Upon receiving your plants, unpack immediately. If necessary, water upon arrival. Place trays in a shady location or greenhouse for 1-2 days to acclimate.

Canning of liners should be scheduled within a week of arrival.

Plant liners at the same level as the surrounding root medium. To remove liners from trays, push on the root mass from the bottom of the cell while grasping the plant at the base of the foliage. A well-drained root medium is essential. The pH range for good nutrient availability is 5.8-6.3.

Irrigate thoroughly after planting with fertilizer solution. Roses prefer a thorough watering but do not want ‘wet feet.’ Let plants dry down between watering. Liquid fertilizer (every irrigation) should contain 150-200 ppm Nitrogen from a complete N-P-K fertilizer that contains the majority of Nitrogen as the nitrate form, as well as micronutrients. All roses need supplemental iron. Apply 5-10 ppm iron from iron chelate with each irrigation, or drench every 7-10 days at 30-50ppm. Use lower fertilization rates (125 ppm to 150 ppm N) during the last 2 to 3 weeks of production or use periodic leaching with clear water.

Plants may be spaced pot tight until pinching. Plants must be allowed to grow until the root system fills the pot prior to pinching. Plants should be pinched ½-1” above the previous cut. We recommend that you pinch when the flower buds are just cracking color. Do not be selective when pinching. Shearing the plant to an even height is recommended. Roses can be given as many pinches (shears) as desired to create fuller, bushier plants.

Roses should be grown with full sunlight for fastest flowering and highest quality. Supplemental HID lighting is recommended for early spring crops at 350 to 500 foot candles for 13 hours daily. Low light can result in weak stems and flower bud abortion (typically called blind shoots). Temperature greatly affects the rate of plant growth and flowering. Optimum night temperatures are 58° to 65°F with day temperatures of 68° to 75°F. Night temperatures can be as low as 50°F if desired to reduce the rate of development, however, relative humidity must also be lowered. Higher temperatures will speed growth and flowering but may cause softer stems and less flower petals.

Relative humidity control is extremely important for this crop since it affects disease development. In general, 60-70 percent relative humidity should be maintained to suppress diseases. Higher relative humidity (up to 85 percent) may be used temporarily to encourage new shoot development after pinching. Avoid leaving foliage wet into the night to reduce the incidence of disease. If chemical height control is necessary, Bonzi sprays of 30-60 ppm are effective. Better height control is achieved prior to the visible bud stage. Apply when new shoots emerge (1-1 ½”) after first pinch. Reapply every 7-10 days until the first visible bud.

* Finishing in larger containers requires additional pinches and grow time(3-6 months)