Roses might be looking a little droopy and worse for wear thanks to the hot weather, but it is incredibly important to care for them properly if you want to save your flowers. The experts at Treloar Roses are urging gardeners not water their roses every day, even in the extreme heat.
They warned: “Do not water daily. Keep water to twice a week for young plants and once a week for established roses.” Britain is known for its high humidity in summer which is why the heat feels so uncomfortable compared to warmer counties, but this can also keep the soil moist for a long time.
Roses can easily become overwatered as people do not realise that there is already a lot of water in the soil, and this can cause root rot, mould or even fungal diseases like black spot.
If you are worried about your roses it is much better to feel how dry the soil is beforehand rather than watering them on a regular basis.
Simply put a finger into the soil, and if it feels dry, then it is fine to water your roses. It can also help to buy a moisture meter from a gardening centre and stick that in the soil instead.
However, it is also incredibly important to not water roses with sprinklers or hoses as these gardening tools can easily damage your flowers.
The expert said: “Avoid the use a handheld hoses and lawn sprinklers. Do not use soaker hoses as they will not water deep rooted plants efficiently.”
Roses are pretty delicate and any overhead water can bruise or break their petals, which will greatly shorten the life of the blooms.
They also often water roses too quickly, which means the soil loses a lot of moisture through evaporation and runoff, so not a lot of water is actually reaching the roots.
Instead, if you want to keep roses healthy, then you will need a bucket, as this can slowly drip enough water into the soil over time to keep the roots fully watered.
All you need to do is puncture five holes into the base of a bucket that can hold around nine litres of water. Place the bucket next to your roses and fill with plain tap water.
Wait for the water to completely drain from the bucket, and this deeply soaks the soil without the risk of losing any moisture so your roses stay hydrated throughout the summer.