roses

nancy 4/12/2010, 2:01 pm

I actually have 2 questions - the first is about black spot. I have 2 black cherry roses and both suffered from black spot last year. I severly pruned them back before winter to see if I could get rid of it and this year's growth so far is gorgeous. Have any of you had to battle this before? If so, what worked?

The second question is about mulch. I want to put down pine bark this year as I hear it is slightly acidic, which my milkweeds will love. However, will my roses?

Thanks in advance for the advice!!

n.

MidTNJasonF 4/12/2010, 8:37 pm

My parents propagate and show roses with their area Rose Society. I will ask them about black spot. I know they have a slew of different sprays, many are organic, that they use and it seems like my Mother is out spraying for something once ever two or three weeks. Their collection runs the gamut from simple knock out varieties to delicate long stem tee's

They swear by Cyprus Mulch and have used it for at least a decade or more. I do know they use many soil amendments but I do not know what they use to lower or raise soil PH or what their roses like in terms of PH.

I do know that they do seem to thrive when pruned heavily. My folks prune heavily and frequently so I think you took the right course there.

Selandra 4/16/2010, 12:15 am

Any tips on getting the poor things to last more than a couple of months. I love roses and every year I fall for the roses in a bag and buy one or two or three... well, they don't survive. I dig big hole, mound soil in middle, carfully set rose and put dirt around it. Mulch on top being careful not to cover graft. Water regularly... use rose fertilizer... beg on my hands and knees and the ungrateful buggers still curl up and die. I feel like the grim reaper of roses. I have three I just started a couple of weeks ago. The weather has been hot 80's but I water daily and have fertilized, but one of them has shown signs of weakening. Curse these black thumbs... I'd chop them off but then I'd lose the ability to rip the ungrateful wretches out of the ground and stomp on them.

So in all seriousness... any tips?

**Theresa** 4/16/2010, 10:18 am

Let me start off by saying...I am a rose killer! No matter how hard I try...I kill them....until I found out that roses love worm compost! It also helps get rid of and prevent black spot! Someone last spring gave me a rose that was near death, I planted it and put worm compost around it about every two weeks and it grew into the most beautiful rose bush with beautiful large blooms, and I didn't have any black spot on the leaves. The person who gave it to me couldn't believe how beautiful it was and of course wanted it back roses Icon_biggrin

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