Greetings!
Summer will soon be behind us. Spring and Summer 2009 were full of obstacles and blessing here at Roses inc. The obstacles came in the form of poor quality potting mix and terrible weather. I have never been less impressed by the quality of the roses this Spring and Summer. Only now are the roses looking such that I am proud of them and the improvement is where the blessings come in. Without my staff and the dedication that each of them has shown this year I could not have made it through the year at all. Roberta Lockman, who makes our customers and friends feel welcome, Joseph Jones who is the newest member of the team who's love for roses is evident in all he does and my buddy Tim Oneil who is my work horse that I would be lost without. Each of these people add so much to the opperation that I can not begin to list it here. There has also been so many people who have helped make Roses inc what it is today I could not begin to list them all here. But Nancy Klocko, Beverly Lowry, Bonnie Jones, Jan Ley and my daughter Deanna Pillkington who by the way is working toward giving me my first grandchild in February of next year, and its a boy! are some who have contributed the most over the years. These people have all contributed but it is you our friends and customers that make Roses inc. Tulsa possible and I can not begin to express my gratitude to you all. I look forward to seeing you all this fall at the "Year in the life of a Rose" seminar on Oct 18, 2009 here at Roses inc. and in the spring to see the hundreds of varieties of roses that we will have for you to choose from.
Many thanks
Mark |
| How to winter Roses |
|
| The process starts now
You can read all kinds of articles about how to successfully winter roses. You can wrap them. You can tilt them. You can use heat tapes and insulation to keep them warm or cover them with mulch. Yes the methods are plenty and varied. It is a wonder that Rose bushes ever made it without us isn't it. :)
But they did make it without us didn't they.
Our Roses like all other living things will prepare themselves for winter if they are given the chance to do so. All we must do to facilitate that is let them do their thing beginning in September. What is their thing? Why are they alive? What is the meaning of life--whoops I got carried away.
Every one of Gods creations lives to reproduce its self and the rose is no different. The rose will try so hard to produce a seed pod or hip that it will continue to try until it is frozen by the first hard freeze of winter. Here is where a very easy and proven technique can be used to prepare your roses for winter. Stop dead heading by the 15th of September and allow the roses to set hips in time for them to ripen before cold weather arrives. Once they set hips and they begin to ripen the rose will start its natural shutdown or dormancy for the winter. As the rose prepares for winter the wood hardens, the sap in the canes changes as a antifreeze substance is produced by the roots and the rose is ready for winter. It is that easy. No amount of things we can do here in Oklahoma will protect the roses as much as just allowing them to go dormant naturally for winter.
So here is the plan. Use only fast acting fertilizers after Sept. 1. Stop feeding and dead heading by September 15. You may still cut some roses for the table but leave some that are on the bushes now uncut for the season to allow them to set hips. Put about 4 inches of mulch around all of the bushes right up over the bud union now before the temperatures begin to drop to freezing. Do not prune you rose bushes at all except for removing dead wood. Make sure the bushes do not dry out and you and your roses are set for the winter.
I will talk later about wintering chores but for now follow these simple instructions and relax.
|
| Fall Pest |
|
| Worms, grasshoppers and beetles, Oh My!
The critters that will have their way with your roses are still plenty hungry and ready to have roses for lunch. I have seen more grasshoppers this year than I have in a long time and they are really big. In fact they are so big that when they are put on a hook and thrown in the pond the fish all move to the opposite bank. There are also beetles out there that are eating everything in their path and let us not overlook the several species of worms that are invading our gardens. What is a rose grower to do?
Well before I talk about what we should do lets talk about what we shouldn't do. Do not buy and use any pesticide unless you can be certain that it is labeled and effective on the insects you are trying to kill. A product that is very effective on aphids, yes aphids are still out there, may not be very effective on worms. Read the label and talk with someone who knows what works because they have used it. Do not depend on sales people or literature because most will tell you that their product is the best. Stay away from products that claim they do everything well. They seldom if ever do.
Now here are some things you need to do. Read the labels on the products you plan to use and use them according to the label instructions. More is not better. Read the ingredients and pay attention to how much active ingredient is in the product. If 99% of the product is other ingredients or inert, you can be sure that there is not much active available to do the job at hand. Do spray at an interval that is correct for the product being used as well as the pest being sprayed. Timing can make the difference in a product being effective or not. Use a product that does the best job of controlling the target pest with the least effect on the environment. Lastly please do not hesitate to call us here at Roses inc. Tulsa to get answers to your questions and concerns. We are all rose growers and we know what is working for us and we are always pleased to share our knowledge. |
Don't forget this
