News from Roses inc Tulsa.

Roses inc Tulsa. Newsletter

Everything Roses Monthly

June 2010

In This Issue

Growing Grat Roses

Planting Roses during Hot weather

Thrips

Spider Mites

An OH WOW! O'Rilla

Growing Great Roses

First let me say that growing great roses isn't hard. Really it's not. Most of the problem that you encounter growing roses are there because you have been given mis- information from people who just don't know and tell you something just to keep you from thinking their ignorant. Other times the advice is well intended but not well thought out.

It is very difficult to know what information to trust in this day when anyone can give advice through the Internet. The problem is that the bad advice doesn't stop there. We have a very good gardening program on a local radio station in the Tulsa area. The host knows more about growing trees an ornamental than I will ever know. Each week I try to listen because I have a lot to learn about Hostas and Daisies and I enjoy testing my knowledge against the expert. The problem is that on at least one occasion a week find myself yelling at the radio when awful advice is given about rose culture. This past week a caller clearly had a case of Thrips but they were told by the host that they had a disease. I say all of this to make a point. When you want information about anything, go to people who have extensive experience in the field that you are wanting information about. Being a great horse rancher does not make you a great goat rancher and knowing a lot about roses from reading books without practical experience does not make you a rose expert.

To grow great roses, buy your roses from people who grow great roses. If the nursery you are shopping at has roses that are begriming to look bad it is because that nursery doesn't grow roses. They just keep them alive until they can sell them and that is one big difference between them and Roses inc.

I have grown roses for 30 years and I think I have made most of the common mistakes. Heck, I have made most of the uncommon mistakes as well! I love the roses and I have immersed myself in them and experimenting with every aspect of growing them. Do I think I know it all? Not by a long shot but if I do not know I will not just tell you something to appease you. I have to confess my ignorance more each day than most.

The bottom line is that great roses are not hard to grow but you must get your advice from someone you can trust with the experience and back ground to help you and not just maneuver you into buying something that the boss has said to move more of.

My goal in starting Roses inc. was to provide the Rose grower a source for great Roses and expert advice. We cater to our customers offering Chemicals that are guaranteed to work if our directions are followed. We offer everything for the Roses grower including complete rose care service where I personally make every garden visit.

We are Everything Roses and appreciate your continued patronage.

Call or stop bye and we will help you to grow GREAT Roses.

Quick Links...

Planting Roses in Summer

It is already hot outside and we are already being asked if it is too late to plant roses.

The main difficulty planting roses late in the spring is encountered when you plant rose bushes that have been stressed in the nursery. Many of the rose bushes from many suppliers are not in good shape and if you start with stressed stock you will have problems.

Quality unstressed Roses planted in the hot months do just as well as those planted in the early Spring here in Oklahoma. You plant them the same way.

You water them the same way and you will have at least two more flushes depending on the rose you plant. Follow our directions and we will guarantee you will have beautiful roses for the rest of the season and your roses will be ready for winter when it comes.

Greetings!
Haven't the Roses been fantastic this year? April's weather gave us the best color an blooms that I have seen in a while. I trust yours were also impressive. When the Roses look as they have this Spring they confirm their place as the Queen of Flowers.

Most of you know that I take care of several rose gardens around Green Country and that contact with so many Roses in so many micro climates and growing conditions gives me a good insight into what is happening to your Roses.

The critters that are most active right now are the Thrips with the Spider mites starting to show their ugly selves. The Thrips are the culprits stopping your blooms from opening and turning the edges of the petals brown and crispy. Most systemic insecticides do not penetrate the petals well enough to control the Thrips so I would suggest that you do your best to spray right down into the buds as soon as they form. Spinosad is the active ingredient that has been proven to be most effect in the control of Thrips and it is environmentally friendly. Neam oil has also been shown to have a limited ability to control Thrips but it must be used weekly for 4 consecutive weeks to provide control and it can burn the plants leaves in the hot sun.

Still the biggest disease problem I am seeing is the powdery mildew brought by the cool wet conditions. Now that it is warming up it should disappear soon. If you do not want to wait for the temperatures to do it you can spray with ERASE once a week until it is gone. I wish you success in the Rose garden this year. I didn't wish you luck because if you allow Roses inc Tulsa to help you with your rose growing needs you won't need luck.

Mark

Insects of the Month

Thrips

The picture above is of a Thrips. Not a Thrip. It is a unique photo in that it shows a single Thrips and I seldom see only one. The Thrips can be suspected when flowers do not open or the telltale brown edging on the petals appears. Thrips do not do well in hot weather. You will seldom see them in Oklahoma in late July and early August. They are rather fond of the warmth and humidity that we are having now and they can complete a life cycle in a week!

The test for Thrips is straight forward. Take a suspected bloom from the plant and bunch it on a piece of white paper. If Thrips are present they will run all over the paper in an effort to flee.

The best product to use for control of Thrips are products containing Spinosad as the active ingredient. We will be happy to help you choose the Product that fits your needs best. Just Stop by Roses inc.

The Two Spotted Spider Mite

Is this guy u-gly or what. Spider mites can be expected in large numbers here and the best way to deal with them is to stop them from ever reaching populations large enough to cause damage.

Spider Mites are difficult to see without the aide of a magnifying lens but the damage they do is much more apparent. The underside of the leaves have the appearence of being soiled and in large populations webs may be observed. The Spider Mite sucks the chlorophyll from the leafs and makes photosynthesis impossible and can kill the plant if untreated.

Spider mites are not the easiest critters to control because of their feeding habits. They are little suckers that are not controlled by surface sprays and the researchers at OSU suspect that great systemics like Acephate may actually increase their numbers.

The product that I recommend in the battle against Spider Mites is Tetra San. It dissolves easy in your spray mix and kills the eggs and early growth stages of the mite and renders the Adults baron. With their short life cycle that is enough to control them.

Malathion is also somewhat effective in the control of Spider Mites but it must be applied every 3 days for 9 consecutive days. I very strong stream of water directed at the bottom of the leaves is also somewhat effective but it must be done often to control the population. The spray should be very strong just below what it takes to damage the leaves.

If you suspect Spider Mites on your bushes and want a confirmation we will be happy to do that for you. Bring several of the affected leaves into Roses inc. in a sealed sandwich bag and we will do the rest.

A beautiful example of O'Rilla

Type caption text here.
Last year I bought a hybrid tea rose from you with the name of "O'Rilla." On returning to buy other products I told you how beautiful this rose was, but it was too late for you to order more. Just wanted to send these pictures of my "O'Rilla." You have been a good teacher for us who know nothing about roses. I've tried to follow your instructions. I pruned the rose pretty short, and thinned it out. I have been just in awe of it's beauty. The roses are five inches across, with thick petals and dark green foliage. They are staying on the brush for a long time for all to enjoy. I hope the pictures do it justice. What do you think teacher, do I pass your class? LOL. Thanks for all your help. Can barely keep my eyes off of it.

I believe you passed with flying colors.

I hope you found this installment of the Everything Roses monthly informative. Please call or email me if you have any questions or comments. We are here to serve the Rose grower and we appreciate your continued patronage.

Sincerely,
Mark Stelljes
Roses inc Tulsa.

astelljes@cox.net

918-455-7673

Save 25% on the Rose of the Month.

For June our rose of the month is Folk lore.

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This Hybrid Tea is one of my personal favorites.

Hardy to zone 4, Height:4 to 5ft., Disease resistant, exhibitor, Good cut, Strong grower.
A large, very full, salmon-orange blend blooms; tall, vigorous grower; large, well formed flowers (45-50 petals); large, disease free, glossy foliage; (Kordes 1984)

Offer Expires: June 30th 2010 or when on hand stock is depleted.

Shipping charges well apply for mail orders. We ship until November 1 with guaranteed live delivery.