Rose Farming

Starting a Rose Farm

Deciding to grow roses for business is an important decision. One has to be knowledgeable about all the facets in growing, maintaining and marketing roses.

Though growing roses can be an intimidating task, a little help and a lot of patience and knowledge can go a long way in starting one’s own rose garden.

Deciding to grow roses for money can be a daunting task especially if one is inexperienced in gardening or in taking care of flowers.

Knowledge Required to Grow Roses

Growing roses requires a certain level of skill and a lot of patience and diligence in maintaining and caring for them. Before starting your rose farm, there are certain factors that must be considered. Probably the most important thing to consider before starting your own rose garden is the kind of rose you are planning to grow. This in turn would depend on other factors that are readily available to you: the size of the planting area, the climate in that area, the purpose of the roses as well as the fragrance and color of the roses.

Requirements for Starting a Rose Farm

There are certain varieties of roses that require a bigger land area for planting than others as well as others who grow bigger in height than others. Other varieties of roses also survive in colder climates which may go below zero degrees whereas there are others that perish in such conditions. Certain roses are also much better suited for bouquets whereas others are best sold to plant. Fragrance and color should also be considered in planning the roses that you would eventually sell.

Preparing Land for Rose Plantation

Before planting roses, one has to first make sure that the soil that the roses would be planted in has the proper nutrition that the roses would need. These can be done by first testing the soil with a testing kit. The soil must have a ph level of only 5.5 to 7.0. The area to be planted must have a good drainage system as roses do not like to be soaked but at the same time they need to be watered often in their early months. Choose an area that is well lit by sunlight. Most varieties of roses require at least 4 to 6 hours of sunlight. Before planting the roses, soak its roots in water or puddle clay and cut off the broken roots. Then dig a hole measuring two feet wide and two feet deep. Add some compost in the soil and wait until the area is drained before placing the grafted rose. Water the roses often within the first 3 to 4 weeks from being planted. After the fourth week, the roses need only be soaked every two weeks. Begin mulching and fertilization around the third month. Prune the roses regularly and cut dead branches. Remember to water the roses often but not too much as the roses do not like to be soaked.