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Q: Climbing Rose Questions

I have just bought a climbing rose called Danse du feu. I have planted it in an old chimney pot which is 18" tall and 9" in diameter. This is sitting on a 4" layer of gravel under which is concrete. I am training it onto a wicker climbing frame. Any suggestion on how and when to prune? 

A:

Although pot growing roses can be successful, the eventual size of the bush is limited by the size of the root system. Not a problem with smaller bush roses but due to the length of the canes of climbers this can limit their growth and flowering. When digging up a well established bush, the thick roots you see are mostly anchor roots. The tiny feeder roots that supply nutrients and moisture to the plant normally are easily broken off and left in the soil. A good root system will be as large as the top growth. Providing a larger pot will fix the problem in the short run but overall the plant will not achieve it's full potential. As the pot fills with roots a dilute fertilizer should be supplied each time it's watered. Notice I said "dilute", not full strength? Manure tea would also work. I'd not plant a climber in anything smaller than a half barrel or a large tree pot. Climbing rose Danse du feu, also known as Spectacular. My sources show it to be a vigorous grower which means it will be severely stunted in the pot unless it is supplied with frequent fertilizings and waterings.

It's not recommended to prune Climbers until after the first spring bloom. Your bush is listed as "recurrent blooms", which means it will have a spectacular first bloom and a smattering of flowers throughout the growing season with a possible fall bloom that will not match the spring's.  Most climbers in this catagory will set blooms in the fall and blooms best on old wood from the previous year.  Pruning in spring removes those blooms. Because it's recurrent, it will also produce a few blooms from new growth, but not many. You may remove damaged or dead cane tips in the spring but any other pruning should be done after the spring bloom. Over a period of years older canes will produce fewer flowers. This can be remedied by removing those old canes. This promotes new growth which will supply more flowers and will keep your bush vigorous.

To train it onto a wicker climbing frame, tie the canes to the frame with soft ties or cord. Weaving them in the frame can make it hard to remove dead and damaged canes and also cause a problem if you wish to move the bush. If you live in a cold winter climate, some winter protection may be required to protect the canes or they may die back each winter. Wrapping the trellis and exposed canes with burlap may work as would removing the canes from the trellis each fall, laying them on the ground and covering them with leaves, soil or wood shavings.

To prevent fungus diseases like blackspot, you should spray every week or 10 days with a fungicide such as Fertilome's Liquid Systemic Fungicide, Ortho's Funginex or other product labeled for roses.

I don't spray insecticides. Insects don't eat that much and, unless you are a prefect leaf freak or exhibitor, a few holes in the blooms or leaves don't hurt anything. Insecticide spraying will kill many beneficial insects which if left alone will naturally control harmful ones. If done, it should only be done to destroy existing insects and not as a preventative.

Hope this helps.

Q: Spray Schedule in Zone 5

Your regimen per May tips is 2 applications of Funginex and one  application of Daconil. Spray every 7days? Every 10 days? You state throughout growing season - but I am not sure as to how often. You also use Mancozeb, Banner Maxx, and Compass. Are these brand names of  Funginex? Daconil? Thank you for your site - enjoy reading and receiving those tips. Started growing  roses 6 years ago. My first rose was Nearly Wild. Her beauty with very little care got me started. Now have more than 60 roses. This will be first year spraying. Biggest problem id Japanese beetles. Some days cannot even see flower - there are so many. Some blackspots. Have a variety - floribundas, HT, Buck's, Austin's, Rugosa, hybrid musks, and Canadian. This year adding OGR's. I live in zone 5 - south of Chicago, Town of Mokena,

Sandra.

A:

I do not advocate spraying for insects as the insecticides are very toxic and do not differentiate between  beneficial insects and the bad ones. Spraying insecticides kills both and I believe in the balance of nature. I also don't grow roses to exhibit and don't have a perfect leaf phobia so I can live with a few  damaged leaves and blooms.

Now, Japanese beetles are a different problem! Living with them means no blooms for at least a month.  That's what I do, I let them have my roses for the month of July. I live in the country surrounded by soy bean fields which are the beetle's favorite food after roses. Even if I sprayed I'd be fighting a loosing  battle as they would fly in from the fields.

If you choose to spray for the Japanese beetles, I recommend filling a spray bottle with Sevin and just spritzing the blooms. This needs to be done almost daily because as the bloom opens new unsprayed petals are exposed.

Banner Maxx and the others are different kinds of chemicals. Banner Maxx and Compass need to be sprayed less frequently but are much more expensive. Mancozeb will stop blackspot in it's tracks so I mix that with the others after I already have blackspot present. The others are preventatives and regularly spraying every 7-10 days or as recommended on the label and doing so from leaf out in spring to the first hard frost in fall will prevent most fungus diseases. I do recommend preventative spraying for fungus.  Keeping your roses healthy all growing season will help them survive a hard winter. If they go into winter  stressed from disease they'll be more apt to die through the winter.

You got started like I did. Be careful, roses can become an obsession. I live in Wheatfield, Indiana which is due east of Kankakee. If you'd like to drive by this spring I can give you some hands on pruning tips  and answer other questions. I also have goatskin gloves, Mills Magic Rose Mix, Alfalfa meal and other organic products which I purchase in quantity and pass the cost savings on to others.

For instance, Goatskin Gauntlet rose gloves usually sell for $19 to $29. I have them for $10. If you are looking for Felco Pruners, let me know as I'm going to a trade show tomorrow and can get them at  substantial savings. Felco #2 for less than $30. Last year they were $25. You are not far from Homewood where there is the Sauk Trail Rose Society that meets the first Tuesday of each month. A great way to meet fellow rosenuts and learn things about roses. If you want me to pick something up for you give me a call this evening at 219-956-3936. We have Privacy ID on our phone so if you get a message, you'll need to enter the last four digits of our phone number as soon as you get the message regarding the Privacy ID. Don't hesitate to e-mail with any questions.

Oh yeah, I also grow roses for sale in May and June. I start them in pots in my greenhouse in late  February. Will have some hardy Explorer and Buck roses also.
 

Q: Why standard (tree) roses do not do well in cold growing zones

A:

The problem with standards is not the hardiness of the rose. It's the exposure of the bud union to the below freezing temperatures in cold growing zones. That plus the fact there are two bud unions on all but  J&P standards. J&P has succeeded in developing a standard rootstock that only requires the top bud union  but unfortunately that's the one that's most susceptible to freezing and hardest to protect. The bud union on all roses joins two slightly dissimilar tissues. A thin moisture film can form between these tissues. If not protected, a hard freeze can cause this bond to separate thus cutting off moisture and nutrients to the top and killing the bush. A hardy bud union will have to be developed to prevent this.

Q: How do you prepare a rose bed?

A:  

I like to cover the area with black plastic over winter. The following summer, I remove the plastic  exposing a weed free spot of ground with no grass roots to fight. I then put a six inch deep pile of horse  manure over the bare soil plus grass clippings, leaves, and compost and rototil it in, add more manure  and let it set over winter. Early spring, more manure, perlite if it's clay, alfalfa meal, plus anything a  soil test tells me might be needed. I then rototil it again but not too fine, and plant the roses. All you need to add after that is Mill's Magic occasionally and top dress with manure each fall. Making a rose  bed is a year long job, not something to do in a few days. Once you have the soil right, the roses take  care of themselves. You can always tell if you've done it right by the number of earth worms you have in  your soil.

Q: Yellowing leaves problem 

Can you please help me diagnose the problem with my roses. The leaves are yellow. I have three bushes of roses in my front yard and all three of them show the same symptoms. Please tell me what's wrong with it. Thank you.

A: 
Yellow leaves are symptomatic of many things and nothing. Sometimes the leaves get old, lose their green pigment, turn yellow, and fall off. Or, spider mites can do the same thing especially on the lower leaves  in hot dry weather. Turn a leaf over and look at the underside. If you see tiny specks that move you have  spider mites. A strong stream from a water wand under the leaves daily for a week will break their  breeding cycle. Too much water, or not enough water will turn them yellow also as will start having  blackspots. Without seeing them it's hard to diagnose the problem. 

Q: Mr. Lincoln losing leaves:

Good morning, I have a problem with my Mr. Lincoln rose dropping all it's leaves. Three years ago it was beautiful with several blooms. Last year I started having black spot & mildew disease so I started using fungicide and have always used proper fertilization but as of now I have three healthy looking stems & no leaves. I sure hate to lose this beautiful plant and I'm open to suggestions. I thank you for your time and wish you a pleasant day.

A: Leaf loss is typically due to blackspot, too much water, not enough water,  spider mites, or too much heat. Spraying for blackspot is not a one time thing. You must start a regular schedule with what ever fungicide you use, starting at leafout in the spring and continuing until the first hard frost in the fall. Spider mites can cause leaf loss on the lower part of the bush. Check for small spots on the underside of the leaves. Watch them and if they move they are spider mites. They usually appear during hot dry weather.  Washing the underside of the leaves daily with a strong flow of water from  a water wand for a week will usually knock them off and interrupt their reproductive cycle. Then you can spray under the leaves each time you spray your fungicide to control them.

Original message from ARS Cyber Consulting Rosarian Committee

Q: Fall Pruning

I know it's really early for this question yet, but I have no idea what to do when fall comes. My 2 Lincolns are my first roses. I need someone to guide me through the steps of pruning. If pictures are needed, let me know, and I'll post a few. I also don't quite know what tools I need, nor preparations for the later fall. I don't have very much money to spend, so I need the simplest methods. Thanks ahead of time for any help. You guys have all been so good to help me with my Lincolns over the past few months. Thanks so much for all of your time :)

A: 
You really don't need to prune in the fall. I the bushes are higher than 3-4 feet you can cut the back to that height with a pair of hedge shears. Just tie the canes together so they don't whip in the wind then hill up 10-12 inches of soil, mulch or wood shavings over the bottom of the bush. A ring of chicken wire filled with shredded oak leaves will also work as will bags of leaves packed around the base of the bush. The latter is easier to pick up next spring. None of these should be applied until after the soil freezes.

Q: Winterizing Potted Roses

How do I protect my roses in pots? I planted them this year. I have 8 potted and two hanging (green ice and sweet chariot). Do I use leaves that are raked in the fall or use pine bark mulch? For better drainage I have the big pots on two bricks. So there are chances that they might get frozen here in NJ. The roses on the ground do come back every year. But this is the first time I have roses in pots.

A: 
I've buried them with excellent success. A ring of wire around the pots then filled with oak leaves also works well. Make sure the ring is large enough to put leaves on the outward side of the pots so they are completely covered and surrounded with them. Or place them in an unheated garage or shed away from light or a window remembering to water occasionally.

Q: Japanese Beatles Question

It's almost August. I have not seen one Japanese Beetle in my yard in north central Ohio. I don't keep a garden diary so I can't check the dates they normally arrive. I tried to search this forum because I know I posted their arrival last year but I couldn't find that thread. Did they move out of Ohio?? (YES!!!)

A: 
Droughts not the reason. The cold winter plus all the rain we've had has destroyed many of the grubs. If we have a normal winter, they'll be back with a vengeance next year. They don't part they have an Orgy.

Q: Need Help with an Empty Bed

So this is my second post today....lol... There's a lot I want to do with the yard and lately my mind is just constantly clicking with new ideas, etc. I have a great start so far - just want to expand on it all.

I have a pergola off the deck in the back - behind this area is a garden bed. I currently have petunias and snapdragons there - but only perennials I have in the bed right now are bellflowers and mums. (2 each on either side) -- there is a cedar tree planted in the middle as well. I'm planning on relocating the bellflowers to a new bed I'm putting in this fall so those will be gone from here. I thought about putting some roses in here -- but I think I'm going to have to move that cedar tree.

A: 
Dear, I'd love to help you fill that empty bed but my wife says "No Way!"

That Cedar tree is not a problem now but will be in the future. Best to move it while it's small so move it now. Do you want roses you'll need to fuss with and winter protect, or something bushy, hardy and carefree. You will not have as many choices for the later as someone from the south, but there are many available.

Q: Blackspots

We have removed all of the old mulch and replaced it with fresh straw, but Blackspots persist.

A: 
I would have worked the old mulch into the soil and replaced it with new. I don't care for the look of straw as a mulch. Any organic material worked into the soil can do nothing but improve it. Don't throw away such a valuable resource.

Q: Blackspots-2

My roses have a terrible case of black spot.  I have taken Jerry Bakers advice and painted every leaf with a tomato leaf, onion and rubbing alcohol brew.  This has seemed to help some.  But, I still have black spots. I have already cut two bushes back due to all of the leaves falling off. 

Last summer my roses were beautiful I sprayed them regularly and never had this problem. Now this summer with a new baby they have been a little neglected. Thank you