climbing roses
Now that you know the basics of how to grow and maintain climbing roses, let’s look at some common mistakes to avoid.
1. Use a battered tray attached to your climbing rose.
Did your climbing rose come with a plastic trellis? A lot of newbies are tempted to use this, but doing so is a mistake. Why? Because within a year it will not bear the weight of your rose.
2. Prune your climbing roses the way you would your bush roses.
As we have discussed, proper pruning for climbing roses requires very specific pruning tools and techniques. Do not forget that your climbing roses need different pruning care than your regular rose bushes!
3. Panic when there is not much early development.
Do not see large cane formation in the first year or two? Didn’t even see a rosebud? The worst thing you can do is assume you have been robbed and start trying to "fix" it.
In fact, the biggest mistake you can make is to cut it thinking it will stimulate the main cane to bloom. Doing so will take even more time.
After planting roses, there is usually a delay in flowering. Give them some more time and continue to take care of them as you were. In the third year, you will see significant growth.
4. Waiting too long to make corrections.
If your rose throws the cane in a direction you do not like, you have to run it the way you want.
You may think that waiting to do this is okay, but if you do, the adjustment will be difficult to make.
So, even if you do not like it now, take care of it as soon as possible.
5. Not planting deep enough.
Your climbing rose should walk a foot or two deep as discussed earlier. Sometimes newcomers do not plant them deep enough.
6. Working with dull clippers.
You will be amazed at how difficult it can be to prune some canes. Make sure your clippers are always neat and sharp.
7. Not giving your roses plenty of air circulation.
Roses need to breathe, and it is important that you do not overdo them. Give them plenty of space from other plants.
If you do not give them enough, do not be surprised if they get sick.
That being said, it is best to keep them out of the air, so if you throw too much wind, plant them in a safe place.
8. Allowing someone else to cut your roses.
The biggest mistake you can make with a beloved climbing rose is to allow another person (i.e. the contractor or neighbor) to trim it.
Think about all the hard work you did on your climbing rose. Even if for some reason it seems convenient to look at someone else, you will be very upset if you come back later to find that they have reduced it more than you wanted.
This mistake happens more often than you expect!
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