Roses love food, water and mulch

What a year it’s been so far. In most areas, gardeners had to work in a pruning schedule between weather spurts. Even with late pruning many gardeners are or are about to have their first flush of blooms. Climate change is influencing the weather and effecting the usual pruning schedule. The erratic temperatures also have a bearing on the growth of the plants. Periods of heat encouraged vegetative growth and bud formation with possibly shorter stems even though cool rains kept the soil cool.

If gardeners want the fullest blooms possible, supply plenty of water to the plants, don’t flood them though. For larger blooms apply greater amounts of water when buds begin to swell and show color. But pay attention to the drainage of the soil - roses like plenty of water but they don’t respond well to soggy soil.

Roses love food, preferably good quality food and regularly provided food. Not all fertilizers include all the micronutrients and macronutrients needed, so read the label on the packaging. Alternating the major fertilizer with fish emulsion every two weeks will help provide some of the micronutrients. Continue fertilizing. As I always say, organics are much better for the soil and ultimately for the garden and the environment. Adding 1 cup of Epsom salt, magnesium sulfate, around the large-size plants and 1/2 cup for smaller plants in the spring and again in the fall can assist in getting new basal breaks, new canes.

The soil does need a supply of organic material such as hummus incorporated into the depths. That supply isn't easily accomplished in established gardens; however, adding a 3-4 inches of a good composted mulch over the entire garden, leaving a 12-inch circle open around base of each bush will go a long way to enriching the soil overall because earthworms help transport that mulch down into the soil where the microbiology is complex and multi-tiered.

A healthy garden soil system is teeming with beneficial microbes that inhibit, compete with and consume disease-causing organisms. This system creates a sustainable soil “immune system.” In fact, plants grown with organic fertilizers are themselves more resistant to pests and diseases. In addition, when gardeners feed those beneficial organisms, they feed the roses in turn. That’s because they are busy breaking down organic matter and releasing mineral nutrients slowly and reliably. I've recently learned that extra phosphate in fertilizer is most important in assisting in creating a soil environment that aids immensely in helping plants to be resistant to pest and diseases. Also helping plants to develop hardier root systems and larger blooms.

Many gardeners become discouraged when they first experiment with organic treatments while still using chemical fertilizers. It is difficult - in fact, it’s almost impossible - to have it both ways. Chemical fertilizers negatively impact the soil food web by poisoning entire portions of it. The fact is, chemical fertilizers are salts. What gardener hasn’t seen what table salt does to a slug or snail? Salts absorb water and dehydrates the soil microbes which are the foundation of the soil nutrient system.

Once a gardener has used chemical fertilizers regularly, they must keep adding more because the soil microbiology is weakened and is unable to do its job of releasing naturally available nutrients to plants. Rains help to leach accumulated soil salts from the soil, provided there is sufficient good drainage. Organic fertilizers and amendments such as manure, compost or mulch break down slowly, generally staying where they are put and don't contribute to groundwater pollution as long as run off is prevented from going into the drains. In addition, they improve the soil food web, so in the long run, a gardener ends up using less product.

Chemical fertilizers are artificial growth stimulants. In the long run, they harm the soil and pollute local waterways because as dissolved salts they quickly leach through the soil becoming unavailable to plants and entering the groundwater. How about swearing off chemical fertilizers for the rest of the year and starting to use organics? Give it a year. See if the roses aren’t rewarded. Fish emulsion is also a good amendment to apply either foliarly or onto the soil around each bush.

It may be that there have been some blooms already. Keep spent blooms cut away. Cut the cane back to a outward facing bud at a 3-5 leaflet leaf for new growth. Air circulation is important to help prevent fungi diseases. The small spurs growing inside the bush can easily be finger prune to keep the center of the bush free of extraneous growth. Giving the bush an early morning shower to rinse off the leaves may help to avoid powdery mildew. Do this early enough that the leaves will dry before hot sun.

It is possible that with nighttime dew a disease called botrytis can appear on the blooms, especially on blooms with 40 petals. Remove these as soon as disease is noticed. Even with great observations and preventive methods, fungi may become a problem, and chemical treatment may be needed to keep disease at bay. Make sure to deep water. An extended slow watering is more beneficial than a frequently short application.

For more ideas, visit the Temecula Valley Rose Society’s Rose Haven garden at 30592 Jedediah Smith Road, in Temecula, as well as http://www.TemeculaValleyRoseSociety.org/index.shtml. Spread the joy of roses.