One-year-old roses need special care to grow fast

A "one-year-old" rose, which is what we commonly call a new rose seedling, refers to a small seedling less than a year old that has not yet become woody. A "juvenile" rose with only one or two branches needs to consume a lot of nutrients in order to bloom. Therefore, it must be treated specially so that it can grow fast.

How can you give a "one-year-old" rose special treatment so that it grows fast and also grows strong?

1. When getting one, choose

To raise a "one-year-old" rose seedling into a strong plant, you must harden your heart and remove the buds before autumn. Usually, the small rose seedlings that gardeners buy come with flowers and buds. When selecting, focus on choosing new seedlings with thick, sturdy, compact branches, plenty of leaves in a healthy green color, and no pests or diseases.

2. Remove flowers and buds before planting

For a "one-year-old" rose seedling you have bought, if you see a seedling that has flowers, blooming puts too much strain on the plant, so the flowers need to be removed as early as possible. Likewise, if it is a small seedling with flower buds, the buds should also be removed. This practice should continue until around September.

The specific method is: for bud removal, in order to keep the "one-year-old" rose seedling from blooming, the buds need to be removed, and removing them by hand helps the wounds heal as early as possible; for flower removal, with a newly bought seedling, the rose branches are very soft when it first blooms, so you can remove them directly by hand.

After the removal is done, the "one-year-old" rose seedling needs to be fertilized in time. Gardeners are advised to use an organic nutrient solution specially made for roses, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. During the seedling stage, water it into the roots once every 7 days, diluted 500 times. After the flowers and buds are removed, the new rose shoots can continue to grow, and new branches can grow out in about 1 month.

3. Transplant as early as possible

If it is a "one-year-old" rose seedling bought in spring, it should be transplanted into a new flower pot before June. In this way, during June-July, when roses grow most vigorously, it can adapt to the new environment and get through the intense summer heat smoothly.

The diameter of the flower pot should be one or two sizes larger than the diameter of the root soil ball of the "one-year-old" rose seedling. If it is planted directly in a large flower pot, the soil tends to dry out, which is not good for the growth of the small seedling's root system. In addition, be careful to use a well-draining mixed nutrient soil, and do not break apart the root-protecting soil when transplanting.

Image from gardener: European roses and succulents