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People do not like to discuss the fact that the synthetic pesticides, fungicides and chemical fertilizers on the market are Toxic to our own health no matter how good one “suits up” to spray. I think we would all be shocked to learn of how many rose growers have passed away from cancer which could have easily been caused by the regular use of cancer-causing chemicals. If one would dare to actually look up and read about the ingredients in most of these products, one would be appalled at the cesspool of cancer-causing toxins they are using all the time and the exposure that is happening to them and their loved ones. And then to think we take a big whiff of it into our noses to smell these toxic roses! Go figure.
There are so many wonderful organic products on the market these days that there is really no excuse anymore. We cannot afford not to use these. The health of the soil is also at stake. Rather than constantly spending money on feeding chemicals to the soil and spraying drugs on our roses it is so much better to build up the soil so that it may feed the roses as needed. Those who are spraying toxic chemicals are no different than a drug pusher who is creating a bunch of addicts. I would venture to submit that the primary reason that many roses die within the first few months of purchase has nothing to do with the rose grower and everything to do with HOW THE ROSE WAS GROWN.
The commercial roses sold at most nurseries and big box stores have been fed a steady diet of these chemicals from the weed emergents in the fields to the fungicides, insecticides, miticides and more. When the consumer brings home this rose, they do not generally possess these products so their rose will start going through withdrawals within a week or so of coming home. The new owner just does not have the “fix” that the rose is used to getting. As the rose is dying we can hear the familiar cry “I just can’t grow roses!” This is a sad state of affairs.
As we learn more about the soil food web and the many microbes seen and unseen, we demand greater disease-resistance to be bred into roses. The breeders have listened and fortunately today the trend is for roses to be bred for greater disease resistance. The Knockout series of roses were some of the first to bred in this way. It changed the way people viewed their ability to grow roses. BUT it almost became a monoculture of one rose being planted everywhere to the exclusion of all other roses. Because of this, it was found that the one variety was indeed attracting chili thrips, and other diseases. This is what lack of diversity invites.
It is actually much easier and cheaper. You do not need to suit up on a regular basis for any kinds of spraying. No need to buy costly toxic chemicals and keep them stored away from children and animals. The trick is to plant in rich, healthy soil giving the rose a good start to begin with. Then give regular feedings during the growing season. This will be more often with organic than with synthetic fertilizers. They (organics) take usually 2-3 weeks to work as compared to instant results with chemicals. But these chemically dependent roses also have nothing to fall back on in the soil when their food runs out.
Keep in mind that any number over 10 kills microbes in the soil. You will not have success if you use some chemicals and some organic methods. It is all or nothing. You cannot kill off some of the microorganisms in the soil because you need the trillions to be there to keep it all in balance. So for example, Miracle Grow could be a number as high as 30-40. This can burn the roots, especially feeder roots and it kills many microbes that are our allies. 95% OF ALL INSECTS SEEN AND UNSEEN ARE GOOD GUYS! These keep the bad guys in check IF they are allowed to live. (SEE Nematode discussion under Fortuniana FAQ).
For those who like to try sprays, there are many organic sprays on the market. The easiest thing to do is to spray some oil (Neem, Mineral,other) plus a tsp. of soap (dawn, Dr. Bronners, Insecticidal soap) only in the evening when it is not hot or very early in the morning. But keep in mind that even the oils and soaps kill microbes. My favorite method for fighting black spot fungus is to keep black potting containers around the garden and use my garden scissors to go through on a daily or every other day basis and remove black spot leaves from the rose and the ground. Also take off any leaves that look bad and any dieback. This stops the spread of spores and fungus and after a very short time you will notice that the new leaves are quickly formed and there is very little if no black spot after doing this. Of course the rain and weather affects it too. A leaf must stay wet for 7 hours for Black spot to take hold.
There are different strains of black spot and I find that the ones at my nursery are mild compared to others I have seen where chemicals are used. It’s almost as if the black spot there is rebelling, building up immunity and growing into a much more despicable disease. Also I have found that roses grown with a lot of chemicals and then come to my nursery have a much harder time fighting off the cold and other diseases and pests such as spider mites. Most problems are a result of a lack of needed minerals in the soil. Build the soil, the rose responds in beauty and bloom.
FIRST COMES THE PEST AND THEN COMES THE PREDATOR!
This is how the Divine Intelligence of Nature was set up. It’s like you would not make a child sit at the table waiting for a week while you prepare his meal. Nature sends in the army of predators after the pests have a chance to build up to enough to make some meals. It makes perfect sense. But if we kill off all the pests as soon as they come then the predators do not have anything to eat and the system gets botched. So we have to tie our hands behind our backs and WAIT and OBSERVE and WATCH how Mother nature does all our work for us. It’s that simple! Each year I did less and less spraying organics, messing with the system, and each year I saw more pests either eliminated or else only last one – two weeks. These include thrips, midge, aphids (never), spider mites, powdery mildew, japanese beetles and more.
There are many good reasons. An own root rose can die back from a cold winter and will many times come back from it’s roots below the ground. This is especially positive for rose growers who live in zones below 6. Many people start out with one color and end up with another one, not realizing that the scion (rose on top- desired rose) has died and the rootstock rose has grown in it’s place. Happens a lot.
An own root rose may live to be over 100 years old where a grafted rose with excellent care will be lucky to live 15 years. One of the reasons for this: Grafted or Budded roses are usually from a rootstock that is a species rose. There are a couple reasons for this: They can be grown from seed (all other roses are considered hybrids and will be different from the parents but the species roses produce clones of themselves). So these roses are also chosen because they are very hardy and grow very fast and big. BUT they only bloom for 6 weeks a year. So now we are forcing them to bloom year-round and so with this unnatural scenario the rootstock becomes literally exhausted.
Many Old Garden Roses are found thriving in old cemeteries after many many years of neglect. If dead people can grow them, anyone can!
Because it was a wound where the bud union is formed, grafted roses are much more susceptible to crown galls, and other bacterial and fungal infections at the site of the wound. Own root roses do not have that issue.
Own root roses are much slower to grow but are much healthier once they reach their maximum maturity when given proper food, water and care.
This is a popular statement by rose growers who use chemicals. The truth is, if you keep your yard and gardens organic, you will NEVER have a problem with nematodes (confirmed by many entomologists). This is because 95% of all nematodes are GOOD GUYS and keep the bad ones at bay. An interesting point: the only reason Fortuniana is resistant to nematodes is because it has a very shallow root system and the anaerobic nematodes (the 5% bad ones) live 2 feet under the soil, not near the surface so the Fortuniana roots never encounter them. Meanwhile, now you have to use rebar to hold up the rose so it does not fall over in a wind storm. It will also grow to extremely large heights so a ladder is necessary to prune it back 3 times a year.
Although Fortuniana is one of the best Rootstock choices for Florida heat and humidity, an own root rose will also thrive if grown in organic soil without the threat of Nematodes. Myth busted.
The Good News is that most people don’t realize that we can have the best of both worlds. we can follow the example of most of Europe and especially the David Austin Rose Co.who is spreading the word about planting grafted roses. They are grown in Europe to make the rose large in a faster way. But they also appreciate the value of having the roses be own root. So they (and I) advocate burying the rose beneath the bud (or graft) union. This would be 3-5 inches in the colder climates and 1-3 inches in the warmer climates. The reason for this is that the scion (the rose we want) will eventually be able to put down it’s OWN ROOTS because it is has access to the soil. It will begin to put out basil canes becoming a much stronger rose. The old rootstock will eventually rot away as it would anyway over time. So now we have the Best of Both worlds! Myth Buster #2!
On occasion, the rose you order, may become unavailable due to unforeseen circumstances. When you check out, there is a place for you to indicate 1-3 substitutions or to indicate no substitution so that if your rose becomes unavailable we can send a replacement. We can also recommend a similar rose for you. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
We ship on the Monday or Tuesday of the following week you place your order. If you need us to wait for a future date or season, let us know in the comments box. There is no extra charge for holding roses until ready. Please see our ordering information page for details.
Call, text pics or email us immediately. We take great care to make sure your rose arrives to you safe and sound. However, sometimes things happen in transit. We are here to help you resolve any issues. Sometimes because the roses have been in a box with no sun for days, black spot fungus can develop in route. We do not remove all the leaves as many places do. So do not worry, it is normal. Just remove any leaves that look bad and the rose will make new leaves shortly. If a can has broken during shipping, a picture will let us know if you can wait for it to grow again and it will be OK (or not).
We offer a 3 month warranty for any rose that dies through no fault of the customer. Send pictures and we can determine what has caused the problem. Any losses incurred after that time period will be on a case by case basis. If your rose seems depressed please do contact us asap so we can advise. Thank you!
