A Detailed Guide to the Seven Stages of Rose Cultivation and Management
1. Site selection and orchard establishment: In mountainous areas, make full use of field terraces and earthen slopes; this not only increases economic returns but also consolidates the soil and protects the terraces, preventing soil erosion. On plains, dedicated rose plots should be established in contiguous blocks. However, whether in mountainous areas or on plains, never plant on heavy, waterlogged clay soil.
2. Soil treatment: Before planting, disinfect the soil, primarily by steam sterilization. If conditions do not allow, chloropicrin fumigation may be used; after chloropicrin fumigation, deep plowing should be carried out several times to avoid phytotoxicity affecting the development of the plant root system. Then apply a 20 cm thick layer of farmyard manure and plow it in. On plains, form raised beds with a bed surface width of 200 cm and a bed height of 15-20 cm.
3. Planting: Set row spacing at 2-2.5 m and plant spacing at 1-1.5 m; on plains, the plant and row spacing may be appropriately increased. Dig planting holes (60 cm long, 60 cm wide and 60 cm deep), place the seedling in, backfill with soil, firm it down and water.
4. Fertilization: Fertilization can be carried out in 2 applications. One is in late autumn, combined with deep plowing, applying 3000-3300 kg of farmyard manure per mu; the other is after flowering, combined with loosening the soil, applying 5-25 kg of diammonium phosphate or other compound fertilizer per mu.
5. Pruning: Roses have strong sprouting ability; if not pruned in time, the dense canopy of the clump often causes weak, spindly branches that die back. Pruning should be based on plant age, growth condition, and fertilizer, water and management conditions, following the principle of primarily thinning out and secondarily heading back, so that the plant is old but the branches are not, and the branches are numerous but not crowded, allowing ventilation and light penetration. Old branches over 5 years old should be thinned out in time to support the growth of new branches. For roses that are weak in growth and have basically lost the ability to bloom, heavy pruning can be used to stimulate new branch growth.
6. Pest and disease control: The main diseases of roses are rust, powdery mildew and brown spot. To control rust, remove diseased buds and bury them deep. Before and during the onset of rust, powdery mildew and brown spot, spray triadimefon, thiophanate or chlorothalonil once every half month, which has a good effect on preventing infection and spread of the diseases. The main pests of roses include scarab beetles, bagworms, red spider mites, aphids, scale insects and longhorn beetles. Scarab beetles and bagworms mainly damage the tender shoots and leaves of roses; during their occurrence, phoxim or deltamethrin can be sprayed; red spider mites, aphids and scale insects mainly suck the sap of roses, causing weak growth, and can be controlled by spraying systemic insecticides such as dimethoate and monocrotophos; longhorn beetles are devastating pests, and their adults should be captured and killed and the nectar-source plants they feed on should be removed to suppress their occurrence.
7. Harvesting: Different harvesting times for roses lead to considerable differences in yield and quality. Usually rose buds should be harvested before they open, that is, harvesting is best when the longitudinal diameter of the bud is 3 times that of the calyx; too early reduces yield, and too late means the flower has already opened, affecting quality. During the peak flowering period, pick plump, healthy buds; for other thin, weak buds, wait until they fully open and then pick the petals. Flowers that open sporadically at other times are also left until fully open before the petals are picked.