To keep the rose ground cool and moist and to prevent weed growth, mulching is done specially in hot, dry periods or cool climates. It provides covering to the soil. The covering of any sort of loose organic material which will let water through, such as hay, straw, peat moss, cocoa bean hulls, sawdust, wood chips and the likes. Mulching protects the rose roots in very hot weather; it prevents the surface of the ground from becoming baked, helps to maintain moisture to soil and stops the growth of weeds. It creates congenial conditions in the soil for the growth of beneficial microbes and earthworms.
The vegetable mulching material like hay, straw, leaves, chaff, lawn chippings, woodchips, sawdust etc. are excellent manure that helps increasing soil humus and provide plant food. Well rotten garden compost, farm yard manure, peat, ground or whole corn cobs are also used as substitutes for mulching.
Thick mulch should be provided right upto the stems of the plants without causing damage by careless application. Preferably 15 cm thick mulching is needed. If the depth of mulch is less, it will not prevent the evaporation of moisture during summer; neither will suppress weeds, which will grow through the mulch. It will also be unable to prevent frost from entering the soil during winter.
To maintain optimum soil temperature, conserve soil moisture, suppress weed growth and supply humus material to the growing rose plants, mulching is done. Various materials are generally used in mulching of roses and these are black polyethene film, sawdust, rock wool, well rotten farm compost, farm yard manure, straw, etc..
Mango leaf mulches effectively control weeds like Cyperus rotundas and Cynodon dactylion in "Happiness" rose beds. Straw mulches reduced the weed population and enhanced flower yield in rose. The flower yield in roses was significantly higher by rice straw mulch.
Some rose growers reviewed the influence of mulching on roses as carried out by various workers. Soil mulched with ground corn cobs increased organic matter content, reduced nitrate concentration in the soil, reduced oxygen diffusion but better aggregation of soil particles, retained uniform soil temperature and greatly increased the quality and quantity of rose flowers. Reduction in nitrate and oxygen supply was, however only a temporary effect and the growth of mulched plants were reduced during the first few months, but thereafter the growth was much better in roses.
They have also reviewed that straw mulch in rose beds improved the soil moisture regime, reduced soil compactness, protected the root system of the bushes, provided shoot growth, increased flowering and reduced labour requirement for weeding. Among the mulching substitutes, sawdust controlled weeds better than rock wool and pine straw in rose plots. Improvement in growth and flowering was reported in roses by mulching along plant rows with polyethene film.
The disadvantage with the use of grass mowing is that if annual medow grass is one of the constituents of the lawn, a great deal of trouble is given by seeds of this grass growing in beds. On the other hand, peat has the effect of keeping weed down and at the same time gives a pleasant appearance in the beds.
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