Rose (Gulab) Farming in India: Schedule, Fertilizer & SOP for Commercial Growers

By Sameer Allawadi – Technical Director, Utkarsh Agrochem Pvt. Ltd. · Updated November 2026

A complete nutrition, crop protection and management schedule for farmers growing roses for sale — loose flowers, cut flowers (open field and polyhouse) and scented roses for gulkand, rose water and oil. Products in bold are available from Utkarsh Agrochem. A separate guide covers roses grown by home gardeners in pots, on terraces and in gardens.

Local names: Gulab (Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi), Deshi gulab / Paneer gulab (Edward rose), Roja (Tamil, Telugu), Gulabi (Kannada), Panineer roja (Tamil, scented), Golap (Bengali), Chaitri gulab / Bussora (Damask rose).

Types of rose farming

Per-plant doses in this guide are for open-field roses at about 7,000 plants per acre. Polyhouse fertigation is given separately in Section 3.4.

Quick answer

Also known as: Gulab (Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi), Golap (Bengali), Roja (Tamil, Telugu), Gulabi (Kannada), Panineer roja (Tamil), Gulab (Punjabi); botanical name Rosa spp.

This guide is for: farmers growing roses for loose flowers, polyhouse growers producing cut roses, and growers of scented roses for gulkand, rose water and oil.

Get the inputs: order every Utkarsh product in this guide online at utkarshagro.com, or see schedules for other crops in our crop schedules collection. Customer care: 75678 33044. Product information and offline orders: 88665 43678, 90162 08648.

Before you start

Land, climate and water

Spacing

Money and time

Open-field roses give the first flowers 3–4 months after planting and economic yield from the second year for 8–10 years. Polyhouse roses start in 4–5 months and run for 5–6 years, but need a large investment (polyhouse, drip, fertigation, cold room) — check the subsidy under NHM/MIDH before starting.

Water

Utkarsh products used in this guide

Click a product name to see its details, pack sizes and price.

1. Quick schedule for one pruning cycle (open field, bearing plants)

Open-field roses are pruned 2–3 times a year (main pruning in October–November; lighter pruning in February–March and, in south and west India, after the monsoon in June–July). Each pruning starts a new cycle of shoots and flowers. Day 0 = pruning day. Per-plant doses; per-acre figures are for 7,000 plants.

Always:

• Seal every pruning cut the same day — open cuts are the entry point for dieback.

• Scout twice a week for thrips, mites and black spot; these three decide flower quality.

• Give Calcium Nitrate on its own; never mix with sulphates or phosphates.

• Add Sil-Spread 0.5 ml/L to every spray.

• Keep 5–7 days between a bio-product and a chemical spray.

2. Varieties, propagation and regions

2.1 Varieties

2.2 Propagation and rootstocks

• Budded plants (T-budding on a rootstock) are the standard for cut-flower and garden varieties. Rootstocks: Edward rose (Rosa bourboniana) in north India; Rosa multiflora and Rosa indica in south India and polyhouses; Natal Briar for saline or high pH soils.

• Cuttings: Edward, Gladiator, button roses and Damask root easily from 20–25 cm hardwood cuttings taken at pruning. Dip the base in IBA rooting hormone (2,000–3,000 ppm) and Trichoz-P + Sudoz-P (5 g/L each) before planting in the nursery.

• Polyhouse: Use certified, disease-free, licensed planting material (bench-grafted or budded plants) from reputed nurseries.

• Use 6–12 month old budded plants with 2–3 healthy canes for open-field planting.

2.3 Region-wise challenges

3. Fertilizer

3.1 How much in total (open field, per year)

Roses are heavy feeders, but too much nitrogen gives soft shoots, more aphids, mildew and black spot. The plan below gives about 15 g N, 10 g P₂O₅ and 12 g K₂O per plant per year.

3.2 Schedule (open field)

Spread fertilizer in a ring 15–20 cm from the stem, mix lightly into the topsoil and irrigate. Do not let fertilizer touch the stem.

3.3 Root drench after each pruning (day 7)

Dissolve in water and give about 100 ml of solution per plant at the root zone.

3.4 Polyhouse cut roses — drip fertigation

In polyhouses, roses are fed through drip every day. The quantities below are per 1,000 m² (one-quarter acre) per week for bearing plants. Use two tanks: Tank A for calcium; Tank B for phosphate and sulphate.

• Keep the EC of the drip solution at 1.2–1.8 dS/m and pH at 5.8–6.2. Check the EC and pH of runoff water every week; flush with plain water if runoff EC goes above 2.5.

• Raise NPK 13:00:45 and reduce nitrogen during bud development and in winter for firmer stems and better colour.

• Apply Microbes, Trichoz-P + Sudoz-P (5 g/L each) through drip once a month, on a day when no copper or fungicide is given.

• Water: 3–5 L/m² per day in summer, 1.5–2.5 L/m² in winter, in 3–6 short pulses.

3.5 Nutrient problems

ZinGap (zinc EDTA) and Mandate (manganese EDTA): spray 1 g/L, or give 1–2 kg/acre through drip. Beshape (boron 20%): spray 1 g/L at bud formation where buds are deformed or stems brittle (boron shortage), or 500 g/acre through drip. Black Pearl (liquid humic acid 12% + fulvic acid 3%): 2 L/acre through drip or as a drench after each pruning, for new white roots and strong bottom breaks. Release: 2 L/acre with the drip fertilizer doses once a month, to improve uptake of the applied fertilizers. Trichoherz-P (Trichoderma harzianum): use along with Trichoz-P, 5 g/L each, in root dips, cut-sealing paste and soil drenches against dieback, crown and root rots.

4. Planting and crop management

4.1 Land and bed preparation (open field)

• Plough 3–4 times in May and leave the soil open to the summer sun for 2–3 weeks (solarisation) to reduce soil pests, nematodes and fungi.

• Make raised beds 1–1.2 m wide and 20–30 cm high, with 50–75 cm paths, or dig pits 45 × 45 × 30 cm.

• Fill pits with the pit mixture in Section 3.2; mix in Trichoz-P + Sudoz-P (500 g each per acre in FYM) and Grub and Termite Control Kit where termites occur.

4.2 Polyhouse beds

• Beds 1–1.2 m wide, 40–45 cm high, paths 50–60 cm; media of red soil + FYM + rice husk or cocopeat for good drainage and aeration.

• Sterilise the bed media before planting by steam, or by soil solarisation under clear polythene for 4–6 weeks. Do not use banned fumigants such as methyl bromide.

• Drip laterals: 2–3 per bed. Keep the polyhouse ventilated; use fans or foggers to keep temperature below 30 °C and humidity at 60–75%.

4.3 Planting

• Season: September–November in most of India (best); February–March is also possible with irrigation. In the hills, plant in February–March.

• Dip roots in Trichoz-P + Sudoz-P (5 g/L each) for 15 minutes before planting.

• Plant so that the bud union stays 5–7 cm above the soil. Firm the soil and irrigate immediately.

• Give light shade to new plants for 2–3 weeks in hot weather.

4.4 Pruning (open field)

• Cut at 45°, 5 mm above the bud, sloping away from it.

• Seal every cut immediately with a thick paste of Trichoz-P + Sudoz-P in cow dung slurry, or with Bordeaux paste.

• Withhold water for 5–7 days before pruning; feed and irrigate right after pruning.

• Sterilise secateurs in sodium hypochlorite 2.5% or alcohol between plants when dieback is present.

4.5 Bending (polyhouse cut roses)

• New plants: when the first shoots show a pea-sized bud, bend them over towards the path instead of cutting. Bent shoots stay green and feed the plant.

• This breaks apical dominance and the plant sends up thick basal shoots ("bottom breaks") that give long, strong flower stems.

• Continue bending weak and blind shoots so that 4–6 strong upright canes per plant produce flowers.

4.6 Disbudding, desuckering and support

• Disbudding: For cut flowers, remove side buds when they are pea-sized so all food goes to the top bud. For loose-flower varieties, keep clusters.

• Desuckering: Remove suckers arising from the rootstock below the bud union; they are wild growth and do not flower true.

• Support: In polyhouses, use GI wire or net on both sides of the bed, at 30 cm and 60 cm, to keep stems straight.

4.7 Weeds and mulch

• Hand weed every 3–4 weeks in the first year; hoe shallowly to avoid root injury.

• Mulch beds with paddy straw, dry leaves or plastic mulch to save water and suppress weeds.

• Loosen the soil on beds every 6 months; top-dress with FYM and Microbes.

4.8 Irrigation

• Drip is best: it saves water, keeps leaves dry (less black spot and mildew) and allows fertigation.

• Never let water stand on beds; never wet leaves late in the evening.

• Increase water from the start of bud development to flowering.

5. Spray schedule

Days are counted from pruning. All doses are per litre of water. Add Sil-Spread 0.5 ml/L to every spray. In polyhouses and in the flowering period of open fields, repeat the cycle from day 10 every 7–10 days, rotating products.

5.1 Nutrition sprays

5.2 Organic / Utkarsh route

5.3 Chemical route

5.4 Spray volume

In polyhouses, use 1–1.5 L per 10 m² of bed. Spray the underside of leaves for mites, thrips and whitefly.

Note on your choice

• You can follow the organic route, the chemical route, or combine them.

• Keep 5–7 days between bio-products and chemical fungicides or insecticides, and 7 days between copper and bio-products.

• Mites and thrips become resistant quickly — never use the same chemical twice in a row.

• Spray in the early morning or late evening. Avoid spraying open flowers you will sell the same day; for export, follow the residue limits of the buyer country.

6. Main problems

6.1 Thrips and mites (flower quality pests)

Thrips feed inside buds and on petals. Petal edges turn brown or black, flowers are streaked and deformed, and buds may not open. They are worst in hot, dry weather and on light-coloured varieties.

Red spider and two-spotted mites feed under the leaves. Leaves get fine yellow dots, turn bronze and fall; fine webbing appears in heavy attack. Worst from March to June and in polyhouses.

Management:

• Remove and destroy spent flowers and fallen petals — thrips breed in them.

• Blue sticky traps for thrips, 10–15 per acre (more in polyhouses); check weekly.

• Keep plants well watered; water stress increases mites. In polyhouses, keep humidity above 60%.

• Organic: Thripoz 2 ml/L + Beveroz-P 5 g/L for thrips; Neemoz CP 4 ml/L + Verticoz-P 5 g/L for mites, every 7 days during attack.

• Chemical: rotate thrips sprays (Spinetoram, Fipronil, Thiamethoxam) and mite sprays (Abamectin, Spiromesifen, Fenazaquin, Propargite) — never the same chemical twice in a row.

6.2 Black spot, powdery mildew and dieback (foliage and stem diseases)

Always prune and seal cuts in dry weather, keep the bushes open for air movement, and avoid excess nitrogen.

7. Other pests and diseases

8. Disorders

9. Harvest, post-harvest and SOP

9.1 When and how to harvest

9.2 Cut-flower handling

1. Cut with sharp secateurs, leaving 2 leaves of five leaflets on the plant above the cut for the next shoot.

2. Put stems into clean buckets of water immediately in the field; buckets should be washed with chlorine or detergent daily.

3. Move to a cool shed or cold room (2–4 °C) within 30 minutes; hold in preservative solution (sucrose 2–3% + citric acid, or a commercial flower preservative) for 4–6 hours.

4. Grade by stem length and bud size: 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80+ cm; remove lower thorns and leaves.

5. Bunch in 10s or 20s, sleeve, and pack in corrugated boxes. Keep the cold chain at 2–4 °C until sale.

9.3 Loose flowers and scented roses

• Pick loose flowers into bamboo baskets or plastic crates lined with wet cloth; do not press. Send to market the same morning.

• For gulkand, mix fresh petals with sugar (equal weight is common) and keep in glass jars in the sun for 3–4 weeks, stirring regularly.

• For rose water and attar, distil fresh Damask flowers within a few hours of picking (traditional deg-bhapka in Kannauj, or steam distillation units). Oil recovery is about 0.03–0.04% of flower weight.

9.4 Standard operating procedure (SOP)

Keep records

Record pruning dates, every fertilizer and spray (date, product, dose), sticky-trap counts, number of stems or kg of flowers picked each day, grades, and price received. Records show which pruning time and which sprays give the best returns in your farm.

Crop planning: compatible, incompatible and intercrops

Compatible crops (farmers' "friend crops") can be grown before planting roses or alongside them; incompatible crops ("enemy crops") share their pests, diseases or nematodes.

Pheromone traps, lures and other trapping methods

Using traps correctly: fix traps at the top of the canopy; handle lures with gloves; replace lures every 3–4 weeks; count weekly and spray only when catches rise.

Other non-chemical methods: remove and destroy spent flowers and fallen petals (thrips breed in them); shake beetles into kerosene water in the morning; collect egg masses of caterpillars.

10. Cost and returns (approximate)

10.1 Open-field loose flowers (Edward type, per acre, from 2nd year)

First-year planting cost (plants, pits, drip): about ₹1.5–2.5 lakh per acre. Prices rise sharply in festival and wedding seasons (Navratri, Diwali, Valentine's week, weddings) — plan pruning so that peak flowering matches these periods.

10.2 Polyhouse cut roses (per acre of polyhouse, about 4,000 m²)

Polyhouse roses are profitable only with skilled management, a cold room and an assured market. Visit working polyhouses and talk to buyers before investing.

10.3 Damask rose (per acre, from 3rd year)

Flowers 1.2–1.6 t per acre in a 30–45 day season. Sold to distillers or gulkand makers at ₹40–80 per kg, or processed on the farm for higher value. Running cost is low (₹50,000–70,000 per year), and it suits dry areas and hills.

All figures are approximate and vary with region, variety and market. Check current rates before planning.

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Organic manures and growth regulators from Utkarsh

Use these alongside the fertilizer schedule above. They give slow-release phosphorus and potash, build soil organic carbon and help bud formation and flower colour.

Growth regulators: Flower Fix and CulStar are not labelled for rose, so do not use them on this crop.

Frequently asked questions

How do I control thrips in roses?

Thrips hide in buds and scar the petals. Spray Thripoz 2 ml/L with Beveroz-P 5 g/L every 7 days during an attack, rotate with chemical options from Section 5.3, and remove old flowers that harbour thrips.

How do I control red spider mites on roses?

Mites build up in hot, dry weather and under polyhouses. Spray Neemoz CP 4 ml/L with Verticoz-P 5 g/L on the underside of leaves every 7 days, and keep humidity up with overhead misting in summer.

How do I prevent black spot and powdery mildew in roses?

Avoid wetting leaves in the evening, prune for good air flow and remove infected leaves. Spray LeafspotNIL for black spot and MildewNIL for powdery mildew, alternating with Sudoz-P (5 g/L) and Sil-Spread for coverage.

When should rose plants be pruned?

Open-field roses are pruned 2–3 times a year: the main pruning in October–November, a lighter one in February–March and, in south and west India, another after the monsoon. Cut just above an outward-facing bud and seal the cuts with a paste of Trichoz-P and Sudoz-P. Each pruning starts a new cycle of shoots and flowers.

Which fertilizer gives more and bigger rose flowers?

Organic manure with Microbes and VAMoz-P after each pruning, NPK 19:19:19 for new shoots, then NPK 12:61:00 and NPK 13:00:45 with Calcium Nitrate, Beshape and F-Enhancer from bud stage for size, colour and vase life.

How many rose plants are planted per acre?

About 7,000 plants per acre in the open field, with the spacing given in "Before you start". Polyhouse cut roses are planted much closer; see Section 3.4 for their fertigation.

What is the profit from rose farming per acre?

From the second year, open-field loose-flower roses (Edward type) cost about ₹1.8–2.5 lakh per acre per year and give 3–5 t of flowers. At ₹80–100 per kg, gross income is about ₹2.4–5 lakh and net income ₹0–3.2 lakh, depending on care and market. Polyhouse cut roses can gross ₹20–45 lakh per acre a year but need ₹35–45 lakh investment. All figures are approximate (see Section 10).

What is the yield of rose per acre?

Open-field loose-flower roses give about 3–5 t of flowers per acre per year from the second year. Polyhouse cut roses give 180–220 stems per m² a year (about 7–9 lakh stems per acre), and damask rose gives 1.2–1.6 t per acre in its 30–45-day season.

Is rose farming suitable for Maharashtra?

Yes. Pune (Talegaon, Maval, Junnar), Nashik and Satara are major rose areas, growing polyhouse export roses and open-field loose roses. The main problems are powdery and downy mildew in winter and mites in summer, so plan polyhouse climate control and a spray rotation.

About this guide

Prepared by Sameer Allawadi, Technical Director, Utkarsh Agrochem Pvt. Ltd., Surat, Gujarat — makers of bio-fertilizers, bio-pesticides, biostimulants and water-soluble fertilizers since 1999. Last reviewed: November 2026. Doses are general guidance for Indian conditions; always read the product label and follow local agriculture department advice.

Topics covered: rose farming, gulab ki kheti, rose cultivation in India, commercial rose farming, polyhouse cut roses, Damask rose, gulkand rose, rose fertilizer schedule, rose spray schedule, thrips in rose, red spider mite in rose, black spot, powdery mildew, die-back, rose pruning, rose yield per acre.

Utkarsh Agrochem Pvt. Ltd. 177–179, Golden Plaza, Behind Kamrej Police Station, NH No. 48, Taluka Kamrej, District Surat – 394185 · Customer care: 75678 33044 · Product information and offline orders: 88665 43678, 90162 08648 · www.utkarshagro.com

Sources

• ICAR-Directorate of Floricultural Research, Pune — rose production technology and varieties.

• ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi — IARI rose varieties and cultivation practices.

• Tamil Nadu Agricultural University — Crop Production Guide: Horticulture (rose, Edward rose).

• CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur — Damask rose cultivation and processing.

• National Horticulture Board — model project for protected cultivation of cut roses.

• Utkarsh Agrochem — rose farming schedule and grower presentation (company field experience).

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