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| There's a 35 year old Rugosa rose on my father's grave - next to the headstone. It's been limping along for a long time not producing many flowers. About 20 years ago it had aphids and blackspot, so someone cut everything down to about 6 inches. Then new growth branched off the old which looked OK for a while, but still not all that great.
Yesterday I removed a number of dead canes and a LOT of dead wood from the center which was completely clogging the base of the plant. Now at least the center is opened up so air can circulate. I wasnt sure what more to do so I stopped there, but I wonder if it would be good to go back and thin out more of the old growth, and if so, how exactly to go about that. I tried googling and am not quite understanding the instructions. For example - cut at the "bud union". What is that? They all say to cut out the oldest wood - well, all the new canes are branching off from the old wood so it's not clear to me what I would cut. Since it's a rugosa and (I assume) not growing from a graft, wouldnt I want to keep the suckers that grow up from below? Is it like rejuvenating lilacs and other shrubs where you want to encourage and stimulate new growth to come up from the ground? Im confused! Thanks in advance for your help - it would be great if we could get this plant looking good and floriferous again. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| I do know....Do not spray rugosas with anything. I tried rejuvenating one that came from an ancient church yard. The spray almost killed it. It finally came back okay by itself. Can you cut a piece off of it(with a good chunk of the roots) (divide)? That is all I know that works/or not! |
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- Posted by mad_gallica Z5 Eastern NY (My Page) on Fri, Apr 6, 12 at 12:28
| Treat it exactly like a lilac. If the old wood is growing and producing, leave it. If it isn't, cut out about a third as close to the ground as you can get. |
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| I would not remove old growth if it has live bud eyes and shoots growing from it. The bud eyes are small reddish swellings on the canes. Removing the dead wood is beneficial. The bud union is at the base of the plant, where the budded variety is grafted onto the rootstock. Your rose might be grafted, or own root. I would not remove suckers from the area unless you are sure that the suckers are not from your rugosa. Return in early summer to see if the suckers bloom, and compare the foliage and canes to see if the suckers resemble your rugosa. Many of the Cemetery Roses that I visit are in the 50-100 year old range, based upon the age of the headstones, and suckering of the mother plant is common to see. The Cemetery Roses get blackspot, as do garden roses in the area, this is not a concern. If grass or weeds are growing right up to the base of the rose, careful weeding to remove the weeds would be helpful. Some organic fertilizer once or twice a year would be beneficial. If the soil is compact, light raking with a hand rake will help to aerate it. Raking should be done carefully to avoid damaging roots on the surface. |
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- Posted by NewGirlinNorCal 9b (My Page) on Fri, Apr 6, 12 at 13:15
| I don't have a suggestion I just wanted to say how wonderful I think it is that you can still have a rose on your father's grave and can tend to it. I know the reasons for the modern grass covered flat "memorial lawns" but I know my grandfather would have prefered to be buried somewhere he could have something green and growing and beautiful as his memorial. |
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| Some years ago I decided I needed to move some big ol' monster hostas. I dug one with a big rootball and then discovered it was too big for me to heave out of the hole. Somehow I maneuvered my leg under it, figuring my strong thighs could help me get some leverage to lift the hosta ball up and over the edge. Wrong. The big hosta ball was so heavy that it weighted down my thigh, and I realized my leg was trapped under the big hosta ball which I could not move at all now. Soooooo embarrassing as I sat there pinned at the bottom of a planting hole with a monster hosta holding me down. I was so glad no one was around in the neighborhood to see me there and ask why I was sitting in a hosta hole holding a hosta on top of me! After about 20 minutes, I regained some of my energy and will power and somehow managed to slowly squirm my way out from under the monster hosta. No permanent damage to me or the hosta, but I decided to leave it where it was. Watered it in well, and it is still growing there years later! That is more a "How to feel foolish" story. Kate |
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| Oops--posted on the wrong thread. My apologies. Have no idea how I managed to make this goof! Please ignore the above post. I too think it is great that a rose is allowed by a grave. Can't be done where my parents are buried--much to my disappointment. Kate |
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| Like all ready mentioned, old roses respond well to good compost and some organic fertilizer twice a season, it sounds simple but nothing beats the combination. I also like seaweed and seaweed extract. Roses are most susceptible to aphids if the soil is dry. Lots of fertilizer also seem to make aphids multiply a lot, but either way, new growth is always a good thing. Best of luck with your rose |
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