Rose Breeder Bill Radler created the Knock Out rose bush. It was a big hit, too, as it was a 2,000 AARS and smashed the record for sales of a new rose. The Knock Out® rose bush is one of the most popular roses in North America, as it continues to sell very well. Let's look at how to care for Knock Out roses.
Care of Knock Out Roses
Knock Out roses are easy to grow, not requiring much care. They are very disease resistant, too, which adds to their appeal. Their bloom cycle is about every five to six weeks.
The Knock Out roses are known as “self-cleaning” roses, so there is no real need to deadhead them. Several Knock Out rose bushes blooming along a fence line or at the edge of an island landscaping is a beautiful sight to behold.
Although Knock Out roses are hardy to USDA Zone 5, they will need some winter protection. They are extremely heat tolerant, thus they will do well in the most sunny and hot of locations. When it comes to growing Knock Out roses, they can pretty much be listed as plant them and forget them roses.
If they do get a little out of the shape you like for them along your fence line or garden edge, a quick trimming here and there and they are right back to the form you like blooming all the while. If no rose bush forming pruning is done to adjust their height and/or width, the Knock Out roses can reach 3 to 4 feet (1 m.) wide and 3 to 4 feet (1 m.) tall.
In some areas, an early spring pruning 12 to 18 inches (31-48 cm.) above the ground works well, while in areas with harder winters they may be pruned down to around 3 inches (8 cm.) above the ground to remove the dieback of the canes.
A good early spring pruning is highly recommended to help get the top performance out of these fine shrub rose bushes. When caring for Knock Out roses, feeding them a good organic or chemical granular rose food for their first spring feeding is recommended to get them off to a good start.
Foliar feedings from then on until the last feeding of the season works just fine to keep them well-fed, happy, and blooming. Without a doubt, there will be more and more rose bushes added to the Knock Out family of rose bushes as research and development continues. Some of the current family members are:
- Knock Out Rose
- Double Knock Out Rose
- Pink Knock Out Rose
- Pink Double Knock Out Rose
- Rainbow Knock Out Rose
- Blushing Knock Out Rose
- Sunny Knock Out Rose
Again, the Knock Out line of rose bushes is bred to be a low maintenance and low need for care rose bush.
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Spindly Knockout Roses: Pruning Knockout Roses That Have Gone LeggyKnockout roses have the reputation of being easy care plants. So, what if your knockout roses are spindly rather than full?
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Brown Spots On Knockout Rose Bush: Reasons For Knockout Roses Turning BrownThe knockout rose is quite beautiful, but knockouts with brown leaves can be concerning. Learn the reasons for this here.
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Potted Knock Out Rose Care: How To Grow Knock Out Roses In ContainersIt’s easy to understand why Knock Out roses are so popular. They’re easy care, disease resistant, and bloom all summer. Although they are often grown in the ground, container grown Knock Out roses do just as well. Learn how to grow Knock Out roses in containers here.
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Knock Out Roses Won’t Bloom – How To Get Knock Out Roses To BloomIt is cause for major frustration when roses do not bloom in the garden. Knock Out rosebushes are no different when it comes to this frustration. There are several reasons why these roses may not bloom. This article has more information.
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Yellow Knock Out Rose Leaves: What Makes Rose Leaves Turn YellowThe yellowing of leaves on a Knock Out rose bush can mean something is not right with its health and well-being. It can also be a normal occurrence for the bush. We need to check things out to determine which signal the rose is sending us. This article will help.
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Why Do My Knock Out Rose Bushes Have Rose Rosette?There was a time when it appeared that Knock Out roses were immune to the Rose Rosette virus. However, this virus has been found in these roses for some time now. Learn more about what to do for Knock Out roses with Rose Rosette here.
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Common Knock Out Rose Problems: Diseases Of Knock Out RosesKnock Out rose bushes are known for being disease resistant and nearly carefree. However, even these rose bushes can succumb to some of the same diseases that plaque other rose bushes. Learn more about these potential problems here.
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How To Prune Knock Out RosesOne thing to keep in mind about Knock Out rose bushes is that they are very quick growing. A common question is "do I need to prune Knock Out roses?" Read here to look at what goes into pruning Knock Out roses.
