Ludwig’s rose corner
Ludwig Taschner offers advice on coping with thrips.
Q: Last year, so many of the new shoots that sprouted on my ‘Graaff-Reinet’ roses had small, curled leaves. The flowers, if they opened, were also stunted and deformed. I sprayed but nothing seemed to help. Is this caused by an insect or a virus?
It is a tiny insect called thrips that has become a serious problem countrywide. The tiny larvae hide under the leaves where it is hard to reach them with ordinary spraying. The most effective solution is to apply Koinor, a long-lasting systemic soil drench. August is the best time to do this and it should be effective for about six months before it needs to be re-applied. Make sure to follow the dosage instructions on the accompanying pamphlet.
Q: I have a large ‘Artista Panarosa’ shrub rose that only seems to flower at the end of the stems. I haven’t pruned it yet because I don’t know what to do with it; do you have any advice for me?
This variety responds well to pruning or trimming and flowers well afterwards. Alternatively, you can try ‘bowering’ the rose; this will make a feature of it and encourage flowers all the way along the stems. Here’s how: knock pegs into the ground all around the rose bush; take the long canes and tie the end of each cane to a peg. Instead of growing upwards, the canes will grow more horizontally and activate the eyes all along the stem, which then develop into new flowering shoots.