Spring Rose Care

Well-fed Rose bushes will reward you with lots of growth and flowers. Whether you have a large Rose garden or have a few potted Roses, feeding them is easy.

Choose a fertiliser that’s specially designed to feed Roses and flowering plants, like Yates Thrive Natural Roses & Flowers. It combines more than 50% natural ingredients, with fast-acting fertilisers, to promote healthy leaf and stem growth and prolific blooms.

It's perfect for feeding both in-ground and potted Roses. Spread the pellets around the base of the plant every eight weeks from spring to autumn and water in well. 

Aphids love roses in spring! These small sap-sucking insects, which can be green, black, yellow or brown, feast on the sugary sap that is flowing through the tender new rose growth.

They can often be seen clustering in large numbers on leaf buds and developing flowers, along stems, and underneath leaves. Aphids deplete Roses of valuable nutrients and sugars, cause leaves to twist and distort, and can transmit damaging viruses. So, it's important to control Aphids as soon as they're noticed. 

Caterpillars also enjoy Roses, chewing through leaves and into Rose buds and petals. Often well camouflaged, caterpillars can cause significant damage. 

Thrips are tiny, slender insects, 1-2 mm long, that suck the sap from Rose leaves and flowers. They can cause brown blemishes on petals and leaves to appear silvery or distorted. 

One of the most troublesome fungal diseases is Rose Black Spot. Leaves can develop irregular black spots that become feathered or fringed with yellow margins. If left untreated, leaves will prematurely yellow and fall, weakening the plant. 

Another common rose disease is Powdery Mildew. It appears as white powdery growth on leaves, stems and flower buds and is most active in warm, humid weather. 

The easiest way to protect Roses from the most common pests and diseases, including Aphids, Caterpillars, Thrips, Black Spot and Powdery Mildew, is with ready to use Yates Rose Gun. Yates Rose Gun contains a combination of an insecticide that controls sucking and chewing pests, and a fungicide to control common diseases. Spray Roses thoroughly every two weeks, as soon as pests or diseases are first noticed. 

If you have lots of Roses, concentrated Yates Rose Shield is ideal. Dilute Yates Rose Shield in a sprayer filled with water. The 500 mL pack size makes up to 50 L of Rose protecting spray. 

To keep your Rose looking neat and tidy, regularly remove spent flowers (called ‘dead heading’). This will also encourage more flowers to develop. Cutting Rose stems for a vase doubles as spring pruning! Choose stems where the flower bud has only just started to open and immediately place the stems in cool water.   

Prune off any shoots that develop below the graft (the bump on the lower stem). This vigorous growth will eventually take over the rest of the plant if not kept in check. Also remove any dead wood or grey stems that you notice, and spindly growth can be pruned off as well. 

During January, Roses can be given a moderate summer pruning, to promote a fresh flush of new growth and flowers in autumn.   

Roses grow best in well-drained moist soil or potting mix. In-ground Roses should be watered deeply at least once a week, particularly during dry weather. Potted Roses will dry out faster than Roses growing in the ground and should be watered more frequently. When watering Roses, water the bush at the base, rather than over the leaves, as wet leaves can promote diseases.  

To help keep soil or potting mix moist, apply a layer of mulch, such as bark chips or straw, around the root zone. Keep the mulch a few centimetres away from the stem to allow for good air flow around the base.