SUMMER ROSE CARE IN NORTH ALABAMA
By DAVID E. CLEMONS

The long, hot summer months always tempt us to give in to the heat and spend less time in the rose garden. However, to paraphrase an old rose saying, we must not forget that "God grows roses in the spring. It is up to us to grow them the rest of the year." The effort and care that you give to your roses at this time will be critical for future bloom cycles in the summer and into the fall months.

Your top priority will definitely be to water your roses on a regular basis. Natural rainfall will come in sporadic episodes that will never be sufficient for optimum growth. A deep watering several times a week will give your roses this most important requirement. Over watering will not become an issue as long as you have proper drainage. Many have found that wetting down the foliage during the hottest part of the day can be beneficial as long as it has time to dry off by days end. This practice should not lead to fungal problems if you are following your weekly spray program. Spraying water beneath the foliage will even dislodge spider mites that could become a real problem during the summer.

Growing roses in raised beds has become almost a necessity in north Alabama in an attempt to overcome the extreme clay soil conditions. The combination of amended soil and raised beds allows for more frequent watering and gives us the needed drainage that clay soil will not allow. My wife Tammy and I grow all types of roses in our Grant, Alabama garden, but seem to focus more on exhibition hybrid teas and miniatures. Raised beds have proven to be the best way to grow these roses in our area. Our success as exhibitors in horticulture and arrangements is greatly due to growing roses in this manner.

The weather, always unpredictable in the spring, will start to settle down to a steady succession of days filled with heat and humidity. The once blooming Old Garden roses are a distant memory and the hybrid tea blooms start to resemble miniatures. Conditions are starting to become just right for outbreaks of spider mites and blackspot. Yet summer is never here until I see that first Japanese beetle. Only then do I realize that God has officially turned things over to me. I can run and hide or make a stand. I never think long before my love for roses motivates me into action.

While many focus on the blooms throughout the year, I generally focus on blooms during the show seasons of the spring and fall while focusing more on the foliage and stature of the rose bush during the summer. Make sure that you continue to give your roses plenty of organics during the summer. Your soil structure will only continue to improve as those hungry microbes break down the products that make your roses grow.

I have found that it imperative to maintain as much foliage as possible during the summer prior to pruning for the fall shows. The amount of foliage remaining on the plant after pruning for a show will relate directly to the length of stem and quality of blooms obtained. It is for this reason that I put all my energy and effort into a quality spray program.

Fungal diseases such as blackspot and powdery mildew are a constant threat in north Alabama rose gardens. Prevention is always better than the cure. Make sure you follow the spray program that works for you. If it is not working then you may need to change spray material or it's frequency. I have chosen to use FUNGINEX/MANZATE one week followed by BANNER MAXX the next. This seems to give me the protection I need against fungal diseases. If I start to see a problem I go to a three-day schedule of FUNGINEX/MANZATE until it is under control.

I would be very interested to hear from those using the new fungicide COMPASS in their spray program. COMPASS' active ingredient is trifloxystrobin and comes as a 50% wetable powder. Although expensive, it requires small amounts and even performs well in wet conditions as the product becomes redistributed over the leaf surface. It penetrates the plant surface and binds tightly making it very weather resistant. Many have stated that BANNER MAXX alternated with COMPASS will prove to be the best spray program yet.

Rose Pests such as aphids, spider mites, and thrips are always a problem during the summer. I deal with spider mites preventively with AVID and strong bursts of water to the underside of foliage with a water wand. Again, a new product called HEXYGON has come on the market to combat spider mites. HEXYGON is a miticide/ovicide and might be useful if you see any spider mite resistance to AVID. Aphids and thrips get a mouthful of ORTHENE and/or MALATHION should they become a problem. You won't have to look long for a new product here either. MERIT 75W might be the answer to combating aphids as well as thrips, which can really do a number on light colored blooms. It has imidacloprid, a systemic, as the active ingredient. Again, initial expense, but overall cheaper than ORTHENE.

The bottom line comes down to using what works best for you and be ready should you need to try something else. As you have heard so many times before, an integrated pest control program works best.

It was one early summer day as I was walking around the rose beds that I noticed an intruder. Small and emerald green creatures were all over the blooms and they were eating them like there was no tomorrow. Little did I know, but those beautiful blooms of Pristine were actually dinner bells ringing come and get it!!!! This would be my introduction to the destructive rose predator called the Japanese Beetle. Further investigation led me not only to the realization of what this beetle was but also that not everyone in my area who grew roses had to deal with them. It now seems that members living south of Huntsville have more beetles than members living directly in Huntsville do. I just needed to know how to deal with them.

At first, my kids and I would venture out into the garden in the late afternoon and simply knock them into a can of water. Touching them made them fall reflexively straight down into the water. The kids enjoyed this until there was so many that we could no longer remove them all. I actually enjoyed smashing the little devils between my fingers. I became quite adept at grabbing a bloom covered with beetles and squishing the life out of all of them in my hand. That is, until one day I grabbed a bloom covered in beetles and was greeted with a painful sting. It turns out that hornets also like the nectar produced by the rose and I was trying to squeeze one hidden among the beetles. Lesson learned, I decided on a new approach. This called for chemical warfare and 50% wetable SEVIN would become part of my arsenal. Beginning in the middle of June until the end of August I have found that SEVIN will effectively kill Japanese Beetles. The downside would be that it needs frequent application at 3 to 5 day intervals. Spider mites are not killed by SEVIN and become a real problem when other insects are eliminated. This makes SEVIN a two edged sword. I now use SEVIN only when Japanese Beetles numbers become extreme.

As I stated before, my goal is to have great stems and blooms for the spring and fall rose shows. If pests like Japanese beetles become a problem during the summer months I will just not allow my exhibition varieties to bloom by simply snapping the formed bud off at the peduncle. This will in no way adversely effect the health of the bush. These rose bushes will be almost ignored by pests that feed on blooms and I can continue to increase the overall mass of the bush itself. This might seem extreme to those growing roses primarily for garden enjoyment, but for a diehard exhibitor it makes perfect sense.

Summer might not be the best time for growing roses, but you can continue to enjoy blooms even under the most extreme conditions if you provide them with the care they need. Your reward will come this fall with some of the best roses your area has ever seen.

May the rose continue to reign supreme in your garden!

Copyright © 2000-2005 by ARS Deep South District. All rights reserved.

Send questions or comments to: webmaster@deepsouthdistrict.org