Roses, a perennial plant, are adored the world over for their beauty. Roses are a traditional sign of love and are often seen on valentines Day or on events such as weddings and birthdays. Roses are great for both indoor and outdoor growing, and the care is fairly similar. Apart from their wonderful smell, the flowers give vibrancy and life to any room they’re in. Below are several things which you need to consider when looking after a rose. By the end, you’ll be well-equipped to start growing roses indoors..
Choose A Rose Variety
The most common type of rose to grow indoors is the miniature variety. Miniature roses are exactly like regular roses except that they have been selectively bred to grow smaller. This is the best choice for indoor or container growing. While you can try to grow regular-sized roses, you’ll likely have much more success with the miniature variety while also having to dedicate less space.
Further, you can also find varieties of miniature roses that are bred for different types of growth. This includes climbing or trailing varieties, among many others. If you’re looking for a specific growth pattern you can likely find a rose variety that does so. We won’t get too much into the specifics here, but in general, the care will be the same.
Lastly, while the traditional color for roses is red, there is a wide variety of rose colors. These generally don’t change care, so you’re free to pick whichever suits your garden best.
Soil and Container
Make sure that the soil is loose and well-draining otherwise fungus could damage your roots. A well-draining soil keeps enough water and moisture for the plant without drowning it. There are some special rose soil mixes, but most commercial potting soil should work fine.
Most containers will work, just make sure that it has drainage holes to prevent excessive moisture. You can also add a light layer of mulch to the top of the container to promote healthy growth. Clay is a great choice due to its affordability and ease of use.
Also, make sure the plant isn’t near any heating or cooling units. Drafts and similar temperature changes can harm your plant. This also applies to growing outdoors. While a little heat is okay, you want to avoid extreme temperatures in either direction.
Rose Lighting
Just like most plants roses are in need of sunlight. Sunlight is probably the biggest part of growing roses, and the main issue indoor growers will see.
Make sure to place them in a sunny area where they get enough sunlight throughout the day, at least six to eight hours per day is ideal. This ideally should be bright light with minimal shade. A southern-facing window is often a good choice for your rose’s location.
If you lack good southern exposure, then opt to get more hours of light per day. An eastern-facing window will work but will require 10-12 hours of light to be optimal.
Roses are very sunlight hungry, so it doesn’t hurt to have some grow lights available if the weather turns bad. A few rainy weeks or periods of overcast weather can be harmful to roses that are grown indoors. This is also the case during the winter when the sun is naturally less intense.
Apart from the sunlight, it is also advisable that the location of the plant has enough air circulation. The daytime temperature which is ideal for your rose plant is about 70 Fahrenheit and at least 60 Fahrenheit at night. Roses will be quickly killed by frost so make sure you bring them inside when it gets cool.
Water
Roses are also very sensitive to water intake, so you’ll need to make sure you’re watering them the correct amount. In general, you’ll want to make sure the top 1-2” of soil is dry to the touch. If it is, give the plant a good watering until the soil is thoroughly soaked. You’ll know when the soil is saturated when water begins to gently leak from your plant’s container drainage holes.
When the plant is actively blooming you’ll want to check more often. Flowering roses have a very high water intake, so make sure to check it often or the plant could dry out. Outside of their growing season, it’s normal to water less. During the growing season expect to water 2-3 times per week, and 1-2 when outside this time period.
Humidity
Another very important part of rose growth is humidity. Most homes don’t have humidity levels that are conducive to rose growing, so it’s important to take steps to correct this.
We’ve put together an in-depth guide on increasing humidity for your plants, and if you’re looking to grow roses you should go check it out. This is especially important during the winter when the air is naturally drier. Many gardeners get the water and lighting correct, but fall flat on humidity and wonder why their roses won’t bloom. Don’t overlook humidity levels when rose gardening.
Feeding
Roses are also fairly heavy feeders, especially when they’re actively flowering. You can use most commercially available fertilizer or a rose-specific mix . Make sure to follow the directions to ensure that you don’t overfeed your plant.
Many varieties of miniature roses can bloom year-round, so you can continually feed if desired, or scale back to promote a period of dormancy.
Pruning
You should also look to regularly cut back any dead or dying flowers/branches and any dead flowers. Use a sharpened pruning tool to make sure that no healthy leaves or buds are cut off. This is an important step to keep your plant looking healthy as well as promote further flower growth.
This is mostly applicable to roses that have been grown for over a year already. Give your plant a quick visual inspection once a week or so. Outside of this though, roses don’t require much in the way of pruning.
Pests
While plants grown indoors don’t often get pests it still can happen. Any time spent outside also increases the risks for pests.
The most common pests that roses experience are spider mites. Roses become especially susceptible to them when the humidity levels drop, which is another reason it’s so important to take humidity levels seriously. Keeping up with humidity and pruning goes a long way in deterring pests. This is often the solution as well should you notice any on your plants.
Seasonal Changes
As noted above many miniature rose varieties can bloom year-round. Just make sure to prune appropriately and keep up with your feeding schedule.
The bigger concerns during the colder months are making sure you have enough sunlight and keeping humidity levels up. We look at each of these above in their appropriate section, but it bears repeating. Using grow lights or pebble trays is important to keep your plant healthy during these times.
Growing Roses Indoors
Roses are often seen as tricky to grow but are easy once you get the hang of it. The two keys are to keep up with water and to make sure your plant is getting enough light. There are few plants that evoke the same beauty that roses do. They’re a fun plant to grow and the perfect, colorful addition to any home garden.
