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TheRoseGazetteNortheastLouisianaRoseSociety

Monroe,Louisiana

AffiliateoftheAmericanRoseSociety

October 2016 Bulletin Editor Note: Ken and Wanda Kelley have assumed the role of the Rose Gazette Bulletin Editor. We would like to thank Flora for all her past efforts as editor and a special thank you for her continued guidance in making this transition. October Meeting: Please note that the meeting time has changed for this meeting only to 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm. The October 16, 2016 meeting will be held at Black Bayou National Wildlife Refuge located at 480 Richland Place, Monroe, LA. Kristopher Kelley, Laboratory Manager, University of Louisiana Monroe, Environmental Analysis Laboratory will present Soil Fertility and Fertilizer Use – Best Practices. Refreshments: Due to the facility meeting room we only need light refreshments. Please contact Wanda at 318-789-1886 or Ken at 318-235-2978 to coordinate. Directions: Take Hwy 165 north and travel 1.2 miles past red-light at CenturyLink offices. Take right at brown sign for Black Bayou NWR. Road will curve right and travel 0.8 miles then take right to the visitors center (green building). Note: there is an entrance ramp on right side of building. September Meeting Recap: Discussion recommendations of our resident rosarian Frank Hover on rose care.

Pictured at left (from Left to Right) Lou Jones, Bill Rambin, Jorenda Stone, Harvey Hanson, and Ken Kelley. Not pictured but in attendance: Flo Hover, Frank Hover, Linda Zagone, Adele Ransom, Sam Hightower, Susan Smith, Becky Bourgeois, and Wanda Kelley.

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Disease Control: Black Spot and other leaf spot disease: spray with Honor Guard PPZ (14.3% Propiconazole) every two weeks at the rate of ½ - ¾ tsp. per gallon. Every 6 weeks apply Dithane M-45 or Manzate at the rate of 1 Tbs. per gallon. Be sure to wet both the top and bottom of the leaves. If disease is not under control use both fungicides every 3-4 days until problem is corrected. The use of a surfactant greatly increases the efficiency of pesticides. Downey Mildew: spray Aliette (1 tbs. per gallon) after the plant has leafed out in spring and at least one more time in the fall. Do not use surfactant with Aliette. Also spray with Pagent or Micora a couple of times during the growing season to help immunize plants against Downey. If problem persists, more frequent spraying might be required. Reminder that spring is the season when thrips and downey mildew may start to attack your roses. Feeding our roses: The application of an organic fertilizer (Mills Magic, Alfalfa Pellets, Bone Meal, Fish Meal, Cotton Seed Meal, Horse Manure, etc.) in January will give your roses a great start in early spring. Repeat in mid-summer. Use of slow release chemical fertilizer or liquid fertilizer is also recommended after the plant starts putting on leaves. A teaspoon per gallon of Epsom Salt, Seaweed extract or Monty’s Joy Juice mixed in with fungicide spray will give leaves a healthy green appearance. Always get a soil sample analyzed before applying fertilizer as too much of one nutrient will lock out other needed nutrients. If the soil pH is below 6 add pelletized lime, if above 7, add sulphur. A yearly application of Gypsum will help keep our beds well drained and healthy. Insect Control: Spraying insecticide is not recommended unless there is an acute problem and then only to treat that particular type of insect. The use of blue plastic cups coated with STP Oil Treatment will help control thrips and many other insects. If thrips continue to be a problem, the use of Orthene (Acephate) will usually give good control. A chemical that is effective in killing thrips but will not harm beneficial insects is Conserve. You might want to share with others as it is expensive. If spider mites are present, attack as soon as possible as they will spread over the entire garden very rapidly. The most effective control of this tiny critter is the use of a strong jet of water on the underside of the leaves every other day for a week or two. Chemical control is possible, however these are rather expensive. I have heard that some rosarians are using a mixture of powdered sulphur and water to keep spider mites at bay. Aphids can also be washed off with a strong spray of water. Pruning: The first pruning in early to mid-February is recommended in our area. With the advent of warmer winters, we can now prune earlier without worrying about a late freeze. We usually prune to about 24 to 30 inches on HT’s and less on other varieties depending on size of bush. Strip off all remaining leaves and spray thoroughly with horticultural oil. OGR’s, Modern Shrubs, and Climbers do not require heavy pruning, just the removal of dead and crossing canes and trimming the bush to desired shape. Pruning in mid-August should not be as severe, usually trim off approximately half the bush. Remove all the little twiggy growth and nonproductive canes.

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Rose Bed Material: The ARS guidelines on bedding material are 1/3 sand, 1/3 compost, and 1/3 topsoil. Raised beds will help keep our plants from being overwatered. A good layer of some kind of mulch will help keep the soil moist and cooler, and control weed problems. Allen Owings recommends pine straw for Louisiana. October is a good time to add a generous layer of mulch to your rose garden to help winterize them. Howard Walters tea for roses Want to perk up your roses this summer? Try making some alfalfa tea. Of course, you don’t drink it; your roses do. Here’s the recipe from the noted rosarian, Howard Walters. 12 cups of alfalfa meal ½ cup of chelated iron 1 cup of water-soluble fertilizer ½ cup of Epsom’s salts Place a 32-gallon trash can close to your rose bed. Fill it with water, add the alfalfa meal, and stir with a long stick. Cover with a tight fitting lid. Let it steep four or five days, stirring every couple of days. (When you take the lid off, hold your nose. It will smell like the barnyard!) At the end of the four or five days, stir in 1 cup of a water-soluble fertilizer, such as Miracle Gro, Miracle Gro for Roses, or Peter’s 20-20-20; ½ cup of chelated iron; and ½ cup of Epsom’s salts. Pour 1 gallon of the mixture on the ground around each rose bush. Give each miniature rose bush one-half gallon. There will be a thick mixture left in the bottom of the trash can. Fill it again with water and steep for two or three days, occasionally stirring. At the end of that time, stir in 1 cup of water-soluble fertilizer; ½ cup of chelated iron; and ½ cup of Epsom’s salts. (One batch of alfalfa meal will be enough to make two 32-gallon containers of alfalfa tea.) Apply this mixture around your roses and other plants. This tonic can be safely applied to your roses a couple of times each year about 6-weeks apart. Your roses should have darker leaves, deeper-colored blooms, and healthy new growth within a week or two. Local Supply for Rose Chemicals One of my favorite places for my vegetable garden supplies is West Feed and Farm located at 819 Thomas Road in West Monroe. During a recent visit I noticed that they stocked many of the supplies that we need for rose maintenance. Below is a list of some of the products / size / prices as of October 3, 2016. Alfalfa Pellets 50 lbs $19.95 Chelated Iron 1 pint $4.95 Cottonseed Meal 50 lbs $14.50 Bone Meal 15 lbs $21.90 Fish Meal 25 lbs $43.99 Seaweed Extract 1 gal $25.50 Dithane M-45 6 oz $10.50 Conserve Naturalyte 1 pint $15.50 Black Kow 50 lbs $6.75 They also carry lime, fertilizer, and time release fertilizer like Osmocote.

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Selecting Varieties: Taken from “A Year in the Rose Garden” by A.J. “Pop” Warner edited by Marilyn Wellan October is not only the best month to build a rose bed but is also the best month to choose your varieties. They will be in full bloom in other rosarian’s gardens and you can see how they grow. Probably the poorest way to choose a rose bush is from a catalog. Reading rose catalogs, admiring the fine photography and inspired prose is fun, but when we choose a rose we had better look at it growing and talk to someone who grows it. A picture is not better than a thousand words when you buy a rose bush. A visit to a garden is better than a thousand pictures. Go look and talk to other growers. Discuss with your Consulting Rosarians and don’t be swayed by the pretty pictures in the catalogs. Featured Rose of the Month I would like to start a new section in The Rose Gazette of roses from the Northeast Louisiana Rose Society’s rose gardens. For consideration simply take a photo and email me at kd.kelley54@gmail.com or call me at 318-235-2978 and I can come take a photo of your rose. This month is from our garden: Lady of Shalott This is a David Austin English rose that we planted in the garden this year. It appears to be highly resistant to disease and has bloomed continually throughout the season. The young buds are a rich orange-red. These open to form chalice-shaped blooms, filled with loosely-arranged petals. Each petal has a salmon pink upper side which contrasts beautifully with the attractive golden-yellow reverse. The chalice shape means that the undersides of the petals are clearly seen, revealing glimpses of the deeper color in the heart of the bloom. There is a pleasant, warm, tea fragrance, with hints of spiced apple and cloves. The cut flowers of this rose appear to last longer than other cut English rose. Lady of Shalott was named for the Tennyson Society to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s birth. The name is taken from one of his favorite poems of the same name. Lady of Shalott has received the 2017 AGRS Regional Choice Award and the 2017 AGRS Fragrance Award (per American Rose Magazine March / April 2016 edition)

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Officers Dates to Remember

Harvey Hanson President Oct 16 NELA Rose Society meeting at Black Bayou NWR

Linda Zagone Vice President Prog / Chair

Oct 22 South Central District Rose Show Houston

Becky Bourgeois Treasurer Oct 29 Gulf District Rose Show – Lake Charles Ken & Wanda Kelley Bulletin Editor Nov 5 Beaumont Rose Show Nov 20 NELA Rose Society meeting

Consulting Rosarians Frank & Flora Hover 255-8158 Adele Ransom 343-5825 Diane & John Smith 343-5589 Rose Gazette 296 Bayou Bank Rd Monroe, LA 71203