Food-Gardening Lessons From A Wartime Victory Garden

Why Aren’t My Roses Growing?

Why Aren’t My Roses Growing?

“Why aren’t my roses growing? My rose bushes do not grow, and I fertilize them once a month, but they don’t grow.  Soil is clay-like.  They are semi-shade, I have a lot of big trees. They do flower.  What else can I do?” Question from April of Dresden, Tennesee

Answer: There are three key factors that are likely keeping your roses from growing, thriving, and flowering to their fullest. They are:

  1. Sunlight: Roses need full sun to grow and flower at their fullest. Six hours per day is the bare minimum they need to really perform well. Eight to twelve hours is even better. The morning sun is preferable to dry leaves early in the day, which dissuades fungal diseases.
  2. Soil: Roses require a fertile, well-drained soil that is slightly acidic (pH 6.5-7) and high in organic matter to perform at their fullest. Amend the soil where they are planted to encourage better root growth and performance. Black Gold Garden Soil and Black Gold Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss are two excellent amendments to consider
  3. Competition: Tree roots quickly drain water and nutrients from the soil. It is wise to plant roses away from tree roots to avoid competition.

Please watch the video below to learn more about growing roses organically.

Happy rose growing!

Jessie Keith

Black Gold Horticulturist

About JESSIE KEITH

Plants are the lens Jessie views the world through because they’re all-sustaining. (“They feed, clothe, house and heal us. They produce the air we breathe and even make us smell pretty.”) She’s a garden writer and photographer with degrees in both horticulture and plant biology from Purdue and Michigan State Universities. Her degrees were bolstered by internships at Longwood Gardens and the American Horticultural Society. She has since worked for many horticultural institutions and companies and now manages communications for Sun Gro Horticulture, the parent company of Black Gold. Her joy is sharing all things green and lovely with her two daughters.

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