Roses in Alaska: Basic Needs of Roses

 Roses have a better chance of surviving an Alaska winter, fighting off pests and resisting disease if they're healthy. The key to growing healthy roses is providing for their basic needs.

Basic needs start with plenty of sun. Most roses require a minimum of six hours per day, preferably the good, strong, late morning or afternoon sun, not the pale version of the early morning or evening hours.

Besides sun, roses need plenty of air. Air circulation helps dry the leaves of early-morning dew and wards off disease exacerbated by stagnant air. Consider air circulation when you choose a site. Structures or landscape plantings can cause stagnant air.

Find out how wide your new rose will spread at maturity to avoid overcrowding. Planting too close to landscape plants, or bunching roses too closely together, will cut down on air circulation and increase competition for sun, water and nutrients. Space roses at least 24–30 inches apart.

Roses need plenty of water, especially if you've properly put them in a setting where they're getting plenty of sun. Figure that roses in the ground need an inch of water per week, either from you or the rain.

The water needs of potted roses will vary, depending on the pot. During a hot week, some roses in pots will need to be watered every day. Soil in wooden containers or clay pots dries faster than plastic pots. Small containers dry out faster than large ones.

Try to avoid splashing water on leaves. Water on leaves gives fungus a chance to develop—especially if you water roses in the evening. The best time to apply the inch of water is early in the morning so leaves have plenty of time to dry.

Consider watering with a breaker nozzle or an old-fashion watering can that spreads a gentle stream of water. An inch of water applied suddenly from a garden hose can damage roots, erode or compact the soil, or injure stems.

Finally, roses need nutrition, both macronutrients and micronutrients. Roses have a reputation as heavy feeders. Some roses are. Others, most noticeably many cold-hardy Rugosas popular in Alaska, are not.

There are fertilizers sold specifically for roses, but they're not necessary. Commercial fertilizer lists three numbers on the label for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. If you forget which number is which, remember that they're in alphabetical order. The important thing to remember for roses is to get a fertilizer in which the numbers are roughly balanced.

One popular commercial, water-soluble fertilizer recommends full strength once every two weeks. Many gardeners prefer stretching the feeding by soaking the roses at half-strength every week. That may also help a rose gardener to remember when to fertilize.

Roses also need micronutrients: tiny amounts of copper, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, iron, boron, zinc and manganese, to name a few. Compost, manure, and seaweed can provide roses with micronutrients. Adding compost or manure when you plant roses gets the micronutrients to the roots. You can also add them as a top dressing, working them lightly into the soil but not touching rose canes.

© 2002, Alaska Rose Society, All Rights Reserved.
This article was originally published in the Anchorage Daily News, July 12, 2002.

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Last modified: July 13, 2003