Organic Rose Care

 

 

 

Site Selection

 

Roses need a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight every day. They appreciate morning sun more than afternoon sun. In our very hot Florida climate, many roses will thrive with 4 hours of full sun and some afternoon shade. Some roses may tolerate some shade provided by deciduous trees, but they will bloom less than if in full sun.

 

Roses need good air circulation to help ward off fungal disease. Avoid planting them too close together. It is good to know the size of the mature rose in order to get the correct spacing between plants.

 

Soil Preparation, Planting, and Mulching

 

It is most important to plant your roses in rich, well-prepared soil. It is a good idea to get your soil tested before planting in order to know the starting pH. Roses prefer a pH of 6.5 ideally. Good drainage is also very important.

 

Dig the hole twice as deep and twice as wide as the container. Plant roses the  same depth in the ground as they were in the container.Fill the hole with part of a mixture of compost, manuer, and bone meal or other organic materials. Mix this with the soil in the bottom of the hole. Fill the hole with the rest of the mixture around the root ball of the rose. Be sure and press the soil firmly around the root ball to keep out air holes. Top dress with leftover compost and cover with mulch. Several inches of mulch applied 2 to 3 times a year will mean fewer weeds, less water stress, richer soil and healthier plants.Pine needles, leaf mulch, decomposed tree bark  and rotted horse manuer are a few good examples. Place mulch from the base of the rose to a few inches beyond the drip line.

 

Add a little vinegar to water to lower ph. Also can use sulpher, and peat.

Add dolomite lime to raise ph.

 

Watering

 

Water new roses as soon as they are planted. Water deeply once a day for the first few weeks if possible (especially in summer or if you live in a hot climate).After the rose is established, give the rose a deep watering once or twice a week depending on the season and your climate. Deep watering other than frequent watering encourages deep root systems helping the rose survive times of drought. If possible it is better to water at ground level so the leaves do not get wet. If you must use overhead watering, do so in the early morning so the sun can dry the leaves. Watering at night greatly increases fungal diseases.

 

Fertilizer

 

Roses are heavy feeders and thrive on light, regular feedings. At planting time, a slow release fertilizer high in nitrogen (milorganite) is recommended. After new growth appears on the roses, a liquid fertilizer (fish emulsion and liquid seaweed) can be used every 2 to 3 weeks. Do not fertilize heat-stressed plants. It is good to water before and after applying fertilizer. Avoid feeding during winter months. It is best to fertilize just before a heavy bloom cycle (early spring and early fall). I recommend only organic fertilizers which feed the living soil micro-organisms which in turn feed the plant when needed. Any number over 10 will kill the micro-organisms and good bacteria in the soil. Trace elements are also important which are not found in your basic NPK fertilizers. The following is a list of recommended fertilizers and the nutrients they provide. You can combine these to make a well-rounded balanced fertilizer without giving too much of any one nutrient. Most are found at your local feed store.

 

Phosphorus Nitrogen Potassium Calcium 

Bonemeal Alfalfa Meal  Greensand Gypsum 

Worm castings Cottonseed Meal Sul-po-mag Bonemeal

Rock Phosphate Blood Meal Granite dust

Granite dust   Fish Emulsion Liquid Seaweed (Trace elements)

 Milorganite Kelp Meal

  

Compost and Compost Tea is the best source of nutrients.

Composted manuer such as horse, chicken, cow or rabbit is important.

Spraying both sides of the leaves is the fastest way to give nutrients.

 

Summer spray Formula

½ cup rock dust, 2 cups seaweed, 1 cup fish emulsion compost tea, 1/2 cup powdered kelp, 1 oz. hydrogen peroxide. Mix with gallon of water. Let sit

overnight before spraying to let good bacteria multiply.

 

Trace Mineral Spray Formula

 

1 oz. Epsom Salts, 1 cup Greensand, 1 cup Rock Dust, 1 cup Instant Coffee, 

1 cup Alfalfa Meal, 1 cup Gypsum, 1 cup Molasses, 1 cup vinegar Mix with 1 gallon of water. You can use Dr. Bronner’s or a mild dish soap for a sticker.

 

Disease Control

 

Many of the Old Garden Roses are very disease- resistant. Although some roses are hardier than others, none are completely immune to disease. Factors include season, climate, zone, soil condition, over feeding, etc. Blackspot cannot emerge on a rose leaf unless the rose has been wet for at least 7 continuous hours.Powdery mildew comes from the weather being too dry for too long.

 

Hybrid Teas are notorious for getting Blackspot and powdery mildew. This is because they were being bred for large blooms to the detriment of disease-resistance and fragrance. This has been changing over the last 10 years and again disease-resistance (through public demand) is a priority.

 

It is most important to first and foremost keep the area around the rose free of blackspot leaves. You can manually take them off the bush and put them in a plastic bag and throw them away, never in the compost.

 

If mildew starts to show, you can start by spraying the foliage daily. Again I will provide a list below of organic disease controls which I have found to be effective. I do not advocate ANY chemical fungicides or insecticides for several reasons. I do not want to get cancer from sprayng roses. I do not want to kill the good bacteria I have carefully built up in the soil which provide immunity themselves. I do not want to contribute to pollution of the environment.

 

There are certain times of the year when no spraying is necessary at all (especially if you are growing disease-resistant modern shrubs and old garden roses). Also if you only have a few bushes that get little or no blackspot then you never have to spray at all. If you look at the list of Earthkind roses, you can choose roses from this list that will be very easy to care for and get almost no disease. Again, keeping the area around the roses clean of diseased leaves is half the battle. There are so many roses that get little or no disease that is is a shame that many people have given up on roses because they only have experience with one class of rose- Hybrid Teas. Once they discover the Antique roses they gain a whole new perspective and get “hooked” on how easy they are.

 

Blackspot and Powdery Mildew 

 

 Baking soda Changes pH on leaf surface so blackspot cannot take hold.

 Spray underside of leaves in particular.

 Mix 4 tbsp. per gallon of water

 Add 1 tbsp. of dish soap or Dr. Bronner’s to help it stick

  Add 1tbsp. Neem oil, or Sunflower oil or Organicide

 

 Potassium 

 Bicarbonate Works even better than baking soda. Sold on the internet

 under the name Green Cure. Spray during wet weather

 every 10 days or every 2 weeks.

 

 Organicide Sesame Oil. Follow directions and add a little soap.

 

 Lime sulfer Only use in dormant season as can burn leaves. Spray

 roses and around base of plants in early spring to kill

 spores. Can also use Organic Copper in same way. 

 

Insect Control

 

The main insect pests of roses are aphids and thrips. Aphids gather on the new foliage and the tips of the flower buds. Thrips hide deep inside the center of the bloom. Daily observation is key to keeping your roses free on insect damage.

The following are some Organic suggestions for insect control.

 

Aphids Hard spray of water or spray with mild soap solution

 

Thrips Organicide sprayed on buds before opening and around base.

 

Ants Grits sprinkled on pile, Organicide, or Diatomateous Earth

 

Japanese Beetles  Hand pick and destroy when seen

 

Leaf Cutter Bees Grin and bear it! Possibly Organicide

 

Grasshoppers Handpick, or spray cayenne pepper spray (also for bees)

 

Spider Mites  Handpick, Pressure wash with water in the morning for 3

  consecutive days. Insecticidal oils are also effective.

 

Caterpillars  Handpick or can use BT in liquid spray.

 

 Pyrethrum based sprays such as Pyola can be used sparingly if needed. 

 Dr. Bronner’s soap is good for smothering many insects

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

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