Rose has always been considered the queen of any garden, and caring for it requires special knowledge and skills. The breeding of frost-resistant varieties has made planting roses not only a privilege of the southern regions of Russia, but also the northern ones, where, with proper care, they delight the owners for more than one year. Shelter of roses for the winter in the Leningrad region has its own characteristics, since a snowy winter does not always take place, and temperature changes can lead to the death of the plant.
Varieties for the Leningrad Region
Not always planted roses, even with very good care, survive frosts, one of the reasons may be:
- Inappropriate forcing method. Greenhouse-grown bush and rootstocks are not always frost-resistant.
- Sort. Park or landscape species are the least afraid of frost and can survive the winter with minimal protection. Tea-hybrid and climbing are heat-loving varieties that require the construction of protective devices. Moderately resistant - many-sided floribundas and miniature types of roses.
Main activities
Shelter of roses for the winter in the Leningrad region takes place in several main stages:
- Stop feeding.
- Crop.
- Cleaning.
- Processing.
- Hilling.
- Shelter.
Each operation has its own characteristics, depending on the climate of the region and the type of rose. Deadlines are dictated by temperature fluctuations at the time of preparatory work, if the autumn is warm, then you can not sow shelter, if there are sharp frosts below -5 ° C, it makes sense to hurry.
Beginning of preparatory work
Shelter of roses for the winter in the Leningrad region begins in the second half of summer. According to the natural calendar, flowers, preparing for autumn, slow down the process of intensive growth, and at this time it is strictly prohibited:
- End of July - apply fertilizers stimulating vegetation (nitrogen).
- Beginning of autumn - cut the flowers and pick off the withered buds, so as not to interfere with the plant to go through the full flowering cycle.
Any of the above actions can serve as an incentive to create new shoots, which is highly undesirable before the onset of frost.
In the middle of the first month of autumn, it is necessary to fertilize the bush with potassium-magnesium preparations, providing them with a supply of nutrients for better spring growth.
This time is extremelyit is undesirable to loosen the ground, so this operation can start the process of flower growth.
By the end of September, the leaves on the bushes begin to dry out, and it's time to remove the yellowed foliage. It is necessary to start with diseased leaves, at the end of autumn, by the beginning of the shelter, it is advisable to remove all dry leaves, but it is quite possible to limit yourself to cleaning and burning only diseased shoots.
Cutting
Mandatory activities that ensure a good wintering and spring flowering of roses are shelter for the winter and pruning. The type of work is determined by the plant variety.
Pruning is necessary for all bushes, regardless of age. Removed:
- Flowers, buds.
- Sick and weak stems that cannot tolerate frost and die, which can lead to infection of the bush.
After pruning on the bush, depending on its size, there should be no more than 5 main branches, all the rest should be removed. All work must be carried out only with a special sharp tool, leaving an oblique cut.
The height of the shoots left for wintering depends on the variety.
- Frost-resistant park varieties practically do not shorten, only preventive cleaning and cleaning of weak branches is carried out.
- Hybrid tea, floribunda and other less resistant varieties cut off a large percentage of the above-ground part, leaving no more than 5 buds.
Climbing roses require an individual approach, shelter for the winter and pruning are specific due to the long stems thatalmost never shortened. It is necessary to remove only diseased and dry parts, as well as all foliage.
Having solved the issue of pruning, you can start cleaning the ground cover. Cleaning should be thorough, nothing should remain under the future canopy that could cause rot.
Disinfection and hilling
Many gardeners ask the question: "How to process roses before shelter for the winter?". There are several solutions:
- Classic option: 5% iron sulfate, or Bordeaux mixture. But for a greater guarantee, preventive treatment should also be carried out in the summer, for this many summer residents use Fitosporin, which gives a good disinfecting effect.
- Easier method and not always effective method using ash. A piece of land and wet shoots are sprinkled: one can of dry ash per 1 m2
Hilling up is a common procedure for many gardeners, in the case of roses, it is advisable to carry it out with sand, after disinfection, since the soil under the bush can contain many different bacteria and fungi. The height of the boulder depends on the size of the bush, on average at least 20 cm. The loose consistency of sand protects the root system without forming a crust when it freezes, contributing to good ventilation of the underground part of the plant.
Processing roses before shelter for the winter and hilling is performed on dry ground and shoots. Rain can be a problem during this period.a frequent occurrence, especially in autumn. The solution is simple: use polyethylene in the form of an umbrella or a tent. At the same time, it is desirable to cover not only the bush, but also the soil.
Preparing shelter
It is not recommended to start a full-scale warming procedure before reaching -5 ° C (critical temperature for varieties with low frost-resistant qualities), as too early wrapping can weaken the bush. Most often, the shelter period is the end of October-beginning of November.
Labor intensity depends on the variety, climbing roses are especially labor-intensive, shelter for the winter and pruning takes a lot of time and resources, since the branches of the bushes are not cut before wintering, they must be bent correctly. This must be done slowly, if necessary, slightly loosen the ground under the bush. The branches are tied, laid on a surface previously covered with straw, spruce branches or shields, and fixed with holders.
Protection for thermophilic varieties
The climbing rose also requires special care, shelter for the winter can be implemented in different ways, the choice depends on the landing region and the capabilities of the owners:
Shield. A reliable and labor-intensive option that provides a high percentage of flower survival even in severe frosts.
- Requires two wooden shields fastened with nails, the length depends on the height of the flower, the width is up to 90 cm.
- Set the structure on top of the fixed branches.
- Drive wedges into the ground to hold the roof from moving.
- Place on topprotection against moisture: film, spruce branches. Very often there is a recommendation to fill the film with earth, but not all summer residents go for it, fearing the appearance of excessive condensate.
The shield is made of wooden boards, it is not necessary to knock them down tightly, the presence of cracks is acceptable. The main criterion is reliability, heavy snow drifts can break the structure by damaging the lashes of the rose.
The skeleton method and strapping are also used.
In the second case, the connected shoots are covered with spruce branches and lutrasil, pressing down to the ground with bricks, boards and tarpaulin.
A frequent occurrence is a greenhouse with different varieties of bushes, among which a climbing rose rises, shelter for the winter in this case will have its own characteristics.
The branches must not be lowered to the ground, they must be fixed to the clogged support posts, and then the roof should be made.
Shelter of floribunda varieties, hybrid tea
Most often, the shelter of roses for the winter in the Leningrad region of medium frost-resistant varieties is carried out by the air-dry method.
Dignity: good ventilation, easy to manufacture
Need to do:
- Basic frame. Suitable metal rods or wooden blocks and slats. The height depends on the bush, usually a little over 50 cm.
- The fence should evenly encircle the entire plant.
- Cover the structure with insulation, fixing it on the frame. Many experts recommend using lutrasil with maximum density, its feature is a breathable structure, notprevents air circulation and well absorbs excess moisture. Also very often they use spruce branches or improvised materials in the form of cardboard, woven rugs, paths.
- Insulate the outer part from rain with polyethylene folded in several layers. The ends must remain open.
It is permissible to apply a scheme with two layers of lutrasil and covering the spruce branches without a film, avoiding the formation of condensate.
Dig in the lower part of the insulation, attach stones for greater reliability.
It is only necessary to close the upper part of the bush, the side parts of the insulation are lowered when -15С° is exceeded.
Finally
Shelter of roses for the winter in the Leningrad region should have ventilation, as constant temperature changes lead to the appearance of condensate, which is a fertile ground for the development of diseases. The most favorable for wintering roses are the snowy regions of the region, in the eastern region with low precipitation, increased attention should be paid to warming, making it as ventilated and resistant to frost as possible.
