Covering roses for winter in Siberia: methods

Rose

To ensure that the bushes of this heat-loving plant delight the eye with luxurious blooms, it's essential to know how to protect roses for the winter in Siberia. Creating optimal overwintering conditions is one of the key requirements for cultivating this fragrant shrub in the harsh conditions of Russia's northern regions. Climate conditions affect the quality of the stem; due to the short growing season, it accumulates too much moisture. This causes the shoots to become loose and vulnerable not only to extremely low temperatures but also to dampness.

Preparing for winter

The mistake novice gardeners make is rushing—fearing an early frost, homeowners rush to cover unprepared bushes. In Siberia, as well as in central Russia, And in the Moscow regionRoses should be covered for the winter after conditions have been created in early August that slow down the plant's growth. To do this:

Stop watering and loosening the soil around the rose bush.
Do not feed the plant with nitrogen fertilizers.
Cut off all the flowers, leaving a few clusters for fruit formation. This process signals the plant it's time to stock up for the winter.
Keep the bush at a temperature of -2-3 degrees Celsius for a week. This will cause the stems to compact and develop thicker bark.

If preliminary preparation is not carried out, the buds under the covering will rot and the bush will die, regardless of temperature conditions.

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Common methods of covering shrubs

It's important to choose the right insulation to ensure comfortable winter conditions. The following materials should not be used for this purpose:

moss;
dry grass and leaves;
rye or wheat straw;
old sawdust of deciduous trees: alder, poplar, birch;
horse or cow manure.

The exact timing of covering should be determined empirically, taking into account local climate conditions and temperatures reaching -5-7 degrees Celsius. Choose a cloudy, dry day, preferably in the afternoon.

Covering material

Spunbond or lutrasil are commonly used for these purposes. There's no fundamental difference between them; they're simply marketing ploys to attract gardeners' attention. Their technical characteristics are identical; the only difference is probably price. Lutrasil comes in several varieties, and the densest is suitable for insulating roses.

The process of covering roses for the winter with non-woven covering material is as follows:

All rose varieties require pruning of leaves and unhealthy shoots. This should be done by cutting, not tearing, to ensure the stem bark remains intact.
For standard varieties, install a frame base—small wire or plastic arches—over the top. Cover the structure with lutrasil, securing the edges of the fabric around the perimeter using any convenient method.
Remove diseased branches from climbing and semi-climbing varieties. Apply dry, well-rotted compost mixed with sand in equal parts to the base of the bush at the root. Ordinary soil, baked in the oven and allowed to cool, can be used.
Place the vines on a bed of spruce branches or oak leaves (the essential oils in this “mattress” will prevent mold from forming on the soil and will protect the dormant buds of the plant from rotting).
Secure the prepared branches to the base using bent wire, wooden forks or special pins.
Install the frame base over the bush along its entire length, placing the arches at an equal distance from each other.
Pull the lutrasil over the structure and secure its edges.

If a very sharp drop in temperature is expected in Siberia, it is better to protect such shelters with a large number of oak leaves or spruce branches.

As soon as snow falls, an additional layer of “white fur coat” should be thrown onto the structure from time to time.

Once the temperature stabilizes above zero, the roses can be released from their warm confinement by gradually removing the branches and leaves, then temporarily opening the spunbond or lutrasil on the shaded side. This procedure is best performed in dry, cloudy weather to prevent dehydrated and weakened shoots from being damaged by sunlight. The mound of soil should be removed only after the soil has completely thawed.

Remove dead branches from the shrub and spray the roses with a 3% Bordeaux mixture solution to disinfect the soil and stems from possible infections. Also, clear the soil around the plant of excess debris such as spruce branches, grass, or dried leaves.

Sawdust

After preparing the plants for winter, the base of the bushes should be covered with soil. The height of these mounds should not exceed 10 cm for low-growing varieties and 40 cm for tall-stemmed varieties. Continue the work in the following order:

Cut off diseased branches and leaves using garden shears.
Large bushes of climbing varieties should be tied into a single bundle with wide strips of fabric in several places. Do not use rope or wire for this purpose, as such materials can easily damage the bark and cause the death of the plant.
Place the resulting sheaf of rose shoots on the ground, having first covered it with roofing felt or thick polyethylene.
Cover everything with spruce branches or oak leaves, and sprinkle with pine sawdust to a depth of 30-40 centimeters.
Cover the entire structure with plastic film or roofing felt and secure it as tightly as possible around the edges. The photo showing the process of covering a rose for the winter in Siberia clearly shows the entire structure, protecting the plant from the harshest frosts.
As soon as the sun becomes bright and the snow begins to melt, remove any remaining snow from the shelter. Remove the plastic or roofing felt from the bush and prick the mound of sawdust and spruce branches in several places with a thick stick. This is necessary to allow air to reach the shoots and roots. Replace the plastic at night.
Once the temperature stabilizes above zero, remove the insulation from the surface of the structure so that the spruce branches lightly shade the rose stems. This will protect them from sunburn. Gradually, as the shrub gains strength, the shade can be removed completely.

Shield shelter

If possible, and if materials and space around the shrubs allow, you can create a sturdy "roof" for this heat-loving beauty using wooden boards, stacking them like a nest and nailing them together for strength. This way, the gardener kills two birds with one stone:

creates reliable protection from the harsh winter;
Solves the problem of how to cover roses for the winter in Siberia if they are wet.

Weather doesn't respect human needs—heavy rains in late summer and early fall in Siberia can give way to frost, ruining any gardener's plans to insulate their rose bushes. To prevent this, it's important to prepare:

Cut off leaves and diseased branches; if necessary, shorten stems to the desired length – the length depends on the variety.
Sprinkle dry soil or dry pine sawdust onto the base of the bush.
Place a shield house over the roses so that its ends extend 10-20 cm beyond the root area.
At the bottom of the shields, dig drainage ditches to drain water.
Cover the shields with waterproof material, securing it to the boards with staples or small nails.
Leave the ends of the structure open - a draft will prevent the soil under the bush from becoming damp.
Dry sawdust can be used as an absorbent, spreading it in a thick layer under the shelter and replacing it as it gets wet.
Once the bush dries out and the soil under the roses becomes almost dry, you can close the sides of the structure with shields and cover it with suitable insulation.

In the spring, after the snow melts, all that remains is to remove the insulating material and leave the shields on one side, allowing the plant access to fresh air and indirect sunlight.

It's important to remember that only healthy, nutrient-rich roses can withstand the winter challenges of Siberia. Therefore, agricultural requirements for rose care and protection in harsh climates must be strictly observed.

The variety of the prickly beauty also matters – when choosing a variety for your own garden, you need to take into account the breeding characteristics of a particular variety.

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