Donna deMedicis wrote:
While at the moment, I have exactly one mini-rose, I'm expecting an order
from Jackson Perkins and I've been studying.

I looked at a seemingly miraculous all-in-one rose & flower care, 3
systemic products in one. Fertilizes, feeds and renews! Insect control!
Disease control! One application protects for up to 6 weeks! (Bayer
Advanced Garden). You put 2 tbs. in a gallon of water, water rose, and ta
dum! takes care of everything that could possible ail a rose.

Seems too good to be true ...

Is it?

Of course it's too good to be true.

It's like using statin drugs and aspirin to prevent heart attacks. In some
specific circumstances, it works. Most of the time, it's just a waste of
money. And in some circumstances can it cause great harm.

Feed them only when they need to be fed. Control insects only when they need
to be controlled. And treat only the diseases that need to be treated. In
other words, don't just dump fertilizer, insecticide and other chemicals on
them unless there is a specific need to do so. They'll also be happier and
healthier if you address issues in a natural rather than chemical way.
Beautiful roses grew long before magic chemicals were invented.

Or another way to look at it: Why spend $50 on chemicals when you could
replace a failed rose for $15? If inexpensive organic methods fail, replace
them instead of making a chemical company rich.

Healthy soil to begin with. Compost mulch each year. Spacing and pruning to
encourage good air circulation. Spray them with compost tea. Weed the area
around them. All fairly easy and inexpensive. And far better than spending a
fortune on chemicals to treat problems that don't exist. And if it doesn't
work, replacing it all is still less expensive than polluting them with
unnecessary, perhaps even harmful chemicals.

--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
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