ROSE RAMBLER … 5.5.2016 …

Hello dear rose friends … following is an extract from Ludwig Teschner’s newsletter ‘Talking Roses’ in South Africa:

SCALE INSECTS ON ROSES …

The one problem that really became evident this season was infestation by scale insects. No doubt this was due to the hot and dry summer. Scale insects, just like spider mites bide their time on the lower part of the bushes, puncturing into the phloem tubes for food. Female scales can live up to a year.

These phloem tubes carry sugar, amino acids, hormones and other organic nutrients made by the leaves to the rest of the plant and for storage to roots or bulbs.

During periods of drought, when there is not enough water being transported by the xylem to the leaves, the sap becomes much more concentrated in sugar and is sweeter which is just what the pests like. To them, that is a signal to multiply by laying eggs.

Whereas red spider starts off on the lower leaves, scale insects are on the bark of the stem. The mother provides a protective scale for the little ones that hatch from the eggs within days and crawl out to do their own puncturing, scale building and egg laying. They will even lay over the scale of the mother as can be seen on the image. Eventually, with no more space available and little food they move up the stem.

The same principle applies to the Australian bug also known as cottony cushion or fluted scale. The female has a large fluted white egg sac attached which contains many bright red eggs. The young are extremely active, tiny crawlers. They can be seen on the image below.

How to control them? Heavily infected stems that seem to be dying anyway are best cut out of the bush and removed. Insecticide sprays are only effective on the crawlers before they have made their scale or wooly sac. The protected mothers are able to carry on laying eggs.

GRA’S GARBLE …

This is what you do to control scale which can infest ALL plants – most especially potted plants after a few seasons in the same potting medium!

Spraying with ECO-OIL has a suffocating action and should be applied every 5-7 days – at least three applications should stop the scale from breeding. Adding ECO-NEEM to the spray if there is a significant infestation will hasten the process of control – insects ingest the ECO-NEEM and it basically tells them to stop eating!  The unprotected crawlers will die as well.

During winter when we repot roses into new potting mix we usually see scale and we have used a toothbrush and ECO-OIL to remove them; I frequently use this method to keep the chooks legs clean of lice!

HOWEVER, for roses in the ground which show signs of scale infestation, it will not stop the next invasion if the sap flow in the phloem is not improved. This can only happen by getting more water to the roots of the roses and to provide a well aerated environment for the roots to become more active.  Regular applications of seaweed solution will improve the general health of affected roses too!

Since winter pruning is almost around the corner, many infected stems will be cut off – these should be burned, definitely NOT composted!

All this has been rather lengthy, but once you know what insect you’re dealing with it is easier to do something about it and since you’ll be gearing up to repot anytime soon, this advice is timely.

Q.  What comes from the desert and shouts “BUM”?  A.  Crude oil.

PERFUME AND ROSES …

“THE SWEET PERFUME REMAINS IN THE HAND OF THE ONE WHO GIVES A ROSE”
Roses are really a whole lot about their PERFUME which is surely the unique quality which makes them the most popular flower in the world.  Highly sought after MYRHH fragrance is harvested from roses grown in Bulgaria most especially for the cosmetic industry and you will find that exact fragrance in many modern roses where, if you trace their breeding history, you will find their parents amongst the oldest roses on the earth … here are a few of my most favourite, highly fragrant roses:

ST. CECILIA
Plump buds open a cup of richly fragrant petals – pale pink with just a hint of apricot blooms constantly on a tall healthy shrub …

GOLDEN CELEBRATION
Very deeply cupped blooms of rich golden yellow with fragrance combination of tea, sauterne wine and strawberries – yes, fruity – on a large shrub / climber which flowers from season start to end and all the way between – awesome rose!

FATHER’S LOVE
A swirling mass of sensationally fragrant cerise/crimson blooms are produced continually on a healthy, rounded shrub and stand up well in a vase …

ALL the above roses MUST NOW BE ORDERED as BARE-ROOTED ROSES for WINTER – Get your orders in NOW at www.rosesalesonline.com.au

Q.  Why was the Egyptian girl worried?  A.  Because her Daddy was a Mummy

We’ve had magnificent rain here at Clonbinane and hope it was shared evenly around the country so that you can start preparing your garden beds for new winter roses – I’ll be talking about that next week … Gra

MOTHER’S DAY THIS SUNDAY …

If you want to gift your Mum roses on this special day, can I suggest you place a GIFT VOUCHER ORDER to whatever value so Mum can order her own selection of roses for planting soon …