This is a basic guide for potted roses on open balconies. It is mainly suitable for those who plant flowers on balconies without a garden or terrace. There are many precautions that are slightly different from ground planting and open cultivation. There will be slight differences in different geographical locations, but the principles are the same and you can refer to them selectively.
First of all, let me introduce the general situation of my balcony for residents to compare and reference the planting environment. I live in Chengdu, and the climate is slightly advantageous for growing roses. My home is on the top floor of an apartment more than 20 stories high. The longest balcony faces due south and protrudes from the entire building. It is 700cm long and 180cm wide. The part on the right side near the study is separated and sealed to make an indoor tea room (blue in the picture) part) is 270cm long, and the outdoor part is 450cm long (the green part in the picture).
Then, there are some basics to know before you start growing roses. Here we mainly refer to the "December Plan for Rose Cultivation" (written by Ken Koyamauchi) and several other green-fingered gardening books. Rose is a kind of shrub, which can be roughly divided into upright types that bloom all year round and vines that bloom all year round. For example, the recently popular Lonza Gem is a typical vine that blooms for one season, and the Queen of Sweden is a typical upright rose that blooms all year round.
Cultivation of roses requires sufficient light and good ventilation. If the balcony is to be cultivated for a long time, it is best to be open. Many people ask whether roses can be grown indoors? It is not ruled out that there are experts who can raise them in a closed room, but it is more practical to buy miniature roses in pots with flowers from the flower market, watch the flowering period for a period, and then release it... After all, it will last longer than fresh-cut flowers. Why can’t roses be grown indoors? The main reason is ventilation, which can enhance the disease resistance of rose leaves. Roses in poorly ventilated and dry environments are very likely to get red spider mites, which is very annoying! (The picture below shows an upright iceberg, which was placed indoors for viewing during the flowering period)
Pot soil selection
The soil for planting roses needs to be well-drained and well-permeable. Such soil can promote root growth and reduce For pests and diseases, the easiest option is to directly purchase specially formulated soil.
In terms of pot selection, deep flower pots are suitable. The preferred material is terracotta basins, which have good appearance and good air permeability, but are relatively heavy and inconvenient for online shopping and transportation, and the load-bearing capacity of the balcony may also be limited. For resin pots, you can choose Qingshan pots, Horun pots, Alice pots, Global pots or other deep flower pots with smooth water outlet. Most roses in my house use Qingshan pots. The dark green color is unobtrusive, simple and practical. (In the picture below, the large Alice beige pot used for Lollipop rose, and the Qingshan pot used for Blue Storm on the right is equipped with an IKEA flower pot stand)
Daily maintenance
Rose is actually very Strong light-loving plants must be given sufficient light, except for proper shade during the hottest and sunniest times in summer. My balcony faces south, with no buildings blocking it in front, so it gets plenty of light. In winter, the sun is lower, and on sunny days, the light reaches the deeper parts of the balcony almost all day long. In summer, the sun is at a higher position and can be exposed to the balcony in the morning. It is blocked by the roof at noon and can only reach the edge. In the evening, the western sun is blocked by the indoor balcony, so no additional sunshade is needed. However, the temperature on the upper floor is much higher than in the ground garden. Last summer, my rose lollipops suffered severe leaf loss. I wondered if it was caused by another disease. The result was "heat stroke". After the temperature dropped, there was still a wave of blooms in October.
To alleviate heat stroke in roses, you can choose to put a slightly larger pot outside the flower pot for heat insulation, or you can use brackets and bricks to raise the flower pot for ventilation and cooling. When it's particularly hot, you can sprinkle water on the ground to cool down. Never water when exposed to the sun, as it will burn the roots. If yellow leaves due to heat stroke appear, take the above measures to avoid heat and clean up the yellow leaves.
In terms of watering, I usually water it thoroughly or apply water-soluble fertilizer after the surface of the pot soil is dry. In winter, when one knuckle is deeply dry, I water it thoroughly. Excessive water and keeping the soil too wet for a long time will cause the rose leaves to turn yellow and fall off, or even die. Because there is a roof, there is no rain. In the hot summer, you will need to water it once in the morning and evening, but the prerequisite is that the soil surface is dry.
Fertilization method
Rose is a plant that likes fertilizer very much. The fertilizers I mainly use are slow-release fertilizer Aolv 318, water-soluble fertilizer Huaduoduo series and Meileke rose special and organic fertilizer. The decomposed sheep dung from Tianlang Yueji’s house was used. In addition to mixing the slow-release fertilizer into the soil when changing pots, spread it along the edge of the pot every six months or so and cover it with a little soil.
Slow-release fertilizer is usually added when repotting or loosening the soil in winter and between the first and second flowering periods around May. I use Huaduoduo and Melokee as water-soluble fertilizers alternately, once a week. When flower buds appear, use Huaduoduo No. 2 to promote more blooming and brighter colors. After the flowering period and during the growing season, use Huaduoduo No. 1 or No. 10 to promote branch and bud growth.
When placing a new pot or repotting it, first lay a layer of ceramsite on the bottom of the pot to enhance drainage. Especially for flower pots with only one drainage outlet at the bottom of the pot, putting soil directly can easily block the pot and cause water accumulation. . After placing a layer of soil on top of the ceramsite, you can add decomposed organic fertilizer (sheep manure, chicken manure, fish intestine fertilizer, etc.) and then cover it with a layer of soil before placing the plants. Do not let the roots directly contact the organic fertilizer or soil. Mix in Aolv slow-release fertilizer as a whole. The sheep manure I used before did not have any peculiar smell after it was decomposed, and I also mixed some Aolv 318 into it.
Pruning methods
Rose is also very resistant to pruning and needs to be pruned frequently, especially on balconies with limited space. If you buy a flowering plant directly, you can wait until the flowers have finished blooming, then prune them before repotting them.
You must prune the remaining rose flowers in time so that the next round of flowers will come faster. The cut flowers with good shape can be kept in bottles and watered.
The main pruning area after flowering is 1cm above the second or third bud point under the flower. But this is not absolute. You can also choose the pruning position according to the height of the plant you want. At the same time, you also need to consider the direction of the buds. You need to choose outward-facing buds to avoid cross branches. In another case, the rose is a variety with multiple heads blooming. Just cut off the first one when it withers (the nunnery in the picture below has multiple heads blooming in clusters). Top-dress fertilizer in time after pruning (Meileke rose special water-soluble fertilizer or Huaduoduo No. 1).
In addition to timely pruning after flowering, re-pruning is carried out around January 25th every year (in areas outside Chengdu, the pruning date can be adjusted according to the temperature and the north and south regions). Leaves need to be removed 1-2 weeks before heavy pruning so that the tops of the branches stop growing and enter dormancy. When pruning, find a healthy and full bud point at 1/3-1/2 of the plant, and cut it off 0.5-1cm above it. At the same time, the overall plant shape also needs to be considered, preferably a fan-shaped state. Weak branches as thick as a toothpick and branches without buds need to be cut off. (The picture below shows the new shoots growing very quickly after pruning the Bell Fairy Lollipop for a week)
Rose grows very quickly in spring. It is necessary to wipe out inward growth in time and it is not the strongest if it is crowded in the same area. Bud point. Until the flower buds are born, attention should be paid to the control of water and fertilizer during this period. If the water and fertilizer increase, the buds will disappear. At the same time, the placement location should not change too much. Wait until April-May to open the balcony.
Vine roses also need to be pruned and banded before spring. The right side of the picture below is a blue and rainy vine that is open in many seasons. It is in its state after pruning and bundling in winter. Trim the branches and try to fix them in an S-shape around the style in one direction. After germination, it is also necessary to constantly observe the growth status of the buds to eliminate obvious ingrown and crowded buds that are not the strongest.
In late April, you can harvest a tower-shaped style full of pink and purple flowers.
Lonza gem also needs to be pulled horizontally in winter, because it blooms in one season. When you buy it with flowers, the flowering period will soon pass, and it will not bloom for the rest of the year, and there will be red spider mites. , the balcony space is limited and it occupies a large area. I have been considering replacing it. So I was lazy and didn't pull it horizontally very neatly. Although it affected the amount of flowers and plant shape, I didn't expect to be surprised by it in spring. I will definitely reorganize it carefully next winter.
(The above picture shows the blooming effect of this year.)
Pest and disease control
Rose as a Medicine jars do not come out of nowhere, but there are also many excellent varieties that are particularly strong and not easily infected by diseases and insect pests. There are 12 pots of different varieties of roses on my balcony. The ones that I personally tested to be very sturdy include Upright Iceberg (pictured below), Fairy of the Bell, Longza Gem, Tequila, New Imagination, and cut Juliet (Juliet is exposed and released on the roof of the building). It has been a long time since spring started blooming, and there are only a few aphids).
The ones that are more likely to get sick are Dragonfly, Super Micro, and Queen of Sweden. The dragonfly suffers from constant powdery mildew, the Queen of Sweden suffers from repeated red spider mites, and Super Micro suffers from both.
The most annoying insect pest must be the spider mite.
Spider mites are a type of mite that feed on plant sap and are most likely to break out when the temperature is high and the air is dry. If tiny white spots appear on the surface of the rose leaves, and the backs look like they are coated with fine sand, or if they are wrapped in spider-like threads, it must be a spider mite. If the situation is not serious, you can use a flower watering nozzle to wash the back of the leaves with a stronger hydraulic level (preferably the fan-shaped one). Repeat it every few days to effectively repel spider mites.
To control red spider mites with drugs, you can choose household gardening chemicals such as Jinmanzhi, Aika, fenfenpyr, and pyridaben. Mix water with water and spray it on the leaves according to the instructions. Spray all the front and back of the leaves. Repeat spraying once every 1-2 weeks. If it is serious and long-term application is required, it is recommended to use two to three agents with different mechanisms alternately to avoid the development of drug resistance. If the effect of the medicine is not obvious, you can add a small amount of washing powder or laundry detergent to increase the adhesion of the medicine on the leaves. I personally tested it this year and found it to be very effective.
The second most annoying thing is thrips, a small black insect that sucks the juice from flowers and causes them to wither quickly, greatly shortening the viewing time. During the first round of spring flowers this year, I did not take preventive measures in time, and the flowers were seriously damaged by thrips. I first used a broad-spectrum insecticide, the kind mixed with water and sprayed, which was effective but not very noticeable. Later, I found a solid granular insecticide that can be sprinkled on the soil. It was very effective. One application obviously solved the problem of thrips crawling all over the flowers. (The blue bottles in the picture below are pesticides, and the pink ones are fungicides)
This kind of granules is very convenient. Just take one gram of a pot of plants and sprinkle it on the soil surface or cover it with soil slightly. It is much easier than spraying chemicals that need to be mixed with water in proportion. One thing that needs to be noted is that if there are children or pets at home who will play on the balcony during the medication, pay attention to burying the medication on the soil surface and cleaning up the water flowing out of the basin bottom when watering the ground to avoid accidentally ingesting the pesticide. No matter how small the dose is, It's not good if this happens for a long time.
Maybe because of the high floor and potted plants, my 12 pots of roses only encountered these two pests. In terms of diseases, powdery mildew is really annoying. Last year, the dragonflies were infected with powdery mildew. This may be due to a problem with the metering calculations or due to the weak disease resistance of the varieties. The effects of various pesticide applications were not obvious, and we had to reluctantly cut off the flower buds that had finally grown. This year I also used the pink bottle of granules in the previous picture as soon as there were signs of powdery mildew, and the disease is currently under control. (The varieties pictured below are Dragonfly and New Imagination) These two medicines can also be mixed into the soil as a preventive measure when repotting.
Common rose diseases include black spot, etc. I recommend a Taobao store, Xiaowen Gardening, which has a complete range of commonly used medicines for home gardening. You can also follow Heidi’s Garden, Sirius Rose, and the shop or public account of Uncle Wang who loves to grow flowers. From time to time, there will be gardening tips to share.
After writing so much, I can see that the Sumitomo here is really very patient. Finally, I will share some pictures of roses that I have now and their characteristics.
The most recommended one is the Fairy of the Bell. It has large flowers and slightly moonlight, compact plant shape, strong fruit flavor, frequent flowers and strong disease resistance. It combines various advantages and is very good. The tree I have now was a gift from my mother and purchased from Heidi’s Garden store. The picture below is the spring flower effect of this year, the second year after purchase, without filter. The fragrance is so strong that a gust of wind blows the entire balcony with a sweet smell.
Secondly, the upright iceberg is recommended. It grows very strongly and has first-class flower re-flowering ability. It flowers almost continuously and blooms from April to January of the next year. When the weather is cold in winter, a light pink color will appear. Although there are not many petals, they are full of fairy spirit. Very, very solid and thorn-free, so you won't get pricked at all.
The third place recommends New Imagination, with striped colors, multiple open heads, long branches, good uprightness, suitable for cutting and vase planting, and a faint rose fragrance. There is a kind of Weiyue that is very similar in flower color to it. The plant size is smaller and may be more suitable for the balcony, called Apple Tart.
The fourth recommended nunnery, retro camel color, light yellow after blooming, abundant flowers, multiple blooms. A single branch can produce the effect of a bouquet of flowers. It also has good disease resistance and is fragrance-free. It is a flower color variant of sunflower. Sunflower is also highly recommended. It has a retro pink and purple color and other characteristics are similar. (The left side of the picture below is the bell fairy in the first year, and the bottom is the newly purchased nunnery)
(The light yellow on the left side of the picture below is the amount of flowers blooming on a branch this year. The pink is Bell Fairy, white upright iceberg in the middle, new imagination of stripes.
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Not recommended... Lonza Gemstone... For a place like the balcony, where land is at a premium, Lonza Gemstone, which is only open for one season and is larger in size, is a bit useless. The outdoor dragon sand walls at several friends’ homes are really, really enviable.
Secondly, the Queen of Sweden is also very indifferent to balconies. There are constant red spider mites. Potted bamboo shoots on the balcony can grow 1.5 meters high...The flowers are beautiful but particularly short-lasting, commonly known as falling apart in one day...
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I have recently been developing roses on the rooftop terrace of my house. It is currently mid-summer in August. The generous gardeners who planted the new ones less than a month ago have welcomed the first wave of flowers.
It can bloom with such a standard flower pattern in midsummer, which is really recommended. Especially welcome, the strong-scented vine rose that blooms in many seasons has a strong sweet fruity flavor with a hint of lemongrass. It is one of the best-smelling roses in my opinion. It has good heat resistance.
End of nonsense, end with a wave of the current appearance of the balcony. This article has been procrastinated for half a year...
I hope it can be helpful to the balcony party friends who like roses. .
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