How to protect roses from frost?

How to cover roses for the winter?

Most varieties of roses are very poorly tolerant of low temperatures. Therefore, carefully cover the plants before frost arrives.

What you need to do

Before you cover plants for the winter, you need to make sure that they really need it. Park roses and rose bushes have a good frost resistance.

The same applies to special varieties designed for planting in cold regions. Therefore, they do not need additional “insulation”.

Other plants need proper protection. It will help them survive the winter, and protect them from wind and frost. If you do everything correctly, the plant will survive the cold season and give growth in the spring.

Events

Roses need to be covered in the fall. It is very important to do this in time. If you cover the flowers too early, they will freeze if they are covered too late.

The best time to start is when there is a stable minus temperature outside. Do not cover roses on the first frosty day. You can start heating again after the cold night.

It is recommended to cover roses on a dry, overcast day. Otherwise, the plants initially get wet and do not transition well into winter.

formation

The process of preparing roses for protection consists of several basic steps.

Top dressing.

In the second half of summer, flowering with nitrogen compounds is stopped. This is necessary in order not to provoke the emergence of young shoots. At this stage, only potassium fertilizers can be used, which will help to strengthen the stems.

The last time to feed the flowers is in the middle of September. Both mineral and natural fertilizers can be used for this purpose.

One great option is an infusion of ash mixed with crushed banana peels. Such fertilizer is applied to the soil in liquid form. In this way, useful substances get to the roots faster.

mounds

Many gardeners, before building a full cover, additionally mulch the bushes with loose garden soil. The soil is an excellent insulator. It reliably protects the roots of the plant and its stems from excessive frost and from drying out.

Shrubs begin to sprout at the first strong cold weather. To cover the roots of plants, it is best to use ordinary garden soil, peat and clean sand together.

It is very important that this mixture be dry. The height of the cover should be between 20-30 centimeters. The main thing is that the lower buds should be reliably protected from frost.

Experienced gardeners note that it is possible to grow in the open ground in all regions. It should not be done if the temperature is too unstable, and in the middle of winter a sharp warming is possible. In regions with cold winters, such a procedure is absolutely safe.

Prune

At the end of the season, when the roses are in bloom, it is necessary to carefully remove the dry buds from the bushes. The same applies to the remaining leaves. After that, the soil under the flower and next to it is cleaned of plant debris. If this is not done, the plant will begin to secrete or GN under a layer of protective materials

that.

• Once the buds and leaves have been removed, you can start pruning the rose. Peculiarities of the procedure depend on what kind of plant you have to deal with.
• Tea bushes. Garden hybrid tea lines are pruned in the fall, which gives the bush a ball shape. The strongest and healthiest shoots are cut in half. From the rest, only one third is cut off. Anything inside the bush is also cut back.
• Noble roses. This type of rose must be trimmed in the fall. Without this, it will not bloom well next year. Pruning is carried out after the plant has flowered. Old branches of the bush are shortened to 3-5 buds, young – to 10. Weak, broken or diseased parts of the plant are cut out completely.
• Boddecker. Preparing such roses for covering is also not difficult. Autumn pruning involves the removal of all weakened shoots. Healthy branches are shortened only by 1/4. If there are improperly growing or intertwined branches on the bush, they are also trimmed.
• Shrubs. When pruning these flowers in the fall, only a few strong shoots are left. Usually their number is 3-5. There should be 7-8 strong buds on each of these branches. Thin watery or dry shoots should be removed. They will not survive the winter anyway.
• Primrose. Such roses are usually not touched in the fall. Prune them in the spring. Before preparing for winter, carefully inspect them. If necessary, remove weak shoots or branches that interfere with the normal development of the bush.
• Climb. Krause Rosen is pruned from the second year after planting. When pruning in the fall, remove all damaged and diseased branches. Shoots that bloomed in the summer are shortened by three buds. Regardless, it should be noted that climbing roses are divided into two categories: hikers and climbers. The former need to be pruned very carefully. Particular attention is paid to the removal of immature discs in climbing roses. The latter do not need strong pruning. All shoots are shortened by a quarter. If necessary, old branches are removed.
• Default. Roses of this species are pruned according to the properties of the plant, which is groped on the trunk.

Park roses. In such roses, all damaged and diseased shoots are also removed. Strong shoots are shortened by no more than 5-7 centimeters. Parkroses are quite unpretentious. Therefore, problems with their covering for the winter usually do not arise.

Shrubby or climbing plants are ducked to the ground after pruning. Do it carefully and avoid damaging the shoots. Cut the stems of other flowering varieties, including English roses, as much as possible. The shorter they are, the easier they will survive the winter.

All types of flowers require sharp garden shears for pruning. Before working, they are disinfected.

The cuts are carefully covered with garden bangs or sprinkled with ground charcoal. Instead, a special spatula can be purchased at the gardening trade. The treatment helps to protect the plants from diseases.

Treatment

To protect flowers from diseases, they are treated with phytosporin after pruning. The drug is sprayed not only the roses themselves, but also the soil. This treatment also helps to increase the immunity of the culture.

Choice of material

• After you have prepared the roses, you can proceed to the selection of materials for covering.

• Protective frame. In specialized stores, you can buy protective frames, which consist of metal pipes and a shelter. Install such a construction is quite simple: you only need to open the packaging and place the specified greenhouse in the right place. A frame of this type reliably protects the flowers. The only disadvantage of this construction is the high cost.

• Modern insulation materials. Roses can be covered with polyethylene film and other dense coverings. If done correctly, the cover will reliably protect the plant from severe cold. Such materials have their own disadvantages. Under the film during the long winter months, condensation droplets collect. As a result, some roses begin to rot.

• Natural materials. Protect roses growing in the countryside from low temperatures can be made of natural materials. Most often, flowers are covered with spruce branches. At the same time, place them on a special wire frame. This way you can protect the system from the load. Instead of spruce, the flowers can also be covered with fallen trees. Such a natural “ceiling” saves the bushes from frost, but at the same time does not allow them to bend. Plants that have been protected by needles or leaves do well not only in cold weather, but also during thaws.

• Flax sacking. This material is used by many people. However, it is still considered controversial. Therefore, it is only used as an alternative in agriculture. Burlap can breathe, but it does not let moisture through.

Unexpected materials. Unconventional materials are particularly popular with gardeners. In most cases, plants are covered with a tension bond or lutrasil. They pass light and air well. At the same time, condensation does not accumulate among them. As a rule, roses with low material are covered in two layers. Do not use dark agrofiber when working: it heats up very quickly. Plants can rot during a thaw.

An excellent winter insulator is snow. However, it is recommended to use it only together with other materials.

Snow will be thrown on top of them. It is important not to overdo it.

Otherwise, roses can break under their weight.

• Regardless, it is worth talking about materials that should not be used as housing.

• Cardboard. Some gardeners cover roses with cardboard boxes. However, this method has many disadvantages. Cardboard can protect roses from strong gusts of wind, but at the same time it gets wet very quickly. In case of frost, the material freezes. This has a negative effect on the roses.

• Straw. To create shelters, hay and straw are used. These materials have good thermal devices. But they attract small rodents, which can chew up the colors in winter.

• Ruberoid. This material is not air permeable. Therefore, flowers under it can die. In addition, it is quite heavy. For this reason, after the snow falls, the shelter under its weight can bend the bush with fragile stems and severely damage it.

• Metal bucket. Beginning gardeners can try to cover roses with metal tanks or buckets. But they are a kind of anti-light. Roses among them do not get access to fresh air and quickly freeze.

• Plastic container. Covering roses growing outside with ordinary plastic pools or buckets will not work either. They do not allow air to pass through. This is very bad for the condition of the flowers.

sawdust. This material also attracts a large number of pests. In addition, it absorbs moisture in a short time. Because of this, the material begins to rot.

In general, the only way to decide on the ideal protection for your roses is to try different options.

Ways to protect

There are also different ways to cover roses.

On arcs.

1. To cover the roses, you can use a ready-made frame. This will make the process much easier. Instead, you can make the decoration yourself. Manipulation includes several sequential steps.
2. First of all, the roots of the plants need to be covered with loose soil. The stems need to bend to the ground, and then cover them with spruce branches.
3. Around the bush it is necessary to make a marking – along its contour the frame will be assembled.
4. Metal poles should be deepened into the ground and assembled into one large structure. Ready shelter should completely hide the stems of the roses.
5. Next, the frame should be covered with a tension bond or film.

The edges of the covering material should be pressed to the ground with stones or fastened with pins.

Such a reliable cover perfectly protects the roses from the winter cold.

Without bows

1. There is another simple option for creating a shelter for aerial preparations. In this situation, flexible arcs are not used. Because of this, the method is considered more simple.
2. First of all, the bush should be covered with dried twigs of birch or spruce seedlings. Use pruning plants. It is not necessary to pluck branches from a healthy tree. Instead of this raw material, dried oak leaves can be used.
3. On top of the roses are covered with two layers of tension glue.
4. The material is securely fastened around the edges. Bricks, stones or ordinary boards can be used for this.

At the beginning of winter, covers are usually sprinkled with a small amount of snow. The main thing is to do it carefully, without compacting it.

The only disadvantage of such a cover – after a heavy snowfall, agrofiber can sag, damaging fragile rose bushes.

earthen mound

In cold regions, rose bushes can be insulated with ordinary loose soil. It should not be piled in the place where the roses are growing. In this way, the gardener exposes the roots. Secondly, the soil in this area is already bad. Therefore, there will be no benefit from such protection.

The plants are a spud with a lot of soil. It is not compressed – it should remain loose.

Immediately after dipping the bushes should be thrown with a dense layer of snow. Later, during precipitation, it will need to be renewed. If the garden roses are properly covered, they will survive the cold period perfectly.

Using a wooden box or “house”

This is another unusual way to create winter shelters. Any gardener can build it with his own hands. Usually, roses in regions with very cold winters are covered in this way.

“Houses” will be built on their plot in the second half of autumn. They should be higher than the flowers. This is necessary in order not to damage the plants. On top of the wooden structures can be additionally covered with a non-woven or other material.

How to save roses with the region in mind?

When preparing roses for wintering, it is very important to consider the peculiarities of the local climate. In the Moscow region, the Moscow region and in the middle belt, flowers begin to be covered in the first half of November. Plants in this area are not shed, but with loose peat.

In Siberia and the Leningrad region – a little earlier. As a rule, it is done in the second half of October.

Residents of cold northern regions should be prepared for severe frosts. Therefore, plants preparing for winter are cut short and covered with several layers of materials.

In the Volga region, the Caucasus and the Krasnodar region, it is not worth rushing to create a home. It is better to wait until the second half of November. In warm regions, roses are usually covered with any natural materials. This is quite enough for a normal wintering.

In general, if you approach the process of creating a cover for roses correctly, you will survive the winter cold without any problems.

Covering roses for the winter

As you know, varietal roses are heat-loving plants, so they need to be covered for the winter. But how and when? There is a lot of debate and many options on this subject. So, which one to choose?

When should roses be covered for the winter?

The books usually advise: “Finally, you need to cover the roses after the establishment of stable sub-temperatures, when the top floor is frozen. And how do you advise, are the temperatures already stable or even warmer? Should we wait it out? What about severe frost? So don’t rely on the thermometer.

What really needs to be taken into account is precipitation. It is not advisable to cover roses after rain, since in a humid environment there is a high risk of catching various diseases. Wait for dry weather.

For residents of Central Russia and the Moscow region

Here it is very simple: Roses need to be covered in late October or early November. This applies to the most reliable method, which will be discussed below. Roses in a short-term drop in temperature remain calm to o o 15 ° C, and at this time there are no such frosts in the middle belt, so nothing terrible will happen to them. And the thaw will also not be an obstacle.

For residents of the Urals and Siberia

Here you can focus on the temperature – you need to have time before frosts of 15 ° C. And there is probably no point in waiting until the end of October – when the frosts begin, then it’s time. These recommendations should be followed by gardeners if the question of how and when to cover roses for the winter arises.

For residents of southern regions

If it is no colder than e-15 ° C in your region during the winter, roses do not need to be covered.

When is the last time you fertilise?

The better you feed your roses over the winter, the better you will get through the winter since weakened roses have difficulty surviving the harsh conditions. But it is important to stop just in time!

Disease treatment. Roses (without leaves) before protection should be treated with a solution of iron sulfate (3%) or Maxim (1) – such treatment protects bushes from fungal diseases.

Ducking to the ground. Many gardeners simply criminally duck their roses before covering, so as not to suffer from warped branches. However, experienced rose growers advise – practice shows that cut bushes winter. Therefore, the correct option is ducking.

It is necessary to duck the shoots before the onset of frost – in cold weather they do not bend well and break. It is better to start at the end of September (2), gradually, so that the shoots do not break and gradually get used to the horizontal position. The technology is simple: the shoots are tied with plastic ropes in small bundles (so that they do not rot in winter) and pinned to the floor with metal clamps: first lightly, then after a few days a little deeper, and so on until the branch is on the ground.

At the point of contact of the shoots with the bracket it is better to wrap the bundle with kapron tights or put pieces of foam plastic, so that the wire does not disrupt the drive. And it is advisable to put fir or spruce branches under the actuator so that the stems do not lie on the wet soil.

If roses have to be cut before covering, only varieties with strong thick discs that do not want to bend even in a few steps remain. At any attempt to bend them to the ground they break. Therefore, only cuttings are here. At the same time, experienced rose growers do not cut “on the stump”, but leave about 40 cm above the floor.

Do roses need to be cut before they are covered?

Many rose lovers think so. But even here, practice shows that this is not the best option: No matter how short the shoots are cut, their pointed tips often freeze. That’s why it’s best to bend the shoots down. Everything. And fastening to the floor is most convenient with metal bolts.

But here there is another problem – some varieties have very thick stems. Any attempt to lay them horizontally ends tragically: the stem breaks. Therefore, two rules must be followed here: it is necessary to bend the shoots before laying them on the frost (they are brittle in the cold) and not immediately, but gradually bend them: something more, after a week and gradually, until they gradually lie on the floor. This should happen by the end of October.

If the shoots are very flexible, despite the metal pencils, they tend to go back upright. Simply press them to the floor with a board and put some bricks on top of it. The method may look cruel, but trust me, roses are not afraid. Usually after a week they resign themselves to their fate and finally take a horizontal position. Then the stones and board can be removed and only the tunnels remain.

If you find particularly stubborn shoots, do not torture them – just cut them to the desired height (about 40 cm).

By the way, many gardeners break out the flowers in order to maintain the decorative nature of the bush. They also fear that the fruits of the plant deprive it of its strength. In fact, the fruits just need to wilt – they contribute to the ripening of the wood.

How to properly cover roses for the winter

The best option is considered air-dry cover (3). A frame is placed over the roses, on which some waterproof material is laid: roofing felt, film, building insulation. In general, this is correct, but the method has many disadvantages.

First, these materials do not allow air to pass through. In spring, the moisture condenses, the temperature rises, and the roses inevitably get wet. It is important to remove such a cover in time – as early as possible in the spring, but gardeners can not always get there in time.

Secondly, there is a lot of fuss around such a cover in the fall. It often rains at this time of year, and it is important for this type of protection to be dry inside. Therefore, you need to cover roses early, but at the same time the ends of the shelter should be open – for ventilation. Close them when a steady light frost arrives. All this is additional work.

Thirdly, such covers are easy to make if roses are planted in rows. But if they are scattered around the plot and there are many of them, problems arise.

Therefore, modern rose growers increasingly avoid such piles. Practice has shown that simply putting fleece on bent-to-the-ground plants – without a frame – is enough.

There are also many other options, but 2 options have proven themselves well.

Loutrasil. It is good because roses don’t freeze under it, but above all, they don’t get soaked when they thaw. Therefore, you can safely cover the bushes at the end of October.

One layer is enough to start with. And in early November, roses should be covered with 1 – 2 more layers of lutrasil (depending on density).

Many amateur flower growers install metal arches over the bushes and already throw Srie Lustril on them. But this is problematic, and the arches need somewhere to find. So you can put Srie Lustril directly on the bushes and press the edges with a little heavy, such as a brick.

Sawdust. This is an option for the lazy – it is very simple. All that is needed is to pour some sawdust 15-20 cm high in the middle of the shoots bent to the floor. If the winter will be covered with snow, the bush will fully overwinter. When frosts hit the bare ground, the bent shoots may suffer, but at the foot of the bush they will not freeze – new stems will grow from the buds in the spring.

In the spring sawdust should be twisted out as early as possible, otherwise the bent shoots among them can be noisy.

Popular Questions and Answers

We talked to agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova about the peculiarities of preparing roses for winter and the cold.

It affects, and very much so. The first thing you need to learn: You can not plant roses in the lowlands. Water should not stagnate in the rose garden in the fall or spring, because the worst thing for roses is to stay in cold water for a long time.

It is also important that the place be protected from winter winds. They blow the snow slightly and open up the bushes. But it is the snow that is the best protection!

Exercise shows that it is necessary. Because it is very often under the protection of foliage, pathogens actively breed on it. And in the spring they are sure to move on to the young leaves.

Not everything is cut off at once. First, the lower, about half of the shoots. The rest – shortly before protection.