Magnificent Spring ... Roses Release
Welcome to magnificent spring when our roses release from their winter slumber and begin to set flowers for us all to enjoy for the next 8-9 months … is it any wonder roses are the most popular flowers in the world?
A giggle to start …
Q: Why did the elephant sit on the marshmallow?
A: So he wouldn’t fall into the hot chocolate!
There are quite a few interesting lessons in the following chain of emails which I would like to share with you all … thanks so much to Cassie for sharing her experiences …
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Hello! Long time reader first time emailer hehe.
I recently purchased the rose treatment you recommended that included mixing three ingredients and spraying it on the roses. Well, I mixed it all up with a great deal of care to make sure the dose was correct, and I waited until early morning to spray, but unfortunately the mix has damaged the roses. Any new growth has wilted almost like it cooked it and now has brown spots or wrinkles. Is this normal? Three weeks later they plants still don’t look like they are bouncing back and those bloody aphids are already back. Sob. Please help.
I have included photos. Thank you so much.
P.S. my children and I love your jokes! Cassie
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My response: "OK … seeing this foliage, I’m wondering whether you absolutely mixed the ‘brew’ well enough .. did you slosh the powders and water well enough? Did you do another slosh once the oil was added?
I always use a couple of buckets to make our brew – powders in the bottom of the bucket, sharp stream of water to dissolve them and then add the oil. After the oil is added, I slosh from one bucket to another – backwards and forwards a few times – more times on a cold morning than when it’s warm and sunny. "
"That solution is then added to the spray tank and sharp jets of water are added to the tank to ensure all products are well dissolved and comprehensively mixed together.
Don’t be concerned about the minor damage on the foliage of your plants! You can even ‘pinch’ it out … where the leaves are a bit singed, leave them because each leaf is photosynthesising and that’s what we want at this time of year to increase flower production.
Can you please send me what you used in quantities just so I’m confident you’ve got this right … thanks – talk soon - Gra"
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Cassie responded: Hi, maybe I didn’t stir it enough then, I gave it a good stir with a stick but I didn’t slosh from one bucket to another. After it was all mixed I added it to a 1 liter spray bottle and did it by hand. I didn’t attach it to my hose via a fertilizer attachment because I was worried that it would dilute the solution further with too much extra water?
Anyway, in a funny twist of fate, last night one of my very naughty sheep broke into my garden and nibbled off all of the damaged foliage haha. Bloody cheeky bugger! So that’s the end of that.
In future I will endeavor to give the mixture a good slosh. My aphids are back already though, is 3 weeks too early to reapply or is there a specific product I can target just for aphids?
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"My response: G’day Cassie .. products were definitely not adequately mixed together! A stick won’t do the trick – once you had the product in a 1 litre spray bottle, you should have vigorously shaken the bottle and then commenced spraying … next time!
Your sheep aren’t stupid … the sheep ate those bits because that’s where all the nutrients were!!! Gone is gone – good!
Ok, so you’ve got aphids which means you’ve probably got very sappy foliage which they simply LOVE … what’s your fertilizer regime? Which product, when and how much/frequently?
When you start your organic garden journey, you may have to close your eyes to potential thugs – once Mother Nature steps in and takes care of things along with the gentle aid of the Eco products, things get sorted … during the transition time, don’t panic unless there’s a radical invasion which seriously damages your garden.
Many years ago, customers gardens at Pyalong/Glenaroua were severely damaged by locusts … interestingly, those gals reported having the most spectacular autumn display due to the ‘pruning’ which the locusts did during that hot summer!
Hope this is helpful. Cheers"
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Cassie responded: We just moved here in January and this is my very first time really properly gardening, anything. But you’re right, the best my roses bush ever did was shortly after my sheep ravaged it completely in February, I thought it was a goner and then weeks later I got 18 of the most amazing roses. I was shocked! Before that it spent a year in Bondi and struggled to produce a single rose. That was of course because I hadn’t discovered Silkies and all your amazing tips and tricks.
In July I planted 30 barefoot roses in an array of varieties, I planted them according to your strict instructions but I am yet to start a fertilizing regime aside from the eco trio. What do you recommend? I don’t have heaps of aphids, some plants have none at all. So I’ll wait it out but should I start fertilizing? The roses went in the ground First week of July.
Thank you again for all of your help.
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There’s a lot of very useful information in the above exchange and we’re now being asked about when to fertilize and what product to use so here’s my recommendation:
If you haven’t already commenced your fertiliser regime, START NOW! Using the finest quality organic fertilizer which is available from your local garden centre if you cannot collect from us here at Clonbinane, apply liberally over the entire soil surface around each rose – usually a good handful is recommended for most products.
It’s good to note here that you’re not just feeding the rose! You’re fertilizing the soil and attending to the needs of soil microbes, worms and the plethora of organisms to ensure your soil stays vibrant and alive to sustain healthy growth and flowering over an extended period of time. Hence the use of organic products and if you have access to composted animal manures, add them as well and then mulch is mandatory as we move into an expected hot summer!
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A giggle for you …
Q: Why won’t peanut butter tell you a secret?
A: Because he’s afraid you’ll spread it.
We always encourage our customers to manage the garden using their intuition by setting ‘head and heart in sync’ meaning that if you think it’s the right time to perform a task, DO IT! If you fear something isn’t right back off and you’re always welcome to email: info@rosesalesonline.com.au
Despite all our best intentions to assist you lovely rose gardeners, our destinations are vastly different – Queensland gardeners have been sending through pictures of magnificent blooms, I can see buds in the photos Cassie sent through (above) yet here at Clonbinane, we’ve just started our winter pruning so many bushes won’t get pruned now until they enjoy a decent summer prune in late February.
Absolutely Last Bundle of Bare-rooted Roses ...
I know it’s spring tomorrow but we have some really special roses which are still in the heel-in beds waiting to be potted so I’m going to sneak this very last bundle special in for those of you who have space for some REAL treasures …
I will add a FREE surprise rose named ‘Silkie Perfume’, a parent of my registered rose, GRA’S BLUE, which received awards for extreme health and fragrance.
‘Silkie Perfume’ has delightful mauve petals with striking red stamens, grows to around 1m tall and wide … truly lovely miniature rose!
The joy of gardening – always different, sometimes challenging, definitely a pleasure when the roses bloom so magnificently – enjoy your spring garden.
