Re: roses
Cyndi K wrote:
> Has anyone else had luck growing roses with no poisons? Any tips? All the
> books say "impossible" but the more I garden, the more I get the idea that's
> not so.
So far I haven't resorted to using commercial fungicides on my roses
here in hot, steamy, south Texas. Yes, most of them get black spot and
many get mildew. Heck, a bunch have it right now in the dead of
winter!! I am considering a spray regime only on a selected few that I
don't know if I can live without such as Just Joey and Lafter. The rest
will have to pretty much fend for themselves.
Right now I am using milk on the worst cases, one part milk (skim or
whole) to four parts water. It does seem to help, doesn't kill
beneficial insects, and adds calcium and nutrients to the plants and
soil.
When I get a new rose in I strip every leaf off of it, clip off every
flower and toss it all in the trash, never the compost pile. I take off
the first inch of soil out of the pot and wash the stems well. After
that I don't pick up every leaf that falls and don't strip plants in the
ground even tho they need it. <G>
This year is the year of the shovel and those prima donnas that have to
have constant attention are going to get the boot. With over 150 roses
in the ground I don't have time to baby them.
Those that are most prone to fungus should be planted in full sun, out
from under trees, eaves, anything that can drip on them or create a
humid environment. Unfortunately here in south Texas 'full sun' means
no more than six hours a day or else they cook in the heat. Those up
north in cooler climates can actually plant roses in all day sun. (I'm
jealous) No humidity means inside my house in the air conditioning. <G>
This year I also intend to try some other natural remedies for fungus
such as ground corn meal added around the base or spraying with water
that was soaked in corn meal. Corn meal added to bird bath water
prevents algae so I am going to see if it helps with fungus. Might try
some other natural fungicides like grape seed extract.
In the past I was careful not to get the leaves wet while watering,
always doing it by hand or soaker hoses, never get them wet before dark,
and all that stuff. Well, I have found that washing the roses each time
I water them works better than all of the above. I hit them with the
hose as forcefully as I can. If using a sprinkler, I leave it on a fine
mist all night. Hosing off has reduced black spot and mildew much more
than anything else I have tried and sure saves a lot of time.
I do have some varieties that never seem bothered such as Lady Banks,
Playboy, Wichuriana, Lavender Dream, Cl. Old Blush, Apollo, Mermaid, Cl.
Pinkie, Emmy Gray, Mutabilis, Kathleen, Blush Noisette, Independence
Musk, and Cl. Cecile Brunner.
Let us know what works for you.
Linda
south of San Antonio, TX
zone 9 (this year zone 7!!)
