ROSE RAMBLER 31.7.2014
Hello dear rose friends … I missed you probably as much as you missed me last Thursday and yes, everything is ok here but Gra only had a dirty joke, I was up to my armpits sorting and labelling, packing and posting roses so the last edition of Rose Rambler went by the wayside. Gra will make up for it this week though … grab a cuppa and read on …
DEFINITELY NO FERTILIZER ON BARE-ROOTED ROSES AT PLANTING …
One of the last customers today was telling me how they had bought ‘berry blaster’ fertilizer ready to put in the holes when they plant their new standard roses! Gawd, NO!
USE SEAWEED SOLUTION FORTNIGHTLY TO GET THE ROSES ESTABLISHED then apply (preferably organic) fertilizer in early spring.
An email tonight:
“Good evening,
Are you able to give me the name of a recommended fertiliser, and when should I apply it to newly planted bare rooted roses. Thank you, Regards, Peter”
To which I responded:
“Hello Peter … thank you for your enquiry. We use and highly recommend
COMPLETE ORGANIC FERTILIZER (COF) which we have used for years because it has a wonderful blend of NPK (look on the pack and you’ll see N: P: K: ) and trace elements like calcium, magnesium, iron, etc. – the added humates are great for soil conditioning and this fertilizer can be used on all plants except natives – one product for the lot – easy, practical, very economical, not smelly like lots of organic ferts.
YOU SHOULD NOT apply ANY fertiliser to newly planted roses until they have settled and are growing – probably until early spring!!! At this stage, apply seaweed solution every fortnight to enhance healthy root development. Hope this is helpful! Cheers … Diana”
It is imperative that you all heed this advice! Yes, if you have pruned established roses and you want to get the whole job done at once, fertilize now with a complete organic fertilizer, start the organic rose spray management program, fluff up existing mulch or add a layer of new mulch and leave the roses to get on and do their stuff – they’ll be flowering by mid-late October.
ROSE PRUNING DEMONSTRATIONS …
If you belong to a Garden/Probus Club and can organise a group of between 4-8 interested rose gardeners, we will conduct a special ROSE PRUNING DEMONSTRATION on a day which suits your group – booking is absolutely essential and can be on any day of the week.
GRA’S GARBLE …
It was common practice to spray roses in winter with LIME SULPHUR to prevent fungus like black-spot and powdery mildew. Thanks to Organic Crop Protectants (OCP) we use far more environmentally products such as eco-rose or eco-fungicide (same product) to control all the potential fungus infections on fruit trees, vegetables and of course, roses!
Q. Why can you tell an egg joke? A. Because it will always crack (you) up!
The sulphur spray stinks like rotten eggs – surely reason enough not to use it around your garden. It can also clog-up your spray equipment. Always use protective clothing and especially cover your eyes if you choose to use it – all the ‘stuff’ you don’t need to bother with if you use eco-rose fungicide!!!
Here’s a really good tip: when you’ve finished pruning and starting the organic rose maintenance spray program for this coming season, spray around the root-zone of the roses over the mulch where all the old foliage has fallen.
NEVER remove the mulch because it’s keeping soil microbes protected and if its wet in your zone, worms will come up to the surface to escape flooding or drowning and a layer of 50mm of straw or lucerne gives them somewhere to rest and wait for the moisture to subside … meanwhile, of course, they’re pooing and weeing in your soil which is sensationally beneficial!
Another one: Q. What is the easiest way to count a herd of cattle? A. With a cow-culator. (listen to how people speak and you’ll hear this!)
Hope you’ve raked up all the autumn leaves in your garden and neighbourhood, applied them directly around the rose garden or placed them on the compost heap where they’ll rot down to provide humus to spread around the roses later!
The winter garden is a great place to be … get ahead of the weeds by pulling them now while the soil is damp – feed them to the chooks or add them to the compost heap … enjoy the rewards of gardening while it’s cool … Gra
WINTER ROSE ORDERS …
After a very long and protracted season, most orders will be finalised by the first week of August. It has been extraordinarily wet at Kalangadoo where our roses are grown but remember, IT’S ALWAYS THE RIGHT TIME TO PLANT ROSES – FOR YOUR HEALTH AND A GREENER ENVIRONMENT!
rosesalesonline.com.au affords you the opportunity to plant roses at any time of the year – our gift roses are a very practical and economical way of sharing your love on a special occasion – go take a look at the website where you’ll see some of our favourite and most highly recommended roses! Here’s one that we really love …
