How to grow Chinese roses to bloom early? A detailed guide to care methods
Chinese roses are a flower type sensitive to light and temperature, and in the northern regions of our country they often lose their leaves and go dormant in winter due to low temperatures. However, because they have the special physiological function of promoting growth through accumulated temperature, they can, under certain temperature and light conditions, accumulate temperatures that rise and fall over time to meet the needs of their growth and development. Therefore, by taking appropriate measures, they can be made to bloom early at the beginning of the year.
1. Select cold-resistant Mohong and Fenhong Chinese rose varieties. This kind of Chinese rose has the characteristics of thick branches, luxuriant branching, and fast new shoot growth. The newly emerging leaves are purplish red, and the compound leaves are mostly composed of 3 to 5 leaflets, with leaves that are relatively small and thick. The small branches mature early, and generally when there are 3 to 5 compound leaves they can already form flower buds. Hardwood cuttings taken in spring can begin blooming in early summer. Cuttings taken from spent flowering branches in summer can begin blooming in early autumn.
2. Force leaf-retaining dormancy in late autumn. To make Mohong Chinese roses bloom early at the beginning of the year, watering must be stopped in late autumn and the pot baked, so that they undergo a relatively long period of leaf-retaining dormancy, allowing nutrients to return to the roots and strengthen the base, enhancing the growth vigor after revival.
3. Renew the branch order in midwinter ahead of time. In midwinter, move the Mohong Chinese roses that have been forced into leaf-retaining dormancy to a semi-shaded spot below the balcony railing, and carry out heavy pruning by cutting back, removing 2/3 of the plant height, and thinning out a large number of dense branches. At the same time, resume watering and apply topdressing to promote sprouting and leaf expansion, so that the old leaves fall off completely and the new shoots extend, achieving the goal of renewing the branch order and leaf canopy.
4. Protect leaves and promote buds in the cold winter. During the coldest days of winter, move the flower pots indoors under a south-facing window and keep the room temperature at 5 to 10°C to prevent tender branches and leaves from cold damage. On sunny days when the temperature is relatively high, at noon they can be placed in the sunlight on the balcony to increase the accumulated temperature needed for growth and development, and while maintaining a certain humidity for the leaf canopy, appropriately dry the pot to promote flower bud differentiation at the tips of the tender shoots.
5. Strengthen leaves and begin flowering in February. By early spring in February, carry out one deep intertillage and heavily apply a mixed chemical fertilizer mainly composed of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. On both sunny and cloudy days, place them on the balcony to extend the light duration. In winter when the temperature is below 3°C, move them indoors under a south-facing window to keep warm, and spray water from time to time to moisten the leaves, so that the leaves become green amid red and grow from small to large, enhancing photosynthetic function, forming a small number of strong buds and beginning to bloom.
6. Full bloom around Qingming. Around the spring equinox in March, if there is no late spring cold, they can be moved to a flower rack on a south-facing balcony for normal daily management, promoting the new leaves to change from red to green relatively quickly and to differentiate more robust flower buds early, keeping one terminal flower bud on each flowering branch. During the bud stage, spray a mixed solution of 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate and 0.2% boric acid once every 3 days, spraying 2 to 3 times in succession, which can strengthen the leaves and buds and promote full bloom around Qingming.