Encourage Showy Blooms in Your Roses This Summer with Our Lawn Care Oakton VA Experts’ Tips
Neglected roses usually produce subpar blooms once or twice per season in the best-case scenario, and at their worst, they may not bloom at all and direct all their vital energy to leaves and hips instead. If you plan to encourage your bloomers to give you more healthy-looking flowers multiple times in the summer, and even early fall, you’ll need to be dedicated to this goal season-long, as a one-time approach just won’t do. Our professionals in lawn care in Oakton VA have agreed to share with us their expert tips on creating the best environment for your roses to thrive and put on their best show in the summer.
Summer Rose Care Tips
In order to help your roses bloom in the summer months, you first need to diagnose what may prevent them from thriving. Struggling roses may either produce small blooms or not bloom at all. Here are the main causes of poor bloom production in roses:
- Not enough sunlight. Roses need at least six hours of direct sunlight per day to stay resilient to diseases and have enough energy to produce new blooms. A rose bush that stays in the shade for too long will focus its vital force into producing leaves. If shade is inevitable, place the rose bush in an area where it receives enough sunlight for its foliage to dry after the night to prevent fungal infections or pick a shade-tolerant species.
- The most common enemies of roses are aphids, spider mites, and caterpillars. The first two pests are the toughest as they tend to suck out the sap from plants until dead and they are very persistent. Roses infested with spider mites are covered in a fine webbing and have scorched leaves. Against mites, make sure that you use a formula especially formulated for them as few general-use insecticides can get rid of them for good. Against aphids, use an insecticidal soap or one of the many DIY remedies available online.
- Improper feeding. Using the wrong fertilizer or applying too much of it or at the wrong times can take a heavy toll on your rose bushes’ health. Feeding is the key to a vigorous bloom production, so use it according to package instructions. Our experts in lawn care in Oakton VA recommend using a product that is specially formulated for roses. Still, if you go for a regular fertilizer, supplement your bloomers’ diet with a quality alfalfa meal.
- Heavy trimming. This one should be done when your roses are still dormant, as there is no risk for the sap to escape freshly trimmed stems and deplete the rose of its vital energy. After each flush of flowers, remove the spent blooms, a procedure known as deadheading, to encourage the bush to produce more blooms a bit later in the season. Deadhead your roses before they make hips.
- Too little watering. This one may seem like a no-brainer but in some cases, it is really hard to tell that a rose bush is thirsty. When in full bloom, roses need more water, so look for any wilted flowers, a surefire sign of dehydration. Also, make sure that the soil around the rose bush is not dry 2 inches deep, otherwise water deeply. Prevent evaporation, especially during hot weather by adding mulch around the base of the rose bush.
Our Lawn Care Oakton VA Experts Are Here to Help
In the summer, your roses need your full attention, so a pair of helpful hands is always welcome. We’re a locally operated full-service lawn service company that has the tools, people, and expertise to help your trees, roses, and other flowering shrubs get back shape, and sometimes, all it takes is a gentle nudge. Call our experts or request a Free Estimate on our website today!
