Radika wrote:

Allegra, I am confused, so please help. I see three postings with this
heading from you - all dated 3rd Feb, the first one posted at 11:52
a.m., the second at 11:57 a.m. and the third posted at 12:19 p.m. Which
of these three, if there is only one, that contains all that you wanted
to say on this subject? If you would please tell me, I will read that.

I see Bob responding to one of these, and our own climate is between
yours and his; we seldom see blackspot (and even if we do, that is not
so bad as to kill any rose here), and rust comes at the end of the year
- but it is mildew heaven if we are unwise about selection or cultural
practices. I have dormant sprayed with sulphur before I realized I get a
rash from being exposed to it, and these days, I do jojoba oil or neem
oil dormant spray. But I spray only the most troublesome of roses, and
these are only one or two. Compared to where you grow roses, this place
makes it all easy enough for us mostly all on tis own.

--
Radika
California
USDA 9 / Sunset 15


Hello Radika,

I don't know what you are seeing, since here on Microsoft realm
through OE and our office's attbi. connection we can only see one.

When I posted the first one and went to check, the message was
crossed with a red line saying message no longer available. It
was just posted! We checked it again (myself and two other people)
and we all got the same result. So I posted it a second time.
And now the second time, at least here it appear under what was
supposed to be the first one as my answer to my own post (!!!)
If you are not confused enough yet, the first post seem to have
lost a paragraph somewhere between my computer and attbi.
So, the answer to that first message which we all here in the
office read as

"Allegra"
wrote in message news:N9A%9.155492$AV4.4371@sccrnsc01...

continues to be the one and only message intended to be there.
I guess if I could figure how this business "really" works and bottle
the solution I could retire ;) - So to save you the chase here is the
original post as intended, I don't believe I am saying anything here
that should alienate attbi, but I guess these days we are all a bit off
so who knows why that paragraph went missing?:

Hello everyone,

Different strokes for different folks, but spraying dormant spray to
protect the roses is a good practice whether you are in Alaska or in
Florida.

The reasons to spray roses with dormant spray are various and different in
any case but I venture to say that they all have a common cause: to ensure
that the plants are healthy and free of both fungal diseases and insects.

Most spores from fungal diseases will overwinter both in leaves and debris
at the surface of the rose. All the good and well established cleaning
practices can be for naught if some pathogens are present either under the
leaves left on the bushes or in the ground, regardless of where you are.
They are the trouble in the making for the coming year for the roses (and
you).

Copper compounds are used as a fungicide on dormant roses. The two most
common products are copper sulfate and Bordeaux mixture, a copper sulfate
and hydrated lime mixture. Copper has a toxic effect to many fungi and
algae. When applied as a dormant spray, these copper compounds help to
eliminate overwintering pathogens. Spray roses with dormant spray using
the same spray technique used on trees and hedges: up from the bottom, then
down from the top.

Horticultural oil is the other material that you could use in a routine
dormant spray program. The dormant spray oil actually suffocates insects
that overwinter on roses and has a similar effect on insect eggs that may
be present. Both horticultural oil and copper compounds can be purchased
from your nursery or as we do, from a nearby feed store that provides for
farm needs. Frequently, the copper and horticultural oil mixture may be
applied at the same time. Follow label directions carefully and wear
protective clothing when applying pesticides.

If you want to have a plan for February here is a suggestion:

Apply dormant spray as indicated above starting at the bottom of the rose
and coming back from the top. Make sure to spray around the base of the
plant as well to catch any "stray". We strip our roses early on in
January by
doing maybe 10 to 20 every day until the whole garden is done. By January
normally there isn't much to strip (take that back for this January) and
clean
very well around the beds or pots. The first application of dormant spray
(Bordeaux) is done then plus a spray of Wiltpruf and we check the ground
for any kind of trouble. This is the time when we also apply pre-emergent
weedkiller. You are always grateful to remember this in June ;)

In February we again make a second pass with the dormant spray to make
sure that anything that survived the first spraying is taken care of by
the
second. It sure helps with all fungal diseases and we have seen very
little
insect damage on the roses, except the holes of the carpenter bees and
those are welcome in our garden. For those who are not in favor of using
"pesticides" here is a suggestion :

" The winter season is the time to apply dormant oil sprays to plants, for
the control of insects and disease. Covering the dormant stems of a plant
with a highly refined oil such as Cookes Dormant Oil Spray suffocates
overwintering insect eggs and fungal spores. Before you spray make sure to
clean up the fallen leaves around your plants and remove any left over
fruit
that may be still hanging on your trees. Roses can also benefit from the
use
of horticultural oils in the control of black spot, powdery mildew and
rust.
Powdery mildew can be effectively controlled by using a mixture of 2 Tsp.
of Baking Soda with 2 Tbs. of Horticultural Oil in 1 Gallon of Water."

We personally continue to stick to Bordeaux because the above formula did
not work very well for us, but this is black spot, rust, mildew, you name
it
country.

Here is a link with some info about dormant spray and its uses.
http://www.sheridannurseries.com/Gar...3mainframe.htm

Good gardening everyone,

Allegra

We suit the heck out when using lime sulphur, and never against the
wind if any. We try to spray late in the afternoon and 99% of the roses
respond to it very well, the only one who got rust last year at the end
of the season was Reine des Violettes, but I guess she would do it no
matter what I try to do to please her. We did not have a single issue of
insect damage and that is worth all the trouble of dormant spraying in
my opinion. This year it has been so wet that it was catch as catch can
trying to find the window in the weather to spray. And today, sunny
and calm, no winds, guess where I am? But of course!

How are your roses doing? You also got more than your fair share of
liquid sunshine, did you not?

Allegra