Alan Titchmarsh gives advice on growing shrub roses
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Roses are one of the most beautiful flowers that you can have in your garden, but they can also be difficult to grow. Insects love them, and they require a lot of care to thrive. The extra effort that is required for vibrant roses is well worth it, but there are a few tricks that will help you grow beautiful roses with ease.
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Gardening experts at Garden Lovers Club explained how Epsom salt proves to be beneficial for growing roses.
They said: “Epsom salt is known to be great for the body, but since it is composed of magnesium sulphate, it is actually a great tool that gardeners can use to create beautiful roses.
“It can help the rose bushes grow fuller and helps new roses bloom sooner in the year.
“The colour of the leaves and rose blooms will be brighter because the plant will be able to absorb more nutrients.”
But how do gardeners use Epsom salt to fertilise roses?
The experts noted that this product can be first used in the soil.
They said: “Before you even purchase roses to plant in your garden, you can treat the soil in the garden where you plan to plant them.
“You will want to add about a cup of Epsom salt for every 100 square feet of soil.”
Gardeners are advised against just sprinkling the Epsom salt on the top of the soil.
Instead they need to mix it well so that it can help roses grow.
The plant pros added: “You can also add about a tablespoon of Epsom salt in the soil when you plant the roses.”
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This product can also be used on rose plant roots to give it a “good start”.
The gardening gurus said: “Another way that you can help give your roses a good start is by soaking the roots in an Epsom salt mixture before you plant it.
“The mixture should contain about a half of a cup of Epsom salt for every gallon of warm water.
“For the best results, you will want to allow the roots to soak in this mixture overnight before being transplanted to its final location.”
Once the rose has been planted in the soil, you are going to want to sprinkle a little bit of Epsom salt on the top of the soil as well.
The experts warned: “Make sure that you do not sprinkle too much because it can hinder its growth and even kill the plant completely.
“You only want about a tablespoon of Epsom salt for every foot in height of the rose bush that you are growing.”
Once gardeners apply the Epsom salt to the soil, they will need to water the plant so that it can be absorbed by the roots.
If you prefer, you can dissolve the salt in water before applying it to the base of the plant.
An Epsom salt mixture can also be used on the leaves of rose bushes to help brighten them.
If gardeners notice the leaves are a bit yellow on their plant, they should use a liquid mixture to spray the leaves.
The gardening pros said: “For a plant that is about a foot high, you should use one tablespoon of Epsom salt and a gallon of water to treat the leaves.
“Continue spraying the leaves once a week until the leaves are a vibrant green colour.
“This will also help keep pests away from the plant, so you may wish to continue with the treatment a few times throughout the year.”
Before carrying out this hack gardeners should note that too much Epsom salt can make the soil acidic, which will destroy the nutrients in the soil that the plant needs to grow.
What’s more, gardeners should never add Epsom salt to their garden when the rose bush is in direct sunlight.
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