"see Organization header" (see Organization
header)" wrote in message
news
On 5/6/2009 6:19 PM, Freckles wrote:

I have ordered Bayer's systemic pesticide/food spikes.

Supposedly one just shoves a spike into the ground next to the rose and
it
will kill pests and feed the plant for up to 2 months.

Sprays of all kinds bother me. The thought of breathing any of them
scares
me.

If the spikes work, I think that will be the easiest and safest way to
take
care of my roses.

Freckles

I use Bayer's granular Rose & Flower Care so that I can spread it over
much of each plant's root zone. I dig it in so that passing birds won't
think it's gravel for their digestion.

When you use spikes, be sure to focus your watering in an area around
each spike. Don't over-water. While roses like a lot of water, they
don't like a soggy soil.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

About 25 years ago I lived in Culver City, California.

I had a rose garden with about a dozen T roses. They grew beautifully and I
never had to use any pesticides or anything else except for an occasional
dose of fertilizer. Texas is a different story.