unfortunate rose pruning incident
- Subject: unfortunate rose pruning incident
- From: t*@igc.org
- Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2004 10:15:33 -0800
Last year my finger got swollen and quite painful after I'd been working on
the roses, and I didn't know whether it was a thorn or a spider bite
because I didn't notice anything at the time. Epsom-salt soaks sound like a
good idea. I used various warm poultices, and it got better in a couple
days.
I've used echinacea tincture directly on rose-thorn injuries (it stings a
bit, since it's mostly alcohol, but the echinacea has a slightly numbing
effect) -- works best if applied as soon as possible after the injury. Also
works for cat scratches, which can also get inflamed if I ignore them.
For embedded thorns or splinters in general, I've successfully used
grated-potato poultices. Take a rest, and leave it on for 15-30 minutes.
Sometimes I add a drop of two of essential oil of lavender.
Tanya Kucak
Palo Alto, Calif.
Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2004 08:08:38 -0800
Fellow gardners: Does anyone else besides me find it impossible to
prune shrub roses without getting a bit scratched up? ...
