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ROSE CARE FOR MAY
by Nanette Londeree, Master Consulting Rosarian
by Nanette Londeree, Master Consulting Rosarian
Oh, the joy of warm, sunny weather! Especially after our very long, wet season. All around us, nature is bursting out with new life and glorious new flowers. As long as the weather stays relatively dry and mild, the flowers will last for weeks. Make sure they continue to get adequate water (hopefully Mother Nature has turned off the taps for awhile.) Remove all the spent blooms, not only to keep the plants looking their best, but also to keep flower production going. For established plants you can use the Arule of thumb@ to remove the spent bloom and leaves down to the first five leaflet leave. For any roses that are new, go a little lighter and remove only the bloom - leaving the leaves on the plant provides extra energy for the plant to develop more flowers.
With the spring rains come some of the dreaded diseases of roses - rust and blackspot. Though these can exist in your garden throughout the season, they thrive where there is free moisture. The rains through mid-April coupled with mild temperatures are very conducive to development of these two diseases. Rust looks just like its name - orange/red pustules generally on the underside of leaves. Blackspot is also a descriptive name - round black spots on leaves, varying in size from pin point to larger with the leaves yellowing and ultimately dropping off. Once our Mediterranean climate kicks in (warm, dry days through the fall), these diseases generally are not too much of a problem (as long as you don=t water your roses overhead). Powdery mildew, however, likes cool moist evenings and warm days, so you are likely to see it begin to appear soon in your garden. Remember that prevention is much better than trying to eliminate or Acure@ a fungal disease. Keep your garden free of fallen rose leaf litter to reduce the spread of disease; try to maintain good air circulation around the roses - provide them with at least six hours of sunlight, and water early in the day so that the environment can dry before temperatures drop in the evening.
If you routinely spray, begin now using the treatment of your choice. When spraying you may want to add a Aspreader/sticker@ to your spray solution. This surfactant or detergent helps the sprayed material coat the surface of the leaves. You can use something as simple as a few drops of dishwashing soap in your container of spray, or purchase a material like Indicate 5, both a spreader/sticker and pH adjuster. The pH of your spray solution (how acid or alkaline it is) has a significant impact on the effectiveness of the fungicide. Generally fungicides are more effective at a lower pH than tap water (which in most of Marin runs about 8 or higher). Use of a pH adjuster down to pH 5 - 6 can greatly improve the performance of the spray. Once again, you can easily reduce the pH by adding white vinegar to the solution (though you need to continually monitor pH until you get it where you want it). If using Indicate 5, it will tell you when the pH is correct by turning color. Try Primary Products at 1-800-841-6630 or Primaryproducts.com, or Rosemania.com for more information on Indicate 5. Make sure when you are spraying that you use a clean sprayer, and one that is dedicated for application of insecticides/fungicides. Don=t use a sprayer that you might have used to spray an herbicide - even though you may have cleaned the sprayer, any trace amount will be directed to your lovely roses! Always remember to follow the manufacturer’s directions for any spray material you use, and wear appropriate protective clothing when spraying!
A YEAR OF ROSE CARE:
January
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Last Modified: 5/18/06