Propagation
Roses are commonly propagated by "T" or shield budding on the rootstock. The common rootstock used in Edouard rose (R. bourboniana) or R. multiflora. Recently R. indica odorata has been found better than the former rootstocks.
Planting
The place selected for planting roses should be dug thoroughly to a depth of 90-120 cm and kept open for few days. The soil should be dried and refilled with 10-15 kg/sq.m. well rotten farm yard manure and good garden soil at the top. The spacing between plants varies with the vigour of the variety but generally H.T. varieties can be planted at the distance of 75 cm from each other while for the varieties of floribundas which are used for massing, a distance of 60 cm can be kept.
For planting roses, best time is from end of September to middle of October but it can be extended up to November. At the time of planting roses, the soil of the size of earth ball should be removed from the bed and plant should be placed in this pit. Soil should be refilled and well pressed. Care should be taken that bud union is just above the ground. Light pruning i.e. tipping back of the branches should be done. After planting, frequent irrigation, removal of root suckers should be done.
Pruning
About 3 to 4 days before pruning, watering is withheld. Rose is generally pruned during the 2nd week of October, from 7th to 14th, and about 6 to 7 weeks of pruning, the plants start flowering. The old Hybrid Tea bushes are pruned by removing all old and useless wood and shortening the previous season’s thick shoots by half their length, keeping about 5 to 6 eyes on each stem. The Floribundas are pruned moderately. The climbing of rambling roses need almost no pruning.
Pruning methods
Annual heavy pruning is essential to insure the prolific bloom and long-life of a rose bush.
Pruning of roses is actually done year round. There are two times a year when you prune more seriously, spring and fall.
You will need the following items:
- a good pair of hand pruners (preferably the scissor type, not anvil type)
- a sharp keyhole saw and large loppers
- a heavy pair of leather gloves
- a pruning compound
- a dull knife.
Steps to Pruning Roses - Spring
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The first step in spring pruning of Hybrid Teas, Grandifloras, Floribundas and Climbing roses is to remove any canes that are dead or just old and non-productive. These canes are usually gray in color and scaley. To prune hybrid tea and grandiflora roses follow certain principles including:
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- High pruning for more flowers earlier or low pruning for fewer, bigger flowers later
- Pruning to remove weak and crisscrossing canes
- Removing growth an inch below a canker
- Removal of damaged, dead, or broken canes back to healthy growth
- Removing sucker growth as close as possible to main root.
This pruning will encourage future "basal" breaks which are the life blood of any rose bush. Basal breaks refer to new shoots, soon to be producing canes, which arise from the graft union. These should not be confused with "suckers" which arise from the rootstock below the graft union. Remove all suckers.
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The next step involves taking a good look at the bud union. If you have any old, dry scaley wood on the union, remove it. Use the dull knife to scrape the bud union to remove the scaley wood. By doing this it will again make it possible for new basal breaks to come about.
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Beginning to fine tune the pruning, remove all twiggy growth on the remaining canes. (Note: The fine tune pruning on climbing roses should be done after they bloom in the spring.) Try to clean out the middle of the bush as much as possible. This allows for good air circulation to prevent insects and disease.
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Now you are ready to prune on the good healthy canes. With the early flush of growth on the roses the most important procedure this year is to prune each cane back to a dormant bud. A bud that has already begun growth will continue to grow vigorously and bloom very little. A dormant, non-growing bud will initiate growth after pruning and will produce an abundance of blooms.
One comment always heard is to "prune to an outside bud." The basic technique for most pruning is to cut 1/4 inch above the nearest outward-facing bud with the cut at a 45-degree angle (the higher point above the bud). This means when picking the point on a given cane to cut back to, make sure there is a good bud on the cane facing toward the outside of the plant. This will insure the growth of the new bud is to the outside, therefore keeping the center of the rose bush clear and open for air circulation.
Another guideline in pruning back an individual cane is to cut the cane at the point when the diameter of the cane is the size of a pencil or slightly larger. Because of the need to prune back to a dormant bud, the size of the cane may be larger and the cane length may be shorter.
If old and large canes have been removed to the bud union, it is a good practice to seal these large cuts. This helps prevent insects and diseases from infecting the cuts. Smaller canes in many cases don't need to be sealed. Use some sort of sealing compound such as orange shellac or even Elmer's glue.
- When pruning is completed remove any old foliage left on the canes and spray with a mixture of Funginex or Benomyl and Orthene or Diazinon as a clean up spray. Spray the entire bush and the ground around the bush.
The final product of your pruning should be a rose bush about 18 to 24 inches tall with 4 to 8 canes. Add some fertilizer and regular pest spraying, and that pitiful looking rose bush will soon give you a shower of flowers.
Manuring
Many arbitrary recommendations are available about feeding of roses. Roses should be fed with both organic and inorganic sources. One hundred gram of mixture containing groundnut cake –5 kg. bonemeal – 5 kg, ammophos (11:48) – 2 kg, ammonium sulphate –1 kg super phosphate (single) –2 kg and potassium sulphate –1kg should be applied per bush for better results. Addition of 60 g N, 20 g of P2O5 and K2O should be applied per sq.m. containing nine plants. These fertilizers should be applied in two splits i.e. half amount of N, full dose of P and K at the time of pruning and remaining half one month after the first application. In the market many ready-made rose mixtures are being sold which can also be applied.
Irrigation
Water requirement of roses depend upon soil type and seasons. Light soils require more frequent irrigation than heavy soils. During summer, water requirement is more than winter. Therefore, irrigation is adjusted in a way that soil is moist but not wet. During rainy season, watering is generally not done except during drought period. During winter, irrigation is done at about 7-10 days interval whereas during summer it should be done at an interval of 5-6 days. Heavy watering at comparatively long intervals is more useful than frequent light watering.
Source: http://www.indiaagronet.com/indiaagronet/floriculture/Floriculture.htm