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  Kieran Ray November 27, 2009 at 7:18pm

  I use woodchip from a treesurgon, you get the odd weed still come through but aslong as the roses are established why not try using a risidual weed killer, they inhibit seed germinatin so no weeds should grow and I beleve most last 6 months.
  
  Or you could always spray with a systemic weedkiller and just be cairful not to spray the roses.
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  Phil Voice November 27, 2009 at 7:37pm

  Kieran - I would be very careful with woodchip unless it is very very old (min 3 years). Fresh wood relies on bacteria, bugs and other organisms to break down the wood and whilst doing so, they strip the surrounding soil of nitrogen - this in-turn starves the roses of essential nutrients.
  
  Personally, I would always use well rotted horse manure.
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  Sustainable Land Management November 27, 2009 at 8:12pm

  Mole Valley Farmers and presumably their equivalents across the UK do the 'Camelot Horse Manure Compost'. You can usually get 5 bags for £10. This is great stuff as it really is well rotted. I hate to say it but often the roadside or friend of a friend who can supply horse manure it simply isn't rotted enough.
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  Nick @ NM Garden Services Ltd November 27, 2009 at 8:30pm

  I like to use "Soil Improver" which is basically recycled green waste compost. If applied 2" thick acts to suppress weeds for a year, holds moisture in the soil and feeds the beds.
  
  I pay £30+Vat / tonne collected.
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  Andrew Tabor November 27, 2009 at 8:32pm

  Hi Karen,
  
  I use bulk or bagged 'composted bark' about 50mm thick on rose borders which is already nicely broken down. Its easly to spread and theres' no big sticks or pieces of bark which some composts are full off. and that birds love scatching out, onto lawns etc. You got to feed the roses first before applying.
  Leaf is a waste of time its acidic when rotted and disappears too fast as a mulch. That's just my thoughts.
  Another is mushroom compost I use more of that than bark. Its got a high HP but frees up heavy soils and makes weeding easier to do.
  Hope this helps.
  
  Andrew.
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  Andrew Tabor November 27, 2009 at 8:43pm

  I wouldn't Phil as it spreads weeds and other things depending on the horses diet.
  
  I agree about fresh wood chips taking all the good from the soil to break down - wouldn't use that - it's got to be composted bark that's properly treated.
  In Somerset Michael King Ltd produce and supply, bagged and bulk good quality composts, try them.
  Also people don't realise especially customers, if you want good healthy flowering roses you have got to feed them. I feed roses autumn and early spring a handful of growmore - the results tell the rest.
  
  Philip Voice said:

  Kieran - I would be very careful with woodchip unless it is very very old (min 3 years). Fresh wood relies on bacteria, bugs and other organisms to break down the wood and whilst doing so, they strip the surrounding soil of nitrogen - this in-turn starves the roses of essential nutrients.
  
  Personally, I would always use well rotted horse manure.
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  steve loftus November 28, 2009 at 11:02am

  IM WITH PHIL,A WELL AGED (2-3 YEAR) HORSE MANURE,NICE AND BLACK FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE HEAP,PLUS IF NO WEEDS SEEM TO BE GROWING ON THE SURFACE OF THE HEAP,YOU SHOULD BE FINE.
  WE ALSO HAVE A LADY AT THE GARDEN CENTRE WHO HAS ALPACAS,SELLS THE POOH FOR CHARITY AND BY GOD THE ROSES SEEM TO LOVE IT.
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  pete November 28, 2009 at 12:47pm

  Composted bark sounds good – leaf compost, even just part rotted is ok Andrew if Karen could get enough - roses will grow quite happily either side of neutral, although prefer it slightly acid I believe - but a 400+ rose bed is a big area so I reckon (and we all know where it comes from!) the 'soil conditioner' for £15 per cubic metre sounds the best deal.... that is.... if you can't get well rotted muck, which is what the roses will like best.
  
  Last time I bought three ton fresh it was £20 and it rotted down to four-five cubic metres. If you can source some Karen, and there's somewhere you could stack it for a year get 10 ton!
  
  Best flowers I've ever had were on plants where we cut all stems down to 6” or so – fewer flowers that first year, but bigger. Is the rose bed laid out so its comfortable to cut for indoor display? …. I have many near favourites but there's nothing like that scent of roses.
  
  If you can't make enough compost what about getting some bales of hay (£?) to mix in with your grass cuttings - and if you haven't enough grass cuttings.... I used to pee in a 10 litre petrol can and take it down to where I had big compost bins – I've read of some
  growers just spreading out the hay around the bushes but I don't suppose you'd want to do that (either)
  
  I've always begrudged buying trays of bedding plants, always seemed like buying ready frozen meals to me.... so on our allotment early this year we started off some tagetes (hha) in well prepared seed drills under clear corrugated cloches ready for bedding out (might be a bit tall under roses though and colour clash a bit) but they'd sure help with the greenfly. We found an online place to get seed by weight – Moles seeds.
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  Gareth November 28, 2009 at 3:00pm

  The problem I have with weed suppressent membrane is that the soil underneath does not get any organic input and can get compacted and unhealthy. Rotted manure is best for the plants but I'de go for a thick layer of bark mulch if you want to keep the weeds down. You'de need to feed enough to balance the nitrogen loss though.
  
  Do roses thrive when grown without any competition? They can look good growing through ground cover ornamental grasses like Stipa arundinacea as long as they are not in too much competition with each other.
  
  
  
  
  
  Ace Garden Services - John said:

  I have used a weed suppressant membrane around roses with an inch and a half covering of bark. It was only 30 sq m, but the roses were fairly close together.
  
  It as a case of picking the correct angles to minimise the cutting.
  It worked ok, apart from at the base of each rose.
  
  Once done, it just needs a light topping up every two or three years. If there is a build up of composted bark on top of the membrane after a few years and the weeds start to germinate in it, you will find it very easy to pull them out or hoe them off, as long as they do not become to well established.
  
  I generally prefer to use well rotted manure if I can get it, - but sometimes when the only access is through someones house, an alternative has to be used - or new carpets laid.
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  pete November 28, 2009 at 4:12pm

  Exactly Rubus - suppressing weeds has got to be of secondary importance for a mulch to that of feeding and keeping the roses as strong and healthy as possible.... especially here - 400 roses en masse should be stunning! They're difficult enough with all the preventative spraying advised.
  
  Plenty of good well rotted muck – some growers keep it permanently topped up, (which just about eliminates blackspot apparently) and just a little slow release organic (why not?) fertiliser.
  
  We don't have more than a dozen roses in any one place and the only spraying I do is with Maxicrop seqestered iron – all sorts of goodness in that. I'm envious Karen.