. Here I prune when the new buds are first starting to

form so you can see where the leaders will go for new growth. I hardly

water during winter as they are dormant. Once the buds burst and the new

leaves are going strongly (about 4-6 weeks after pruning) I feed and pay

more attention to watering as required.



D

I posted a reply but it bounced as an email? Working on different computer -- transition from XP to 7 is fraught.

Will wait to see if this goes through.

HB