Thursday 4th June, 2015
Hi
Idle chatter, inane Chit chat but talking smack ????
I had never heard the expression 'talking smack' before, other than having heard the word "smack" as some kind of illicit substance. I did look for clarification and was told by the young one potting on the bench beside me that it meant chatting about .... well nothing in particular. The kind of chatter one does when doing such a job. I have to say that there is a fair bit of chit chat as the team unpacks all the roses, ties on the pretty colour label and then scans them into the system. I can't let any secrets out of the bag here but I can say that perhaps coming to work in a potting shed with a flash new hairdo on those wet shabby days that we had at the beginning of the week isn't the best for the hairdo. I can't repeat here what was said but I bet you all can guess. A new grandson was born and lucky enough to be called Harry which did cause quite some reactions maybe even concern but hey all in a busy week.
Its a big job and we are in week two and right into the modern roses namely the Floribundas and Hybrid teas and made it up to the letter "L" last night and with most of the "M"s unpacked. Here hoping that we will nail most of these all today and then the next batch will arrive next week.
I often get asked what the difference is and
Floribundas could be called cluster flowers as they often carry many flowers per stem, whereas a
Hybrid tea is thought to have one flower per stem. Now its worth mentioning that with todays breeding and crossing of roses that some actually exhibit characteristics of both Floribundas and
Hybrid Teas.
Hybrid teas are often associated as being picking roses and I guess the reason for that is they often have more petals than Floribunda roses. More petals means the flower doesn't open or blow out as quickly as a flower that has less petals but hey I reckon all look stunning in a vase inside. The aging of the flowers in a vase can also happen more quickly if the room is extra warm.
With that bit of knowledge F
loribundas are sometime more showy or spectacular in the garden as they can be quite profuse in their flowering.. Classic examples of Floribundas that all would know are the Iceberg roses. Not only is there the original white form but also Burgundy, Brilliant pink and Blushing pink and all are awesome garden roses. Great for picking too as you can put a mass in a vase and it will look just fabulous with so little effort.
What to be doing with those roses
My guess is that your roses should all be starting look a little Winter worn with that last frost that we had the other week and its probably time to be sorting out that winter spray clean up program.
Lime sulphur is probably the best one of the
sprays to use and a couple of these should really sort out those overwintering fungal spores and pest insect eggs. Lime sulphur does have that strong smell not too dissimilar to someone with a bad case of flatulence. Using Lime sulphur will quickly force the leaves off your roses but be warned that it will stain painted surfaces and burn other plants leaves.
Now the other option is to use a form of copper and oil that you like and I would recommend that you do at least three applications of these two over the next month or so. Copper comes in a few forms these days from powdered copper oxychloride to flowable copper to Copper sulphate but I'm sure that they all will do the same job but the flowable coppers are easier to mix with water.
Oils are either Conqueror or Neem oil and they can be mixed to the same tank that you have the copper in. Now the method is to add some water to the bottom of your spray tank, mix your copper in some water and then add to the tank. Fill the tank some more and mix the spraying oil with some water and then add to your tank. Complete filling your spray tank and agitate the two togather. There is some information about spraying roses and also pruning roses under
How to on the web site. Follow the link and check it out.
The last point is to remember that lime sulphur is incompatible with copper so if you are someone that likes to start with lime sulphur and then finish with several coppers then let a couple of weeks elapse between the two different spray compounds.
In a warm climate like the Waikato its best not to prune until the last minute. Even though we get frosts here they are often followed by quite warm spell so if we prune too early it will often stimulate the rose into thinking that Spring has arrived and the need to grow. My advice is to get your winter spraying done from now on and then late July aim to get the pruning done. It must be completed though by early August or prior to leaf burst Unless of course we get weeks of frosts and low temperature and the roses when pruned wont regrow until the correct time in the spring.
What
pruning tools to use, well really sharp secateurs are a must and we do stock a range in the garden centre that we use ourselves....
ARS and no we didn't choose them for the name though one of my team once came up with the acronym "Always really sharp". These are just great to use though I do suggest that you look after them. A spray with CRC oil to keep then oiled and free and clean after use with some meths which will remove any sap build up.
A little pruning saw or even lopers are quite handy for those larger branches. I just love my ARS pruning saw as its really super sharp and I and get through some quite large branches with it. Truth be known that I should be cutting such large pieces with it But hey, don't we all..!
A handy tip to remember with those old rose bushes is to have a wire brush handy to rub the old crown and remove the old tissue.. you will be amazed at the new buds that may appear in the spring. Bit like exfoliating our old skin LOL.
Don't forget the
gloves, if you are planning on pruning roses, you will need these as we do with the potting. I like the red back kind but the showa ones have thicker rubber which may help with the thorns a bit better or if you have thin skin then check out the ones that have a gauntlet arm.
It must be Fielddays week here in the Waikato next week as we have farming friends coming over to stay from the Naki which will be a fun catch up.
Today will be a potting day and then its a couple of rest days and then another full on week of potting again.
The weekend is looking fine and its out to get the washing done for the week as I imagine many are doing so as well. If you are out there in the garden or enjoying the kids playing winter sports and other activities its always much nicer when its fine so take the moment and enjoy.
Have a great weekend
Cheers
Lloyd, Harry and the Wairere Team
Make it a Wairere weekend where even
GNOMES know that gardening's not a drag
