May and June might be slower times in the garden with plants and weeds in a more dormant state, but its this dormancy that can make gardening a busy time still.
Over the next few weeks many of the dormant or semi-dormant plants become available in garden centres.
This includes; roses, strawberries, lillies, garlic, shallots, fruit trees and deciduous ornamentals. Some of these will already be available and others will quickly follow.
We will look at a number of these over the next few weeks starting this week with roses.
Roses would be the most popular garden plant in New Zealand with most gardens havin one or many specimens growing as bush, standard or climbers.
For some gardeners they are the only feature plants that are really well cared for.
It is because of all this attention to roses, that gardeners endeavour to have them looking perfect, well shaped, lots of buds and flowers with no blemishes on the foliage.
You can have perfect or near perfect roses if you work with nature rather than against it.
Natural products will promote healthy roses, chemical products designed as rescue remedies or rose foods, will remove the natural balances and cause both insect pests and diseases to run wild.
In the spring when the new season’s growths appear they are perfect and will remain so with a little help from a number of natural, health promoting products.
If on the other hand we apply rose fertilisers or Nitrophoska Blue we knock back the vital soil life (micro organisms and worms) because of these product’s acidity.
If we then apply chemical rose sprays, we damage the natural immune systems of the plants, causing greater problems, as well as further harming the soil life.
Our poor roses become targets for both insect pests and diseases as these are the cleaners of nature, taking out the weak plants.
Roses are not easily killed but will remain sickly looking for the rest of the season.
To have really healthy roses (or any plant for that matter) you need to supply all the minerals and elements that the plant needs, feed the soil life and the micro organisms that live on and inside the plants, control any insect pests that sap the vitality, ensure they have ample moisture and a suitable sunny spot to grow in.
Do this and you will have great roses that everyone will admire. See Below for a program.
With new roses it is very important that the roots never become dry. There is a great danger that roses purchased from chain stores that only have their roots wrapped, will dry out in the controlled atmosphere of these stores.
The roses may have died as a result before you buy them.
There is enough sap in the trunk and the branches to actually have them leaf up in the spring but as the roots are dead nothing to sustain that growth.
Unfortunately some gardeners will think its their fault the rose came to life and then died and blame themselves. No, they purchased a dead rose same applies to bare rooted trees also.
What to do with your existing roses? Cut all bush and standard roses back to half and remove any dead wood and spindly canes. Then spray either with potassium permanganate or Wallys Liquid Copper.
Leave till about end of July and then do your proper pruning and spray the wounds with Liquid Copper as you go.
Don’t prune or cut on damp cool days as this can let Silver Leaf disease into the rose. Pick a warm sunny day when the air is drier.
In the spring place Wallys Unlocking your Soil, Ocean Solids, sheep manure pellets etc, on top of the soil around the base of the rose and cover with a good compost.
Use the natural sprays and products. A good program would be, Every week or two spray the roses with Wallys Magic Botanic Liquid with Mycorrcin added. Once a month add to this spray Wallys Perkfection for roses.
I think you will be amazed at the results and also there is a good chance that some roses that appear not to have a perfume will do so with that spray programme.
If aphids attack the new leaves and buds spray just before dusk with Wallys Super Pyrethrum.
If you avoid the use of any chemical fertilisers and sprays as well as any chemical herbicides, anywhere near the roses and follow the above natural program, the health of the roses should greatly benefit and you too will be healthier for not using the chemicals.
Ooooo
The concerning news this week is that the Govt is going to allow more Glyphosate (like Roundup) used on commercially grown food by increasing the allowed levels of the chemical NZFS tests for.
On the MPI web site I found the following:
Since 2014, we’ve done several tests for glyphosate residue in food:
- Processed fresh milk and cream from retails – no residues detected (2014/15)
- Raw milk – no glyphosate residues detected (2014/15)
- Pea crops – no glyphosate residues detected (2015/16)
- Wheat crops – no health or food safety concern detected with present glyphosate levels (2015/16)
- Honey – no health or food safety concern detected with present glyphosate levels (2017/18, and 2018/19)
Not only are these residue tests 9 to 10 years out of date but note the both wheat (your bread) and honey were found but its alright they say? No health or food safety concern?
I would ask does that include babies as well as all age groups?
There are ample studies overseas that show harmful health concerns with glyphosate!
I for the life of me cannot understand their reasoning as NZ already has a health crises and the Govt appears to be doing things to make that even worse?
I would question if they are either imbeciles or on the take?
Image credit: Reanimated Man X
