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What to do in October Zone 8 for Roses
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Posted by ellix augusta ga (My Page) on Fri, Sep 29, 06 at 6:55
| I planted several knockout roses a few months ago and only added a rich compost to them. Now what can I do since I think I have waited to long to fertilize them. I am new to roses as well as organic growing. Thanks for any info. molly |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: What to do in October Zone 8 for Roses
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| You can put down more compost now, but no other fertilizer. Leave them be until next spring. Prune them back when the forsythia blooms, then apply a dry organic fertilizer or manure, and then another application after the first big flush of blooms. |
RE: What to do in October Zone 8 for Roses
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| I live in zone 8 and we don't have forsythia. For all intents and purposes, my roses are active all year. If we happen to have a prolonged frost it will shut them down for a while. What prunning I need on my 45 bushes I usually do around the end of February. The degree to which you prune roses depends on whether you want lots of blooms or fewer, larger blooms. You want to clean out any dead canes or any crossing canes to give the bushes good air circulation. I have very mature roses, some 35 years old, and I usually cut them back by a third. I have a Cecile Brunner that is easily 9-10' spread and a good 8' high. It is so thick I have birds build nests in the inside of the bush. I usually just clean up the long flower cluster pikes on this one. |
RE: What to do in October Zone 8 for Roses
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| even in zone 8, roses benefit from a rest time, even if they don't go totally dormant. |
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