| I have rose bushes that have stopped blooming but have beautiful foliage. They get lots of sun, fertilizer, etc. What should I do? |
| Some rose bushes only bloom once a year, others bloom repeatedly. If you have June flowering roses, that's why. If you have everbearing roses, there are several possibilities; too much water, over fertilizing, not enough water, improper pruning, not enough sunlight, weather's too hot or soil compaction. Let's address each: Roses should be watered deeply once or twice a week, depending upon weather. They should be fed once a month from March through August. Use a specialized fertilizer formula blended especially for roses. When you prune, do so in the spring just as the buds begin to swell on the canes. Cut the entire plant down to about knee level, then choose the healthiest 3-5 canes and remove all the rest. Then cut each cane down to an outside facing bud. The new growth will develop there and from the main stem. These new stems should produce flowers. Roses need a minimum of 8 hours of direct sunshine each day in order to develop flowers. They need good air circulation all around and will be stressed if they are too close to a building where there will be reflected or radiated heat. Finally, compacted soil will force the rose to spend lots of its energy developing its root system instead of blooming freely. Hope this information helps you determine why your roses are not blooming. |
