Hybrid Tea Rose Care
This class of rose is most commonly grown to be a cut flower. As such, the plants themselves aren’t the most beautiful in a garden setting. With quick-growing upright stems, few leaves, and generally only one bud per stem, hybrid tea roses can be pretty sparse looking. However, this can also be to their advantage, as they’ll blend in with the right perennial partners. To start, roses need full sun. Less sun means poor-quality blooms, a higher chance of foliar disease, greater likelihood of flopping stems, and overall weaker plants. Foliar diseases are a major problem with roses, and hybrid teas are especially susceptible. The main culprit is general blackspot, a fungal disease that causes characteristic black spots on the foliage. In many climates, it’s almost inevitable that rosebushes will get this. The best proactive step is to plant in full sun, prune properly for good air flow, and avoid wetting the foliage whenever possible. Fungal are diseases spread primarily by water droplets, so to prevent future outbreaks, remove any affected leaves, as well as debris around plants. How Best to Plant These Roses Plant your rosebushes in well-drained soil. Once your hole has been dug, create a mound in the center and gently spread the roots out over it, then fill in the hole with amended soil, filling any gaps and packing the soil down to remove air holes. Hybrid tea roses are almost always grafted plants, which helps increase the vigor and hardiness of many varieties. When you’re planting, make sure that the graft union (the bulging knob-like spot near the base of the plant) is buried 1-2 inches below the soil level in northern climates or just above the soil in warmer climates. Once planted, water the base of your rose plant well. As the plants grow, continue watering them regularly, especially during times of drought. It’s also beneficial to feed roses on a regular basis, as they’re heavy feeders. Supply enough fertilizer to satisfy repeat-blooming varieties.
Pruning Hybrid Tea Roses
Pruning is always a chore, and some varieties are pickier than others. But as long as you know the proper techniques, pruning is fairly straightforward. The best time to prune hybrid teas is late winter, just before the plants are breaking dormancy. Primarily remove any old, dead, or diseased wood. Long shoots can be cut back to 4 to 6 buds from the base, or roughly 10 to 15 inches above the graft. If there was severe winter dieback, cut back until you reach live wood. Smaller shoots should be cut back harder, leaving just a few buds or a few inches of shoot above ground level. A general rule of thumb is that stems need to be at least as thick as a pencil in order to support blooms. As plants get older and canes become large and tough, cut all the way back to the ground. This encourages fresh new shoots from the base and increases air circulation to the center of the plant. Also check that all of the shoots are coming from above the graft union. If they’re not, then they’re coming from the rose rootstock, which can eventually choke out the cultivar plant. Any stems coming from below the union should be cut all the way back to the main stem. See how to deadhead roses the easy way.
