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Roses in So. Calif.

Question:

Anyone here grow roses in So. Calif. (zone 10 by USDA standards)? When should I stop fertilizing? When do I start up again? Phisch

Response:

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Anyone here grow roses in So. Calif. (zone 10 by USDA standards)? When should I stop fertilizing? When do I start up again?

I attended a program last night on that very question as to when to stop feeding roses.  The answer was mid-October at the latest.  As far as resuming fertilizing, one very respected exhibitor starts feeding about 2 weeks after pruning roses and dormant spraying…(toward the end of January although your prunage may vary from Thanksgiving weekend to the beginning of February). JD

Response:

Anyone here grow roses in So. Calif. (zone 10 by USDA standards)? When should I stop fertilizing? When do I start up again?

  If you are truly in zone 10, then you do not need to stop, because your roses will never go dormant. However, if you live in one the inland valleys that get legitimate frosts/freezes, then you should stop fertilizing around the beginning of October.   As for when to resume your program, this depends a great deal upon the materials you intend to apply. "Organic" fertilizers take a while to break down and become available, so you can apply them early – say, during the Christmas holidays. For quick-acting inorganics, apply them after pruning.   When to prune:  Historically, the coldest weather in So. Cal. occurs during the first two weeks of January. If your live in an area where tender growth might be damaged, then prune on Superbowl weekend. If you are in zone 10 (along the coast) then you can prune anytime.   Many people in our area also get their bareroots early – in November – to give them a jumpstart and take advantage of our mild growing conditions. There is no reason why you can’t take advantage in the same way, and prune in early November if you wish. I have done this on a few occasions with excellent results. One advantage of doing this is that you avoid cane damage from the Santa Ana winds. A disadvantage is that you lose out on holiday season blooms. -Dave-

Response:

Hi Dave,   If you are truly in zone 10, then you do not need to stop, because your roses will never go dormant. However, if you live in one the inland valleys that get legitimate frosts/freezes, then you should stop fertilizing around the beginning of October.

I don’t think that we get any real frost or freezes here. The last time we saw truly cold weather was the winter of ‘87 (or was it ‘88?) and the dew on the grass was frozen in the morning. Freezing temps and below make for dormancy?   As for when to resume your program, this depends a great deal upon the materials you intend to apply. "Organic" fertilizers take a while to break down and become available, so you can apply them early – say, during the Christmas holidays. For quick-acting inorganics, apply them after pruning.   When to prune:  Historically, the coldest weather in So. Cal. occurs during the first two weeks of January. If your live in an area where tender growth might be damaged, then prune on Superbowl weekend. If you are in zone 10 (along the coast) then you can prune anytime.

I am in zone 10, but not directly on the coast. Rather, I’m in a canyon blocked by coastal breezes by a hill (darn). I believe that I’m still considered zone 10 though.   Many people in our area also get their bareroots early – in November – to give them a jumpstart and take advantage of our mild growing conditions. There is no reason why you can’t take advantage in the same way, and prune in early November if you wish. I have done this on a few occasions with excellent results. One advantage of doing this is that you avoid cane damage from the Santa Ana winds. A disadvantage is that you lose out on holiday season blooms.

I will have to check the nurseries for roses then…I’ve been scouring the online catalogs and pining away for roses I have almost no room for…am taking a guess that the local nurseries would carry appropriate roses for my area. I’ll just be getting 1 (yep…no room!) rose this year, so I’m going to have to be picky.

Response:

Yes, sorry, I must have missed this post.  I use this same time frame in Phoenix, AZ :)  One thing I do do that is not mentioned.  I cut the dosage of fertilizer from full strength to half strength during the hottest part of the summer, and it seems to help.  The fertilizer at full strengh, with it as hot as it is, seems to burn the roots if I don’t. alan – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – — Anyone here grow roses in So. Calif. (zone 10 by USDA standards)? When should I stop fertilizing? When do I start up again? I attended a program last night on that very question as to when to stop feeding roses.  The answer was mid-October at the latest.  As far as resuming fertilizing, one very respected exhibitor starts feeding about 2 weeks after pruning roses and dormant spraying…(toward the end of January although your prunage may vary from Thanksgiving weekend to the beginning of February). JD

– R. Alan Zelhart Chandler, Arizona Sunset Zone: 13 *******PLEASE NOTE: MY WEBSITE HAS BEEN MOVED******* http://members.home.net/gizmoaz/~gizmoaz.htm Visit my website and tour the gardens!

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