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Beneficial Insects: A Boon to Butterflies and Gardeners!Read the article this discussion is about
This archived discussion is "read only". « Previous 1 2 Next » » Naomi_Mathews - Thanks for all your info, Deborah... My roses are really very healthy, but I do believe I may be guilty of adding too much synthetic fertilizer earlier--possibly too much nitrogen. We had a very cool spring, resulting in a LOT of rapid growth of the roses' foliage, so my aphids are probably LOVING it, right? (They are so greedy!) I will definitely be switching fertilizers to more natural ones such as compost or mulch. Those kinds are very available here, and if this will keep the aphid population down, I'll be more than happy!As to the antibacterial soap, I was very distraught that it appeared to be the reason my blossoms didn't want to mature. However, in just the past several days, we've finally had some nice HOT days, and some of them seem to be doing better. I will have to prune off those that are simply not going to make it. I'll look for an 800 number and contact the company, as you suggested. Thanks again! I'll keep you posted, okay? -- posted by Naomi_Mathews » Naomi_Mathews - Carol, thanks for the tips... All of my roses are not more than 7 years old or less, as we moved here about 9 years ago, and I didn't have roses early on. As Deborah mentioned above, I was also intimidated by roses, mostly because of aphid problems! But, I decided to plant them anyway, they really are one of my favorite flowers of all time!I have some lovely varieties: Chicago Peace, Heritage Pink, Fragrant Delight, Fragrant Cloud, Double Delight, Amber Queen, Queen Elizabeth, Miss All American Beauty, and more. My climbers were not as affected by the aphids. I have a Peace Climber, one called "Dynamite" that is stunning red with large fragrant blooms, one called "Blaze" and another white climber -- I can't recall it's name at the moment. Our Washington aphids DON'T just wash off by spraying water on them -- they hang on for dear life! I've tried this, and it simply doesn't do the job. Since we had a very mild winter, I knew aphids would be more abundant this year, and they are. However, since I didn't want to use insecticides any more, I've been fighting more aphids than usual. But -- I'm determined I'll get them under control. I do have some nasturtium seeds left that I could plant near them--I'll see if this helps, too! Thanks, Carol! -- posted by Naomi_Mathews » CarolWallace - The fertilizer OK - I see that you are growing modern orses as opposed to the heirloom variety - so the insecticidal soap shouldn't be a problem. But you may be onto something with the fertilizer. Apparently a "balanced" fertilizer, added to the soil year after year can result in a surplus of nitrogen - producing exactly the effect you are describing. Soft green growth that aphids love.-- posted by CarolWallace » Naomi_Mathews - Carol, I think you're right... As Deborah explained too, I need to change my fertilizer to a more "natural" one. I had no idea this could be a problem for my roses. And, my daughter will be glad to know this too...she has many, many more roses than I do.Not only that, but using the "systemics" for aphid control, which I've done in the past, also fertilizes the plants at the same time. Thankfully, the aphids don't seem bother or like any of my other flowers! Or will they move on to "greener pastures?" )-; -- posted by Naomi_Mathews » CarolWallace - SOME roses are not intimidating Hybrid teas are the ones that demand all the pampering. There are many others that are quite easy to grow.-- posted by CarolWallace » Naomi_Mathews - Deborah, roses are really great! I used to find them intimidating, but not anymore. Once I learned the basics of pruning them properly I was hooked! I learned all about pruning them from my daughter -- her roses would win prizes in any contest, honest. (-:With your organic gardening knowledge, I think you would be surprised how easy they can be, Deborah. They do require more attention than any of my other garden flowers, in that they can get the aphid attacks (such as mine!), and they need to be deadheaded regularly during blossom time. Like you, my mother always had roses, and I can still remember the most gorgeous yellow roses she had! I finally got a yellow one, called "Amber Queen" that is lovely. Even if you only start with one, maybe two, you can always get more later. And the climbers are just wonderful and will give you hours and hours of pleasure as they bloom so abundantly. I'd say, Go for it! (-: -- posted by Naomi_Mathews » Naomi_Mathews - Carol, about those "Tea Roses" ... I agree with you on those -- I have one called "Cherish Pink" and although it has lovely blossoms and foliage, it does require more pampering. I find it more difficult to prune properly. Maybe it's just the variety, but its blossom stems are almost to "weak" to hold the blossoms up well.On the other hand, another wonderful tea rose that my son gave me -- that was the beginning of my rose "addiction" -- does beautifully, with the most striking bouquets of flowers at each end of the sturdy stems. One stem will produce as many as 20 roses and fill an entire vase. I never, ever pick these -- I'd rather see them on the bush. It blooms twice every year, with the second blooming lasting until snow flies! -- posted by Naomi_Mathews » CarolWallace - Your "tea rose" If it's producing whole bouquets of flowers it's not a hybrid tea. It may be a grandiflora. Hybrid teas are the ones florists use to get that bouquet of single, long-stemmed roses. One grand, huge flower at the end of each stem. So you're actually proving my point! And isn't it nicer to get a whole bouquet with just one cut??-- posted by CarolWallace » Naomi_Mathews - Carol, you're so right... The rose I was referring to isn't a tea rose -- but a "Floribunda" -- Mine is the "Europeana" and is a lovely red. It's flowers are in "bouquet shaped" clusters, with many on each stem.I don't pick them (usually) as the bush is so beautifully shaped, and if I pick one "cluster" then it tends to look unbalanced. These clusters last forever...and when they do begin to fade and require deadheading, then I can choose to pick one or two of the good clusters, and have a great bouquet. Which reminds me -- three years ago this month our oldest granddaughter was married, and I picked TWO of these clusters and she used them at her guestbook table. I have some great photos of those! One of these days -- I'll scan a few of my best shots and send you some jpgs! (-; -- posted by Naomi_Mathews « Previous 1 2 Next » Please follow the guidelines set forth in the Suite101 Posting Etiquette when adding to the discussion. |
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