Content
Many people think that roses are too picky to grow in cold climates. However, many gardeners manage to grow beautiful bushes even in Siberia and the Urals. These plants feel calm in cold weather, but for the winter, roses must be covered. This is the only way they can survive the harsh winters. In this article, we will discuss an issue that worries many residents of cold regions. Below you will learn how to cover roses for the winter in the Urals.
Choosing a variety and a site for growing roses
To find the perfect bushes, you need to take into account the climate. In the Urals, spring is usually late, the summer period is very short, and in winter there are severe frosts and cold winds. Temperatures can often drop to -40 ° C. Not every variety will be able to withstand these conditions. Therefore, you should choose special zoned varieties that are adapted to cold climates. Such bushes are grown in nurseries in the Urals. Canadian rose varieties are also suitable, they are no less resistant to cold climates.
Pay attention to grafted bushes. They are stronger and also boast good immunity. Thanks to this, they are not afraid of many diseases, and winter frosts are tolerated much easier in comparison with self-rooted roses.
Open areas are not suitable for growing roses in the Urals. In such conditions, the plants will be constantly exposed to cold winds. Bushes can be placed near houses, gazebos and spreading bushes. In addition, roses do not like moisture stagnation. Considering this, you should choose places on a small hill. Elevated areas warm up the fastest in early spring, so roses can wake up faster. Moisture often accumulates in the lowlands, which is why various fungi and rot often appear.
How to properly cover roses
First of all, you need to familiarize yourself with the general rules for hiding roses. They are applicable for all regions:
- it is not recommended to cover the roses too early. A little hardening will only benefit them. You can start building a shelter after the air temperature drops below -5 ° C;
- at the end of summer, fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers is stopped. They promote the growth of young shoots, and during preparation for winter this is undesirable;
- if you cut the bushes strongly at the end of August, then late shoots will begin to form on them. Often, before the cold weather, they do not have time to ripen;
- for the ripening of the shoots, you need to stop watering the roses in the autumn.
It is necessary to prepare roses for wintering since summer. From the second half of July, gardeners begin to take better care of the bushes. Top dressing plays a very important role. Remember that nitrogen-based fertilizers can only be applied until the last weeks of July. At the end of summer, it is recommended to use only top dressing containing potassium and phosphorus. They contribute to the process of lignification of the stems.
Preparing roses for winter
The preparation of the bushes takes place in several stages. At the end of summer, the bushes should be cleaned. For this, all the lower leaves are removed and burned. In no case should you leave leaves under the bush. This can cause the spread of rot and other diseases. The upper leaves should not be cut off, they are necessary for the roses for the process of photosynthesis.
Then the lower part of each bush should be sprayed with a special Bordeaux liquid.In this case, only the lower shoots are sprayed, since they will go under cover for the winter. The stems at the root system must be sprinkled with a layer (10 or 15 cm) of the substrate. It can be leaf humus or peat, to which you can add sand, sawdust, and shavings.
Later it will be necessary to remove the remaining leaves and prune the bushes. No need to trim only climbing varieties of roses. All other bushes are shortened without regret. Leave only 50 cm in height. Pruning is usually done in October. Only after that you can proceed directly to the shelter of roses.
Ways to hide roses in the Urals
There are many ways to hide roses in a given area. Ideally, just cover the bushes with snow. Such a snowdrift perfectly keeps heat and protects from winds. However, since snow falls only at the beginning of December, this method is practically not practiced. By this time, the temperature will drop rapidly and the plants may simply freeze.
Most often, roses are covered with some kind of dry material, and after that everything is covered with a waterproof film. But even so, a lot depends on the particular variety. For example, climbing and hybrid tea roses are covered in different ways. If the bush is spread out in different directions, then you will have to cover each separately.
At the beginning, the roses are covered with dry cardboard boxes or wooden boards. After that, the structure can be covered with plastic wrap. In this form, roses are not afraid of frost, wind, or moisture. The edges of the film should be pressed with bricks or in any other way, the main thing is that moisture does not get inside.
Many gardeners practice the following method:
- The bush is wrapped with dry material in several layers.
- Then they are well wrapped and tied with twine.
- After that, you need to put a bag on the bush, for example, for garbage.
- In this form, roses are laid on the ground.
- When the first snow falls, you will need to shovel it onto the bush.
- In the spring, after the snow melts, a plastic bag is removed, and the bush, along with the covering material, is left to dry out.
- The material is removed only after warm, stable weather sets in.
If you have a large rose garden and the bushes grow in the same row, you can build an arch shelter for them. For this, both metal and plastic arcs are suitable. They are installed in such a way that it turns out to be such a small greenhouse. From above, the plants are covered with dry material, as in the previous case, and then with a film.
Thus, individual bushes can also be covered. To do this, the arcs must be arranged crosswise. Before this, the plant is shortened to fit the height of the arc. Then everything happens according to the method described above. Lutraxil or spunbond can be used as a covering material.
How to cover climbing roses
Climbing varieties are not as easy to cover as regular spray roses. In this case, you have to work a little more. Everyone starts with the preparation of roses. They need to be removed from the supports and any old and damaged stems should be cut off. Young shoots are not pruned, since buds may form on them next year.
Bush varieties must be cut off completely, leaving only the lower parts of the shoots, but climbing ones are cut only in order to form a bush and remove damaged shoots. It can be difficult to bend the bush to the ground right away. Often gardeners have to carry out this procedure in several stages. This must be done carefully so as not to break young shoots.
It is very important that the bush is not completely pressed to the ground, there should be some space for air. Then you can process the plants with iron sulfate. This will protect the plants from many diseases. When frosts come, the bushes are covered in 2 layers with lutraxil-60.
Closer to spring, it will be necessary to remove snow from the bushes. During this time, it becomes wet and heavy. Under this pressure, the plant can break. In addition, in the spring, it will begin to melt and can seep through the shelter. In warm weather, you can open the shelter a little so that the plants slowly get used to the temperature changes.
Conclusion
Correctly covered plants will withstand any frosts, and next year they will again delight you with their flowering. The detailed instructions in this article will help you carry out the procedure quickly and efficiently.
