Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Is there an Entymologist in the house?
I now have the nutrition problem solved with my two hybrid tea rose
bushes, a Blue Girl and a Memorial Day, now I have bug problems. My Memorial Day is bursting with new growth, all those light green leaves have sprung up since June 11th: http://www.dancinman.com/~sirius/mygarden/memday.jpg And a closeup of the petal browning: http://www.dancinman.com/~sirius/mygarden/newflower.jpg This morning I clipped the bud that's open in the picture and I set it in a vase. Well, at first I thought the browning on the petals was a residual nutrition issue, but I got to researching on the web. I thought it might of been thrips, but when I saw the underside of the leaves, there were several aphids. (Some of the new leaf growth is curling too.) I went to a local nursery and was pointed at ferti*lome's Triple Action Plus. (70% neem oil) I've thoroughly inspected and sprayed the undersides of the leaves of both bushes. My remaining insect issue is ants and another bug I can't seem to identify. Since I started mixing Rose-Tone and Hu-More (both contain manure) into the soil at the base of my roses, the ants have come back. They also brought guests with them, some bugs that look similar to ants but with clear wings the length of their bodies. They are no bigger than your common black ant. It's hard to make out any further details as I see them in the soil. Their movements are the most visible when I disturb the soil. I've tried Sevin spray, Schultz three in one, Schultz rose insect spray, Hot Shot indoor/outdoor spray, triazide granules.. all of this since I started my garden back in April. I just can't seem to control the problem. It would also help if my property management would spray for insects, but they won't do it. Are there any suggestions out there before I wind up taking a soil sample to my local nursery? Unfortunately, the only pictures that will show up well are those of the plant. I'm not sure if aphids alone are presenting this so far, slight damage. http://www.dancinman.com/~sirius/mygarden/brownbud.jpg http://www.dancinman.com/~sirius/mygarden/leafcurl.jpg http://www.dancinman.com/~sirius/mygarden/leafcurl2.jpg - Elphaba Zone 7, W. Tennessee |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Elphaba wrote:
I now have the nutrition problem solved with my two hybrid tea rose bushes, a Blue Girl and a Memorial Day, now I have bug problems. Remember that while your roses need nitrogen, it's easy to over do it. If you over feed with N you may get lots of nice, lush growth but only few flowers. As in so many things, moderation is the key. My remaining insect issue is ants and another bug I can't seem to identify. Since I started mixing Rose-Tone and Hu-More (both contain manure) into the soil at the base of my roses, the ants have come back. They also brought guests with them, some bugs that look similar to ants but with clear wings the length of their bodies. They are no bigger than your common black ant. It's hard to make out any further details as I see them in the soil. Their movements are the most visible when I disturb the soil. Ants are attracted to a secretion from aphids and scale called honeydew. The ants don't really do any harm to the plants. They can be a sign that you have some other problem but you already know about the aphids. If the aphids are now gone, the ants will probably not hang around too long. As for the "winged ants", they are most likely winged ants grin. Most ants you see are non-breeding females which are wingless. Males and breeding females are winged. http://www.dancinman.com/~sirius/mygarden/brownbud.jpg http://www.dancinman.com/~sirius/mygarden/leafcurl.jpg http://www.dancinman.com/~sirius/mygarden/leafcurl2.jpg The browning in the flower bud doesn't really look like insect damage. The leaves don't look too bad either. If you've made significant changes in your feeding and spraying recently, I'd give the plant a little longer before I started changing it again. No, the leaves are not perfect but whatever the problem is, it certainly doesn't look particularly serious. Also, it's probably not a good idea to base an entire spray regimen on a single flower with problems. It could be as simple as the bud getting too wet. So, my advice is give it some time and see what happens. -- Henry |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
On Mon, 04 Jul 2005 10:32:56 -0400, Henry
wrote: Remember that while your roses need nitrogen, it's easy to over do it. If you over feed with N you may get lots of nice, lush growth but only few flowers. As in so many things, moderation is the key. Ayup. I'm following the feeding schedule that's on the package. 3/4 a cup once a month until mid-September. No more, no less and infrequent deep waterings! It must really like the fertilizer. I wasn't expecting so much new growth and five buds so soon. Ants are attracted to a secretion from aphids and scale called honeydew. The ants don't really do any harm to the plants. They can be a sign that you have some other problem but you already know about the aphids. If the aphids are now gone, the ants will probably not hang around too long. As for the "winged ants", they are most likely winged ants grin. Most ants you see are non-breeding females which are wingless. Males and breeding females are winged. Okay. It's really hard to tell if they're ants, thrips or some other bug. I've been reading up so that I can start recognizing garden pests, but these guys have left me guessing. I've also noticed the same bugs at the base of my butterfly bushes as I've fed them holly-tone. Or maybe they've been in the soil under the mulch all along and I'm just now noticing as I'm scratching in fertilizer. The browning in the flower bud doesn't really look like insect damage. The leaves don't look too bad either. If you've made significant changes in your feeding and spraying recently, I'd give the plant a little longer before I started changing it again. No, the leaves are not perfect but whatever the problem is, it certainly doesn't look particularly serious. Also, it's probably not a good idea to base an entire spray regimen on a single flower with problems. It could be as simple as the bud getting too wet. So, my advice is give it some time and see what happens. I'd say about 10% of my leaves have that curling deformity going for them. The rest look good and healthy. I'm not really bothered, but I wasn't sure if it was a sign of insect damage or what. I only saw the aphids on the memorial day. The blue girl is just now starting to show new growth since I began with the rose-tone. So I'm just doing preventative spraying on that one. I'm trying to alternate between chemical and organic so there's less chance of a resistance build-up or killing the plants by overspraying. Thank you for your insight! - Elphaba |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Are there any Koi Forum out there visited by regukars here | Ponds | |||
is there anyone out there? | Gardening | |||
Is there anyone there? | United Kingdom | |||
There HAS to be a twelve step program out there.................. | Gardening | |||
help, is there anybody out there! | Gardening |