August is time to ‘groom’ roses, not prune them
A garden task often added to August to-do lists is to prune roses. But this time of year, “prune” may not mean what you think it means.
I asked rosarians from the Houston Rose Society about summer pruning, and they all had the same answer: Do not prune — “groom.”
Gaye Hammond, Master Rosarian, clarifies that “pruning” has a specific meaning that typically represents a drastic task; that’s what we do in February in Houston. If that level of pruning is done now, it could have disastrous results.
“What we do is actually grooming,” Hammond says, “Remove dead growth and damaged canes, but do not reduce the overall height of the bushes. A plant needs as much foliage as it can get to make food and draw up water to keep it alive until fall temperatures come down. Cutting live tissue commands the plant to grow and bloom, and at 100 degrees, we do not want that.”
Chilli thrips are another reason not to prune heavily, Hammond says. New growth from pruning creates supple, new food that these pests embrace long after summer. (Remove damaged foliage and blast the bugs off with a hose.)
Suzanne Gilbert, president of the HRS and consulting rosarian, likes to consider her late summer pruning as a shaping haircut. She does not trim any climbers unless they have a misbehaving cane blocking a path. Gilbert assesses each individual bush — old garden roses (those that existed prior to 1867), floribundas and hybrid teas — to determine the cleaning required but keeps it to less than a third of the plant.
Other HRS recommendations during the summer months:
• Ensure supplemen
tal water is applied during times of drought, but do not let water sit on leaves for more than four hours. Roses simply do not like to have their leaves watered, as it increases chances of disease.
• Apply granular fertilizer after grooming, and do this no later than Labor Day. However, be sure it is a light feeding, and water before and after application.
Consulting rosarians, dedicated and knowledgeable members of HRS, are available to answer your rose questions. The Houston Rose Society offers free, monthly meetings. The next one is Sept. 8 and will cover the topic “Chemical Safety: It’s Everybody’s Business.” Membership cost is as low as $15 per year, with access to additional online resources, past meetings and a monthly newsletter. For more information: houstonrose.org
The season for take-all root rot
Over an eight-week period, my lawn has deteriorated. The lawn is watered every two to three days in 20-minute sessions. No bugs appeared as the soil was turned over. Sod webworm moths were not present. A local pest control company was puzzled. What is happening?
Paul Winski, horticulture agent for Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension, says it is the time of year for take-all root rot, and evidence in my yard points to that. This fungal disease starts as an irregular brown patch and grows larger as it spreads. The absence of insects and the fact that the roots do not just peel up (you have to use a tool to dig) leads Winski to this probable diagnosis.
Take-all root rot increases with stress, and turf kept too wet creates an ideal environment for the disease.
When watering your lawn, it is not the frequency that is important but the total amount of water per week that is applied. Develop a watering plan according to that. It could be possible that you are overwatering.
A catch can test will help determine how much water is being applied. Catch cans, like empty tuna cans, are placed strategically in the yard to measure the amount (and evenness) of water being applied. To determine how much water your turf needs, utilize the Water My Yard program at watermyyard.org.
It appears that grass is starting to grow back, so it could come back on its own in time.
For more information on take-all root rot, look-alike turf problems and fungicide, visit aggieturf.tamu.edu.