What To Do In Your Rose Garden in September
- In the fall, it is time to start thinking about doing some light pruning (or grooming) on your roses. In mid-September, remove the top 1/3 of your roses. Basically this is the twiggy, thin stuff that has grown over the summer. Remove any dead canes and clean up all the dead/fallen leaves and debris. Do not remove all the leaves from the canes like you do when you prune in January.
- Partially shade any roses that are left with virtually no leaves on them to avoid getting sun burn on your canes. You can use shade cloth or some other device that allows a lot of air circulation and early morning or late sun light. Remove, once new growth is 4 to 5 inches. Put potted roses in a shaded area until growth has started.
- Keep up your deep watering schedule especially if it stays hot. Roses in pots will probably still need daily watering.
- Bring your roses on slowly if the weather continues to be hot. Only apply organic fertilizer and/or time release fertilizer. Apply full strength liquid fertilizer when it starts to cool down at least at night. Don’t try to jump start your roses by giving them a big boost of fertilizer when it is still over 90 degrees. With few leaves left after pruning and the low sun, you risk burning up your canes. Don’t forget to water your roses well before fertilizing.
- Apply epsom salts to your roses. Recommended dosage is 1/4 cup per hybrid tea, grandiflora, or floribunda rose. 2 Tbsp. per miniature rose.
- Unless you have a bad case of bugs or mildew, don’t start weekly spraying for pests and mildew until early October. Spider mites are still a possibility, so continue to blast your roses with your water wand two or three times a week.