How to Revive Rose Bushes
- 1). Put on your work gloves and start pruning the rose bush. Be sure to clip off any dead or diseased wood. The bush needs sun and air to get to its center. Ideally, you should prune a rose bush when it's not flowering, in early spring or after it's done in late fall.
- 2). Cut stems 1 inch below darker areas. Cut the stem at a 45-degree angle about 1/4 inch from a bud. The inside of the stem should be white. If it is tan, then you should continue to prune that stem in sections until it is white.
- 3). Deadhead blooms soon after they are finished blooming by plucking them at the base where the petals join together.
- 4). Remove any weeds growing near or in the middle of the bush. Weeds, particularly well-established ones, can compete with rose bushes for nutrients, space, light and water and keep them from growing properly.
- 5). Fertilize your rose bushes regularly. Rose bushes are "heavy feeders" and so a regular fertilizing program should be established. Many commercial fertilizers are available specifically for rose bushes, but a houseplant formula will work well, too. Fertilizers that have a 5-10-5, 10-10-10 or 12-12-12 concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are often used.
- 6). Water your rose bushes according to their drought tolerance. Rose bushes should be watered after fertilization, weeding and pruning as well.
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