These poor guys have to say the least been completely ignored. Since the majority of them "David Austin Roses" They have been able to hang in there.
They have Lots of black spot. so I maybe cutting them down to the barebones. I love Roses, my mom always gave me Rose Bushes for my birthday. So in spite of the lack of time I have to properly care for them, I will always have them in my garden.
I have noticed some disease, so I clipped that away and then promptly cleaned my clippers.
I also plant companion plants near these guys to hopefully help them as well, marigolds are ones that seem to be beneficial.
I believe doing this now will give me some great blooms and healthier plants in the fall. Stay tuned!!
I've been battling blackspot all summer and have finally found an organic way to get rid of it. I don't use fungicides since they also contain a pesticide that contaminates the pollen. This winter I'll scrape away every single shred of mulch in the beds where I grow the roses to prevent the spores from over wintering, as well as take off the top 1/2 of soil from around the roses and replace it with compost. Then I'll re-mulch and spray the dormant roses with a sulfur-lime/dormant oil spray that kills any spores that are still on the canes. A cold winter doesn't kill the fungal spores. This should end the blackspot plague at in my garden. It should work for you, too!
ReplyDelete