GARDENING Autumn roses steal the show
SPRAYING ESSENTIAL NOW AS FUNGUS DISEASES PROLIFERATE ON LUSH FOLIAGE Retaining good leaves now at the start of autumn ensures flowering into winter.
Rose lovers always look forward to autumn because the rose blooms are at their best in colour and size. It’s all to do with the shorter, cooler days, helped by the good rains in most parts of the country.
The sun is no longer as hot and scorching, and growth slows down in the cooler weather resulting in bigger blooms. Flowers last longer on the bush and in the vase.
The lush foliage is not just the base for better blooms, but also food for insects and fungus disease. Retaining good leaves now at the start of autumn ensures flowering into winter. For most varieties regular spraying now is essential.
The roses that steal the show in autumn are those with blooms in apricot and peach shades, pastels and ‘sunset’ colours, like Beach Girl, Forever Friends and Mara Louw.
We see it again and again on our own roses and in other gardens that a cocktail of Chronos (fungicide) and Ludwig’s Insect Spray (organic) effectively keeps black spot and smaller insects away.
This can be alternated with Rose Protector, which also prevents black spot, as well as rust, and repels the beetles as well. Although it is late in the season the beetles are still active. Most likely it also has to do with climate change.
Read the instructions and follow the recommended dosage.
Use a spray pump with good pressure to distribute the spray more evenly and quickly, at the same time providing a better cover over the leaves or stems. A five-litre or seven-litre pump spray is adequate for medium-sized gardens.
The best times to spray is before 9am or after 5pm. This reduces the impact on pollinators such as butterflies and bees as well as beneficial insects like ladybirds that are more active when it gets hot. Mix enough spray to finish in one day. Once a pesticide or fungicide has been diluted, its efficacy only lasts for a few hours.
Most formulations are suspension concentrates and the prescribed amount should first be pre-mixed with a little water and then added to the spray tank which is filled with water to the desired level.
Shake or agitate the spray tank well after mixing and regularly during spraying to keep everything well mixed. Do not spray too closely to the plant. When the spray nozzle is a little distance away from the plant there is better coverage.
Finish the mixture by re-spraying parts of the garden, rather than emptying the excess down the drain. To clean the empty ap- plicator rinse three times with water and pour the rinsed water onto soil in corner of garden where there is no run-off into storm water drains.
Fertiliser applied a while ago will have dissolved in the rains. One more application now and again in April prevents the roses going into early winter dormancy. Water at least twice a week. Blooms can be cut with long stems, provided the bush is well covered with leaves.
Park Run among the roses every Saturday starting at 8am at Ludwig's Rose Farm, north of Pretoria, just off the N1 North highway to Polokwane. The 5km route goes through and round the rose fields.
Entry is free, but runners must register with Park Run and get a barcode at www.parkrun.co.za.
Visit the Autumn Rose Festival on Wednesday March 21 at the rose farm, picnic among the roses or enjoy refreshments at the Rose Kitchen, hop on the tractor-train ride through the fields and experience the spectacle of thousands of roses in bloom. Entrance is free.
Bring the kids for an Easter Egg hunt from 9am among the roses on Sunday April 1 at the rose farm. Booking is essential.
For further information contact 012-544-0144 or e-mail info@ludwigsroses.co.za or visit www.ludwigsroses.co.za.