October is going to be much the same as September was. The nights are getting much cooler. Finish up any light pruning you have not done. Clean up any dead leaves, broken branches, etc., from around your rose plants and dispose of them. Remember, this is a light pruning. Do not remove more than 1/4th to 1/3rd of the rose plant. We can still have some hot days, so you want to leave as much shade for the canes as you can. Remove any weak canes.
Continue to fertilize your roses once every two weeks with Miracle Gro. Or if you prefer to fertilize less often, use Oscomote Vegetable time released fertilizer, 15-15-15. Remember, if you are using Miracle Gro, it is still wise to use it early in the morning, as the sun is rising, or very late in the afternoon as the sun as setting. This helps prevent the fertilizer from burning the leaves of your plants, which could happen on hot days with the sun shining directly down on your rose bushes.
Remember toward the end of October, to start reducing the time your irrigation is on, and watering your roses. I generally cut my watering cycles from three times a week to two times a week for October and November. I will cut it back to once a week in January and February.
