4 Ways to Care for a Midnight Blue Rose Bush

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

Midnight Blues are hybrid shrub roses that produce velvety dark purple flowers with a spicy clove scent all season long. In areas with mild winters they will bloom almost all year round. They grow to a height of just 60-90 centimeters, which makes them suitable for combining in different landscaping solutions. To properly care for Midnight Blues, you need to know how to plant them, know their basic needs, and how to help them grow with pruning and pest control. Go to step 1 for additional information.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Plant the Midnight Blue Roses

Step 1. Choose healthy looking Midnight Blue roses

Strong and healthy plants will be more resistant to all sorts of diseases, so the fight against rose diseases begins at planting time. Choose healthy looking Midnight Blue rose plants, and plant them in a place that suits their needs. In the following steps we explain how to choose this place. Look for plants that:

• They have stout looking stems and leaves.

  

• They have no signs of disease or pest problems. For pests, check to see if the leaves are intact and without signs of pest damage.

  

Step 2. Choose a sunny location with soil that drains well

Despite their name, Midnight Blue roses actually prefer sun to shade. They are also able to grow more easily in a soil that drains well and does not retain water.

Avoid planting roses in a site where puddles form, and these do not drain easily

Step 3. Add manure to the soil before planting your roses

Roses love manure-enriched soils, so incorporate well-ripened manure into the soil when you decide to plant your rose bush. You can purchase this fertilizer at local garden stores.

Try to incorporate approximately one bucket full of manure for every square foot of soil

Step 4. Dig a large hole and plant your roses

Dig a hole the depth of the spade and about twice the width of your plant's root. Apply general fertilizer or special rose fertilizer; in particular, pellet fertilizers work well. To plant your rose:

• Put the rose in the hole and fill it with earth.

  

• Water the rose and the soil around it to eliminate any air pockets and to help settle the soil.

  

Step 5. Apply a 5-10cm layer of mulch to the area to help fight weeds

Organic mulch should be spread over the ground around the Midnight Blue rose to help retain moisture in the soil and to stop weed growth. To apply mulch:

• Use shredded bark mulch that has been properly treated to keep bugs and disease away. Pre-packaged mulch sold at garden centers is the safest choice. It should indicate on the package that it has been composted or sterilized.

  

• Keep the mulch at a height of 5-10 cm and a little away from the stems.

  

Method 2 of 4: Basic Needs of Your Roses

Step 1. Water the rose when the soil around it dries up

Before watering the rose, wait until the soil is dry to the touch, or dry to a depth of five centimeters, and then give it a good, prolonged soak. This will encourage the Midnight Blue rose bush to develop deep roots to search for water, and this will help it survive any dry spells in the future.

• In a dry hot climate where temperatures rise up to 27-33 ° C and even more, your rose should be given 24 to 32 liters of water every week. You may need to water your rose every two to three days.

  

• In a more temperate climate, you will most likely need to water your rose once a week. 12 to 16 liters of water should be sufficient.

  

• If the rose is planted in fast-draining, sandy or loamy-sandy soil, you will need to give a few more liters of water every week and will need to water more often.

Step 2. Apply mulch and fertilize annually to help the rose grow

During the life of the plant, keep reapplying the mulch annually and feed or fertilize each spring. You can also consider feeding your rose in mid-summer to accelerate its growth.

Step 3. Take care of a potted Midnight Blue rose

If you are growing your Midnight Blue rose in a pot, you will need to feed it more regularly. Give potted roses a fortnightly feeding during spring and summer with a general liquid fertilizer. In the fall, you may want to switch to a high-potassium liquid fertilizer (one for tomatoes is fine).

• If the rose gets too large for the container, it will need to be repotted into a larger pot.

  

• Roses grown in pots may need to be watered more regularly than roses planted in the ground.

  

Step 4. Remove old flower heads to help blooms last longer

One criticism for Midnight Blue roses is that flower heads don't last very long. To promote the growth of other flowers, remove spent flower heads regularly during the flowering season.

This step is known as "cutting the flower heads" and will encourage the plant to produce more flowers rather than devoting its energy to producing the seed heads (also known as rose hips)

Step 5. Get rid of the weeds growing around your rosebush

Consider pulling weeds by hand, as this is the gentlest and safest way to remove them without harming your rosebush. You can also put mulch around your rose to help stop weed growth.

• Try to avoid hoeing the weeds around your rose, as its roots tend to be shallow and can be damaged by the hoe.

  

• Chemical herbicides can also harm your rosebush.

Step 6. Fertilize your rose every spring

Give the Midnight Blue rose a quality fertilizer for rose bushes every spring, when it puts on new leaves, and again as soon as summer begins. The fertilizer will help the plant grow strong and healthy. There are many options for rose-specific fertilizers. Some options include Ortho, Miracle-Gro, and Grow More. You can also use a 14-14-14 slow release fertilizer. Whatever fertilizer you use, remember:

• Water the rose before giving fertilizer. Don't fertilize a thirsty plant.

  

• Make sure the fertilizer is formulated for rose bushes.

  

• Apply the fertilizer in a circle around the rose that starts 6 '' away from the stems and extends up to 18 '' away. Do not put fertilizer close to the stems.

  

Method 3 of 4: Prune Your Roses

Step 1. Prune your rosebush in spring, just as the leaf buds begin to swell

Uses a sharp and sturdy blade to ensure a clean cut; garden shears are ideal. Remember to prune by cutting at a 45 degree angle, about 3-6mm above a growing shoot. Growing shoots are small triangular-shaped bumps or discolored areas on the rose stem. They are found where new stems will develop.

Avoid pruning the new rose for the first two years after you plant it. The rose bush will only really need to be pruned after it has developed old growth, or the stems have grown into adults

Step 2. Eliminate any damaged or diseased growths

Cut until you see a healthy part on the stem. Your aim is to have a plant where the growth is well spaced to encourage air flow and circulation. This means trying to remove stems that grow close together, and those that are skewed or tangled. However, keep in mind that these shrub roses should not be pruned as drastically as you would with large rose bushes. Prune only slightly to improve their appearance and reduce their height and width by about six inches if you want.

On older plants it is possible to prune any old wood growth that no longer produces new stems

Step 3. Consider a different approach to pruning if you live in an area with mild winters

In mild winter climates where shrub roses keep their leaves and bloom most of the year, cut off all flowers and remove the leaves from the stems in January.

When you do this, the shrub will be forced to take a short break and will grow lush, with new foliage and flowers in the spring

Step 4. Remove any suckers that appear

Suckers are shoots produced by the roots of the plant. They sprout from the ground and often have leaves that look different from the rest of the foliage: they can be duller in color or have a slightly different shape. You can remove these suckers like this:

• Pull them off the root, which is the source of their growth.
• Trace any suckers up to the roots from which they develop and carefully tear them off. If you remove them only at ground level they will grow back.

Method 4 of 4: Protect Your Roses from Insects and Diseases

Step 1. Work to protect your rose from Diplocarpon, which produces black spots on the leaves, by using a specific spray

Diplocarpon is a fungal disease that causes leaf shedding and stops plant growth. If you don't treat it, the fungus can kill the plant. The attacks are often favored by the rains, especially in spring. To keep the mushroom away from roses:

• Spray the plant with a specific spray every 2-3 weeks. This spray helps kill fungal spores as they develop.
• Eliminate any leaves or parts of the plant that are infected with Diplocarpon. This will help keep the spread of the fungus in check.

Step 2. Check your rose plant regularly for pests

Inspect it frequently to find signs of aphid infestation and other problems, such as curling of the leaves (this may indicate the presence of sawflies). Search for:

• Aphids: aphids are tiny insects, with a soft body commonly green, but also of any other color.

  

• Mealybugs and pseudococci: Mealybugs and pseudococci are small, flat, oval or rounded insects, commonly white or tan, which are usually immobile.

  

• Mites: The red spider mite is barely visible to the naked eye, but causes tiny specks or a polka dot pattern on the leaves and a fine web between the leaves or branches.

  

• Aphids, mealybugs, and pseudococci often excrete a clear, gooey substance on the leaves that attracts ants.

  

Step 3. Get rid of any pests that devour your rose

A light infestation can be controlled by simply spraying a strong jet of water with the garden pump, in the morning and a couple of times a week. However, if the parasites become a serious problem:

• Spray the rose early in the morning or in the evening with insecticidal soap, being careful to coat the tops and bottoms of the leaves, as well as the stems. This type of soap is commonly sold in ready-to-use packages and supplied in a spray bottle.

  

• Spray the entire shrub and stems until liquid drips from the leaves and drains down.

  

• Leave the soap on the rose for about an hour, then wash it off with clean water. It only kills the insects it comes in contact with, so there's no reason to leave it on the shrub any longer, and it can cause the leaves to discolor if it doesn't wash.

Advice

• You can operate on your rose shrub to take the shape of a bush or tree by pruning appropriately.
• Midnight Blue roses are grown to resist powdery mildew, and other fungal diseases such as rust and Diplocarpon of roses.