If there is still water in it, find a planting site with better drainage or build a 1 to 1 1/2-foot high raised bed and plant the Knock Out rose there.
Let the sample dry, break it up into fine pieces, place it in the pH test chamber and add distilled water along with the test chemical. Shake it up and check the color of the water against the color chart provided with the kit.
More lime or aluminum sulfate must be used to change the pH of loamy or clay soil. Sprinkle the aluminum sulfate or lime evenly over the soil and mix it in thoroughly with a tiller before planting the rose.
If the soil pH is too high, the rose may develop chlorosis which causes the leaves to turn yellow. [3] X Trustworthy Source Missouri Botanical Garden Oldest botanical garden in the U. S. and center for botanical research and science education Go to source
The root system will extend out into this area as the shrub grows. [4] X Research source
If it is being watered too much, the leaves will turn yellow and drop. Spread a 2- to 3-inch depth of organic mulch like shredded pine bark around the rose to help conserve moisture.
Spread 1/4 to 1/2 cup of fertilizer over the soil around the rose just before watering it.
Do not give Knock Out roses any fertilizer after the middle of summer as it will produce lots of new, lush stems that will not mature in time to withstand the cold winter weather. Even in mild-winter climates, they should not be given fertilizer in late summer or fall so they can still have a bit of a dormant season to rest up for spring.
Too much fertilizer may cause the edges of the leaves to turn brown.
Cut out any stems that are growing across other stems as they will rub when the wind blows and damage each other. After the rose is a few years old, trim each stem back by one-half to one-third their height. #Hold the pruning shear correctly. Make the pruning cuts at a 45-degree angle about 1/4-inch above a growth bud which is a small, raised area of plant tissue on the stem, usually right where a leaf with five leaflets is growing. New stems will grow from the growth bud just below the pruning cut.
When left in the garden, dead flowers and trimmings provide an environment for bacterial and fungal infections. [6] X Trustworthy Source Missouri Botanical Garden Oldest botanical garden in the U. S. and center for botanical research and science education Go to source These rose shrubs are resistant to such diseases but other nearby plants may not be. The other plants will be less likely to contract these diseases and the garden will look nicer when it is cleaned up.
Look under the leaves and along the stems for the pests.
Mealybugs and scales are flat, oval insects that attach themselves to the leaves or stems and rarely move. Spider mites are very tiny pests that are usually first noticed when they spin a very fine web between the leaves or branches.
Aphids usually can’t get back on the shrub and spider mites hate moisture. [7] X Trustworthy Source Missouri Botanical Garden Oldest botanical garden in the U. S. and center for botanical research and science education Go to source The rose may need to be sprayed once or twice each week to keep the pests under control.
