Greetings!
Some of you know that I like to SCUBA Dive but the back yard is not the destination that I normally have in mind. A week of daily rain has put most of us under water and a little sunshine would go a long way to improve my mood.
The cool wet weather has been very good for the pest that can plague our roses. Wet cool weather promotes Powdery Mildew. As the weather warms the warm wet nights will grow a great crop of Black Spot. We must be vigilant.
That said, the rain and warm weather will also bring a tremendous surge of growth. With the growth come the wonderful blooms that only roses can give. People will be stopping in front of your garden to look at the rainbow of colors your roses present.The fragrance of the roses riding the evening breezes will erase the memories of the most hectic of days while they sooth your senses. Suddenly the fun that you have in your Rose garden spraying, planting and pruning pays off in a big way. Never let the opportunity to walk through the rose garden and experience the color, complexity and fragrance pass you by.
Sincerely,
Mark Stelljes
Roses inc Tulsa.
|
Thrips
A major reason blooms do not open
One of the pest that are most evident in spring is the thrips. Thats not a type O, even one is called a thrips and rest assured that there will not be only one.
Thrips are sucking insects that ravage the buds of roses. Their sucking of the sap from the rose petals prevent the rose bud from opening or at the very least make the bloom that does appear very deformed. Thrips also affect the leaves by causing "Stippling" of the leaves. This stippling is caused by the scar tissue left on the leaves when the thrips inserts her eggs into the tissue of the leaf where it incubates until it hatches into the first larval stage which is the first of two larval stages that do the majority of damage to our roses and other plants.Photo 1 above shows a good example of the scaring the thrips cause on the bottom of the leaves. The tops of the affected leaves have an almost silvery appearance.
Control
Predatory insects
As is often the case when we wait on natural predators to control the damage that insect pest are causing to our roses we will have significant damage before the natural pest show up in large enough populations to effectively control the Thrips.
Cultural Practices
The cultural practices for limiting the level of thrips damage is much the same as other practices we use to address other pest problems. Keep weeds and grass at bay. The weeds and grass provide cover for the thrips to reproduce in large numbers. Be vigilant, remove blind eyes and severally damaged foliage from the roses and throw the debris in the garbage.
Chemical Control
Some commonly used pesticides for the control of aphids and beetles do little to control thrips. Since thrips are deep inside the blooms and the eggs are laid in the plant tissue the population is difficult to control with surface sprays. There are however some spray formulations that work fairly well if they are used at the first sign of thrips and followed up at the correct interval. Among them are products containing spinosad. Conserve is such a product but it is quite expensive. A better choice for the rose grower is FL Borer, Bagworm, Tent Caterpillar and Leaf minor Spray which also has spinosad as the active ingredient. Spinosad which is a microbial agent is very hard on the thrips but gentle on beneficial insects. Another product that is not as hard on the beneficial insects is Volik Oil. Although it will kill some beneficial insects it not as harsh as the sprays mention below. Spray the buds and leaves being sure to cover them completely and repeat the spraying in 7 days in warm weather to kill the newly hatched larva. Other products that have some results but are not selective in what they kill are Acephate (Orthene) and imidocloprid (Merit).
The test for Thrips
If you suspect thrips are present in your rose buds you can tap the buds on a piece of white paper. If thrips are present they will fall on the paper and begin to run in all directions.
As always feel free to call me or come by Roses inc. if you need more information
|
| Special Offer
The Fairy rose promotion is still on and this means you can get 20% off the regular price by mentioning this offer at the time of check out.
Regular Price: $18.95 to $22.95
Discount price: $14.96 to $18.36
|
| About Roses inc Tulsa.
At Roses inc. Tulsa the inc. stands for inclusive. We specialize in roses and have the knowledable staff to help you pick out that perfect rose bush for your garden. We also carry the products you need to grow and protect beautiful roses. Our products have a significantly higher percent of active ingredients than you buy most places. Roses inc. Special Rose food was tested for 2 years and tweeked to have what we now offer as the best Rose food on the market.
You our customers and friends are the only reason we can continue to offer the best and largest selection of Roses in Oklahoma and we appreciate your continued patronage.
Roses inc Tulsa.
13201 South 129 E Ave
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma 74011
|
