How to plant Chinese roses (Rosa chinensis) so they grow well? A detailed guide to planting methods
How should Chinese roses be planted properly? Here is a detailed guide. You can refer to the following planting methods for Chinese roses: For graft propagation, use wild rose or a dedicated rootstock variety as the rootstock, and graft by either cleft grafting or bud grafting. Sow the rootstock in early April of the previous year and transplant it in April of the second year. The seedbed should be fertile, loose sandy soil...
How should Chinese roses be planted properly? Here is a detailed guide
The planting methods for Chinese roses can refer to the following:
Graft propagation: Use wild rose or a dedicated rootstock variety as the rootstock, and graft by either cleft grafting or bud grafting. Sow the rootstock in early April of the previous year and transplant it in April of the second year. The seedbed should be fertile, loose sandy soil, with a plant spacing of 20 x 80 cm. Carry out bud grafting in June, and lift the plants for field planting in the spring of the third year.
Soil preparation: Choose fertile, loose sandy loam rich in organic matter and with good drainage. Use fully decomposed livestock manure as base fertilizer, applying 45000-60000 kg per hectare, then disinfect the soil. The methods are: methyl bromide, 10 kg per 100 sq m, then cover the soil with plastic film for more than a week; chloropicrin, 7.5 liters per 100 sq m, then cover with plastic film for more than two weeks; DD mixture, 2.8 liters per 100 sq m, then cover with film for more than two weeks.
Scientific field planting: Use the raised-bed planting method. The bed is 1 m wide and 10-15 cm high, with two rows planted per bed, a large row spacing of 90-100 cm, a small row spacing of 30 cm, and a plant spacing of 20 cm. The density is 6-8 plants per sq m, and the walkway between beds is 20 cm-30 cm wide.
Adjusting temperature and humidity: For cultivation in a solar greenhouse, the daytime temperature should preferably be 20°C-25°C, not exceeding 28°C, and the nighttime temperature should be kept at 12°C-15°C, with a relative humidity of 65%-75%. Pay attention to ventilation.
Rational fertilization: Chinese roses like fertilizer. You can apply fertilizer to the roots or spray foliar fertilizers such as monopotassium phosphate, urea, Gaomeishi, and ferrous sulfate on the leaves. Apply little but often. Generally, apply liquid fertilizer once every 10 days, and apply compound fertilizer in winter.
Water management: Water when dry and drain when wet. After the seedlings are planted in spring, water thoroughly, loosen the soil after watering, and then water as needed according to conditions. In summer, when the soil temperature is high, watering should be done after 5 p.m. Chinese roses are drought-tolerant and afraid of waterlogging. When rainfall is heavy, pay attention to drainage, and frequently weed and loosen the soil.
Pruning and pinching
Pruning: Chinese roses should be pruned before field planting, and flower buds should be removed promptly after field planting. Begin harvesting flowers after 3-5 strong branches have grown. After that, prune 3-5 times each year, and tidy the branch shape at any time, leaving 2-4 buds on each branch when cutting. When cutting, leave 1 cm above the bud, and cut diagonally downward toward the other side of the branch. The cut should be smooth. There are two types of pruning: first, low pruning, which means leaving only two buds from the base of the branch upward and cutting off the upper part of the branch. This pruning method produces long, thick branches, large flower buds, and good quality. Second, high pruning, which leaves more buds on the lower part of the branch and produces more new branches and more flowers, but the branches are short, the flower buds are small, and the quality is poor. Alternating these two pruning methods in production can control plant height and keep Chinese roses at a longer growth cycle and higher production capacity. Grafted seedlings are renewed about every 8 years.
Pinching: When a new shoot grows to 15-20 cm, remove about 3 cm from the top. When it reaches a certain length, pinch about 2 more times, until the number of main branches and side branches of the whole plant is enough to produce a large number of flowers. In the early stage, pinching is to adjust the plant shape, and after flowering it is to control the flowering period. When the flower bud reaches 10-13 mm in diameter, remove the top of the branch down to the second leaf, which can advance the flowering period by about 7 days.
Pest and disease control: Improve ventilation to reduce the incidence of disease, and remove and burn virus-infected branches. Through high temperature for 4 weeks, viruses in the plant can be eliminated and reduced. Common diseases of Chinese roses are black spot, powdery mildew, and rust, which can be controlled with 80% mancozeb wettable powder or 50% benomyl wettable powder at 800-1200 times dilution. To control pests such as aphids, thrips, leaf rollers, and scarab beetles, use 50% fenitrothion at 1000 times dilution.
Flower harvesting and grading: Chinese roses should be cut when the temperature is low and the humidity is high. Generally, flower harvesting begins about 10 months after planting, and flowers are harvested when the buds are slightly open (about 2 days before blooming). The cut branches should have 5 internodes or a little longer. After cutting, immediately place them in water, transport them back to the workroom for grading, and tie every 10 stems into 1 bundle. Grading standards: Grade I has a stem length of 55-60 cm and neat flowers; Grade II is 45-54 cm; Grade III is 35-44 cm; below grade is under 35 cm. After packaging with cellophane, trim the stems evenly and place them in water.
Fresh-keeping storage: Cut Chinese roses have a short fresh-keeping period and do not tolerate long-distance transport. Treating them with 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate and placing them in a cold storage at 3°C-4°C can keep them fresh for 3 days. If the harvested Chinese roses are not to be sold on the market and need long-term storage, they can be placed in a sealed cold storage with 1% oxygen, 5% carbon dioxide, and a temperature of 0°C-1°C, where they can be kept fresh for 20-30 days.
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