Its Spring! I think.  The calendar says it is May but someone forgot to tell Mother Nature.  A chance of snow in Green Country tonight!  Unbelievable.  Everything is ok though.  Roses are tuff and they will be ok.  They do not need to be covered.  You will do far more harm covering them than the cold weather or even snow will do.  Just relax, they will be fine.

  

You must have noticed the name change.  Karen Gardner is the new owner of Roses Inc.  Karen has been running the company for a while now.  As most of you are aware, my health has not been good and  I thought it was time to let someone with far more energy take the helm. Heck, for the first time since I can remember I spent the entire day on the river yesterday.  I caught my first ever river trout and a couple sand bass but most of all I enjoyed the sights and sounds of my childhood before life got so complicated.  Louie even had a great time.  Each time we put the stringer of trout in the river he would wade out and grab one of the trout on the string and bring them back to land.

I will still be here to answer your rose care questions, when I am not fishing :) and as always I love to here from you so keep those questions coming.

  

Thanks for your support of Roses inc. throughout the years and rest assured that Roses Inc Green Country is here to continue to provide you with the best selection of garden roses and unparalleled rose garden design and maintenance. 

  

  Spray, fertilize and deadhead.

  

If you haven't yet noticed, the aphids are out in force and you must take action now before they do a lot of harm.  If an infestation has already occurred it will be obvious by the shriveled up appearance of the new leaves.  Aphids are little suckers and they suck the sap from the underside of the leaves and the new growth.  They are not difficult to kill. The problem is that most insecticides will only kill the adults. You must spray, wait 3 days, and spray again to kill the new ones that have hatched since the last spray.  Normally that should kill them but remember that they will continue to blow in from surrounding areas so you must spray for them every two to three weeks.  There are some granular systemics available which we carry at Roses Inc that will last longer but since there is not a reliable product to prevent or kill the fungus diseases of roses we are accustom to here in Oklahoma, I just use an insecticide mixed in with my fungicide.  That way I can use the insecticide that targets the specific bug I am after. Malathion is a very good insecticide to kill aphids.  Use it late in the afternoon or early evening to protect the beneficial insects.  We will have other pest to deal with as the year progresses and I am here to help you pick the right solution for your special need.  I will also include alerts in upcoming Newsletters when appropriate.

The fungicide that I mentioned above is an integral part of any rose maintenance in Oklahoma.  I have tried a bunch of different mixtures throughout the years and the mix I have found to work best is Roses Inc black spot mix.  Black spot is a catch all term for all of the diseases that cause dark spots on the leaves.  The good news is that most of the diseases that cause leaf spotting can be treated with the same fungicides effectively.  If you run across something that seems to be resistant to the fungicide, you can always send me a photo and I will tell you what to do.

  

Fertilizer is a must to have great roses.  Save yourself the money and hassle of looking around for the best to use.  I designed Roses Inc special blend fertilizer years ago especially for the complete nutritional needs of roses. Those who use it will tell you it is the best they have ever used.  It is available only at Roses Inc Green Country.

  

Deadheading your roses is part of the process of keeping your roses blooming.  Roses bloom to reproduce themselves and they will keep blooming until they do.  When you cut off the blooms before a hip forms the bush will bloom again.  There are some shrub roses that are self cleaning.  That means that they will loose their blooms without setting hips the majority of the time.  Among them are the Knock Out and Home Run varieties.  The best approach is.  If you see a hip.  Cut it off.  When dead heading do not be afraid to cut the cane off where it reaches pencil size.  The rose bush will rebloom at the same time as it would if you cut it shorter but the stem you leave will hold up the next bloom better.

  

One finial thought.  Anytime you see a dead, damaged, diseased or dinky cane on you bushes.  Cut it off.  Cane canker which can be caused by a variety of diseases should be removed at once.  It can kill the entire bush if it is left to move to the crown or bud union.   Cane canker will present itself as a black area on a cane.  The area can cover all around the cane or run down just one side.

  

It must be destroyed

  

We have removed no less than 30 Double Knock out roses already this Spring at gardens around Green Country.  If you suspect it on your roses you must act immediately.  If you are unsure.  Please send me a photo and I will get back to you right away. Do not try to cut it off.  That will no more work than removing your hand to cure cancer.   It is very contagious and there is currently no preventative or cure.  There are many varieties of roses that are much less susceptible than the DKO and if you contact Roses Inc Green Country at 918-455-7673 the staff will be happy to help you pick out the rose bush that is right for you.  No rose bush is immune from Rosette disease so to prevent its spread clean your pruners with a disinfectant between bushes.  Clorox wipes or Clorox Cleanup has worked well for me.

After you remove the infected bush you may replant in the same area.  I have did this many times without the disease reoccurring in the new rose bush.  The disease affects all parts of the rose bush so you must kill or dig up all of the roots before replanting.