Mulching Your Roses
Roses are amongst my most favorite flowers in the garden but many gardeners avoid growing them because they feel they are difficult to grow. Nothing could be further than the truth as, with just a little knowledge, you will be able to produce the most wonderful blooms in your first summer of planting. Crucial to the success of your roses is the availability of water, sunlight and nutrients and the trick to maintaining a moist soil is mulching.
Mulch is material used to cover soil to prevent erosion, enrich the soil and also to help the soil to retain moisture. Mulch is, usually, half-rotten vegetable matter such as leaf mould. Leaf mould is a nitrogen rich material which consists of rotten leaves. It is often used as a fertilizer and is highly suitable as a mulching material for around roses. Other materials such as peat, manure, tree bark and coconut shell can be used for mulching.
To get the very best from your rose bushes you should ensure that you apply mulch on a regular basis throughout the year. By covering the ground in the summer you help the soil to retain moisture and it also helps to keep the soil cool by keeping the sunlight way from it's top layer. In the winter the material helps the soil retain warmth by acting as insulation, thus protecting your roses. In cold areas you should ensure that, after pruning them back, your rose bushes are completely covered with mulch which will help protect the plant from cold winds and frost.
One of the best materials for use as a mulch is to use well rotted garden compost. If you have not started a compost heap now is the time to start. Just choose a hidden area of the garden and either purchase a compost bin from your local garden center or nursery or you can build your own. To build your own compost bin all you need do it to build a low wooden frame with tall uprights with a row of planks around the bottom. As you add waste it will grow and when it reaches the top simply add another row of planks. You can add virtually any organic matter to a compost heap and you will be surprised at how quickly it grows. It is often advisable to have two compost bins so that you can leave one to rot while you add material to the other.
All well rotted compost is great for mulching your roses and partially rotted material can also be used. If you are using partially rotted material or raw manure you should ensure that the mulch is kept a small distance from your rose bush as the process of decay may damage your plant.
Most garden centers and nurseries stock large bags of mulching materials. Peat used to be extremely popular but today gardeners prefer to use peat alternatives. Tree bark is extremely popular and helps to create a woodland look to your landscape garden. Other materials such as crushed coconut shells and wood shavings are also growing in popularity. However it is important to note that using materials such as sawdust and grass cuttings is not advised as these materials will leach the soil of nitrogen as they rot down. It is therefore vital that when you use such materials that you ensure that they are well aged/rotted before use.
More articles about roses below this video presentation
More articles about roses:
See also: Landscaping, Lawn Care, Organic Garden, Barbeque Grill/Smokers, Outdoor Furniture, Vegetable Gardening & Vegetable Gardens
