Looking for a few simple and effective ways to keep your climbing roses blooming strong all summer long?
It’s hard to beat the incredible beauty of a climbing rose. There is just something so spectacular about seeing the plant’s long canes covered in fragrant and colorful blooms meandering up an arbor, trellis or along a fence line.
Perhaps best of all, climbing roses can keep on producing those incredible flowers again and again all summer. While traditional rose bushes only bloom once or twice each growing season, climbing roses can take flower production to a whole new level.
It sounds almost too good to be true, but when properly cared for and maintained, most climbing rose varieties can repeat their bloom cycle multiple times throughout each growing season, allowing for a near constant stream of brilliant flowers.
So what does it take to create that non-stop flower power for your climbing roses? Believe it or not, less effort than you might think! In fact, big success really all boils down to taking care of five basic needs for your climbers – all of which are quite simple and easy to do.
5 Simple Ways To Keep Your Climbing Roses Blooming Like Crazy
Proper Watering
All plants need sufficient water in order to grow and stay healthy. And the same is certainly true for climbing roses. Especially when it comes to getting them to bloom over and over again. For steady blooming, climbing roses should be getting 1 to 2 inches of water each week.
If your climbing roses are not receiving enough water, they can start to stress easily. And when plants get stressed, the first thing they do to conserve nutrients and energy is to stop bloom production.
That water can either come from rain falling from the sky, or from hand watering. But either way, it is vital that the plant gets enough moisture to power blooms. And don’t forget to mulch! Mulch is not only good for helping to stop weeds, but also helps the soil from drying out too quickly.
Unfortunately, along with not getting enough water, having too much water can also stress plants out and cause a reduction in blooming. Be careful not to water just to water. If your soil is wet to the touch, back off on watering. You may also need to amend your soil to improve drainage if you constantly end up with standing water after it rains.
Fertilizing – How To Keep Climbing Roses Blooming Like Crazy!
Because they produce so many blooms, climbing roses are heavy feeders from the soil. And without a little help in the nutrient department, they will begin to back off on blooming. Not only will they struggle to put out new blooms once nutrients are depleted, their foliage can start to fade as well.
The best way to combat this issue is by supplementing with fertilizer. And the best fertilizers to use are ones specifically created for powering roses. These blends will have the right amounts of nutrients that promote blooming.
For best results, look for an NPK (Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium) ratio of 1-2-1 or 2-3-2 or even 4-6-4. Avoid mixes that contain too much nitrogen as it can produce more foliage than blooms. (Product Link: Burpee Organic Bloom Granular Fertilizer)
So how often should climbing roses be fertilized? For maximum blooming, four applications will do the trick! The first dose should go on in the early spring, right before the first buds appear. Additional applications should be given after each bloom cycle begins to come to an end. This helps re-energize the bush for more blooms.
What Type Of Fertilizer To Use
You can use granular or liquid fertilizers – but granular tend to be more slow-release in nature – giving the climbing roses a steady diet to power blooms. When using granular fertilizers, always be sure to work them into the soil a bit to help them get into the soil.
In addition, water the soil well after adding in the fertilizer. This will allow it to soak down to the plant’s roots. If you want a more natural approach to fertilizing your roses, worm castings are a great alternative! They provide excellent low and slow nutrients that are perfect for powering climbing roses!
Deadheading – How To Keep Climbing Roses Blooming Like Crazy!
When old, dying blooms are left on climbing roses, the plant will continue to send resources and nutrients to attempt to heal or repair their blooms. And that is energy that should instead be going to producing new blooms!
Deadheading, or the practice of removing spent blooms from a plant, is vital in keeping your climbing rose focused on producing more and more blooms. When you remove the spent bloom, the plant can then use its resources on creating new blooms as opposed to wasting them on blooms already on their way out.
Every few days, check out your climbing roses for any blooms that might not be looking their best. Take a pair of hand pruners and snip off the fading bloom. Be sure to cut off a few inches below the stem as well.
In addition, always remove any damaged or deformed blooms. Not only will this allow the plant to direct energy on producing new blooms, but it helps keep climbing roses looking tidy and neat – and reduces the chance of disease or pests visiting a weaker plant.
Pruning – How To Keep Climbing Roses Blooming Like Crazy!
Along with deadheading, you also need to lightly prune your climbing roses throughout the growing season. This too will help them conserve more energy for blooming.
With most plants, it’s usually best to prune early in the season before they begin to grow, or wait until late fall when the plant is going dormant. However, climbing roses need a little pruning each and every month. This is because they continually put out new branches all summer long and can quickly grow too much.
Not only will this help keep your plant neat and tidy, it also helps it bloom better and stronger. All of those new runners and branches take up the plant’s nutrients and resources as they grow. But by keeping them cut back, the plant can conserve energy to produce more blooms.
Be sure when lightly pruning to also remove any damaged branches, stems, or parts of the plant that are showing any signs of disease. The earlier you can remove potential issues, the less chance they have of spreading all over the plant.
Good Lighting – How To Keep Climbing Roses Blooming Like Crazy!
Finally, how much light your climbing rose bush is getting can play a major role in how well it blooms. Climbing rose bushes need to grow in a location that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight each day.
If you planted your rose bush in a spot that has more shade than sun – or provides only dappled sunlight, the plant’s blooming will suffer. If you can, relocate it to a sunnier location and one that provides early morning sun. The early sun will help plants to dry out and helps encourage more blooming.
Here is to keeping your climbing roses healthy, strong – and blooming all summer long! For more on roses, check out : How To Grow Everblooming Roses – Easy Care Knock Out Varieties!
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