In towns and villages alike, many people grow flowers in pots on rooftops or around the house as a hobby, and roses are most people's favourite. If you want to grow roses in pots, there are a few things you need to know.

Instead of a new seedling, you can plant a one-year-old one. Plant it straight in the hole and cover the roots completely and firmly with soil. For seedlings produced by grafting, keep the graft joint at least 3–4 cm above the soil.

To help new branches spread well, cut out old, damaged and diseased branches. For big roses the plant must be pruned regularly. The month of Ashwin is considered the right time for pruning.

Apply fertiliser 10–12 days before pruning: 2–3 kg of rotted dry cow dung per plant with 50 g of TSP and 50 g of potash. Remove 10 cm of soil from the top of the pot, loosen the soil below a little and mix the fertiliser in, taking care not to damage the roots. Poultry or pigeon droppings can also be used as fertiliser for roses.

• Water the base of the seedling frequently at first after planting.
• Once the seedling is well established in the pot and putting out new branches, water it thoroughly once every 10 days in the dry season.
• After each watering, loosen the soil around the base of the plant.

If pests attack while growing roses in pots, you can use locally made organic pesticide.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.