Home Gardening

Clean up rose gardens now
The Coast Gardener Newspaper and Web Column - November 24, 2001

As many gardeners already know, roses can be hard to handle at times. These plants have to be fertilized, watered, pruned, sprayed, and pampered here in the hot, humid South. Nonetheless, roses are spectacular and one of my favorite flowers.

Disease control is an important factor to consider when growing roses. Rosarians who maintain healthy plants generally use a combination of common sense strategies to keep black spot, canker, powdery mildew, and other diseases under control. The following disease control practices can be carried out this fall and will add to the appearance of your rose garden next season.

Sanitation practices that can be used include the removal of fallen leaves and the proper pruning of bushes before the springtime. Rose public enemy number one is called black spot. The removal of fallen leaves is critical to reducing the disease. The fungus will simply wait around in the rose garden until next spring unless steps are taken to rid the area of the infected leaves. Fallen leaves create a haven for microorganism that hurt your roses to thrive.

While you're in the rose garden, take the time to prune out canes (main branches) killed by brown stem canker. This disease overwinters underneath the plants as well. Be sure to cut dead canes back to healthy tissue. It is a great idea to disinfect pruning tools every time you make a cut. This helps prevent the spread of plant diseases. A 10 percent bleach solution is an excellent disinfectant. Gardeners can make this solution by adding one part bleach to nine parts water. Be sure to rinse your equipment thoroughly after use, as bleach is very corrosive to metal. It is also a good idea to oil the equipment, too.

After this week's cold snap, it may be a good idea to replace the mulch around your roses. This is particularly true if black spot has become a problem. While removal of diseased leaves will help, mulch removal and replacement with new mulch may also be necessary as part of your overall rose disease sanitation program.

If you are considering adding new roses to your garden, use recommended varieties. The use of recommended varieties helps to cut down on the severity of disease problems. Periods of rainy weather and high humidity favor development of black spot and other fungus diseases. Add any new plants to your planting at recommended spacing distances to insure adequate air circulation. Roses planted too closely together do not dry quickly following rainfall and are vulnerable to black spot attack.

Sanitation is often underestimated as a prominent player in disease prevention. Roses do require a lot of work, but half the battle can be won by following a few simple practices.

These archived gardening columns were written by Chance McDavid, former Harrison County Extension Agent.