Agriculture Information Bank: Roses |Provide all information related to agriculture at one spot|

by Angela Ryczkowski, Demand Media

Numerous cultivars of roses (Rosa spp.) are prized as landscape specimens for multiple available growth habits and their attractive, fragrant blooms, which are commonly utilized as cut flowers. Rose plants are potentially bothered by many pests including various species of aphids, mites, thrips, whiteflies, scales, caterpillars, mealybugs and others. When used in conjunction with good rose cultural care practice, homemade pesticides with certain types of ingredients can provide adequate control of pests on beloved roses.

Soap-Oil Spray

A spray to control aphids, lacebugs, mealybugs, scales, spider mites, thrips and whiteflies is made by combining and thoroughly blending 1 tsp. vegetable oil, 1 tsp. dishwashing liquid or baby shampoo and 1 cup of water -- or 2 tbsp. each of oil and soap or shampoo per gallon of water. Thorough coverage on both leaf surfaces and all stems is necessary and repeat applications every five to seven days are generally warranted. After a few hours on the rose plant, the spray is washed off to avoid burning the plant. It is a good idea to test a spray on a small area of the plant and observe that area for a few days to make sure it will not harm the rose.

Additive for Fungal Control

Where a rose is currently or in previously seasons has been bothered by powdery mildew or black spot, mixing 2 tbsp. of baking soda into each gallon of soap-oil pest spray can also address these fungal diseases. To achieve adequate control, this homemade fungicide must be applied before or soon after the disease first appears and every five to seven days while conditions continue to favor disease development.

Pepper Spray Repellent

A strong pepper spray applied around plants on a weekly basis may help to repel insect pests. In a gallon of water, 2 tbsp. of red pepper are combined with six drops of dish soap. This mixture must sit overnight to encourage as much of the pepper as possible to dissolve and is then strained before it is poured into a sprayer and applied around and on vulnerable roses and other plants. Before extensively spraying a pepper repellent directly onto a rose, testing the spray on a small section of foliage first to make sure it will not injure the plant minimizes the risk of injury to the plant.

Ant Control

Although ants themselves do not directly injure a rose, they feed on the honeydew that some rose pests produce and protect these pests from their natural predators. So, to encourage the effective presence of beneficial insects, it is necessary to control the ants. A spray made with one part peppermint oil to 10 parts water applied only around the bases of roses where ants are problematic addresses the ant population.

Strong Water Spray

Regularly spraying rose plants with a strong blast of water effectively knocks many pests off the rose. It also cleans off the sticky, sweet honeydew produced by aphids, scales and mealybugs as well as the unsightly sooty mold that develops on honeydew. Additionally, a strong spray of water eliminates the dusty conditions that spider mites prefer.

Mechanical and Cultural Pest Control

Good cultural care practices are crucial for rose pest control without the use of commercial pesticides. Preserving the populations of beneficial insects that prey on rose pests by avoiding the use of broad-spectrum, persistent insecticides and planting a diverse selection of herbs and flowering ornamentals around the roses is an excellent way to control pests. Excessive nitrogen fertilizer stimulates a flush of vulnerable new growth attractive to aphids and other pests. Pruning off heavily-infested portions of roses or hand-picking pests like foliage-eating caterpillars can reduce pest numbers substantially. Providing a rose plant with adequate water helps it to recover from pest damage.

References

About the Author

Angela Ryczkowski is a professional writer who has served as a greenhouse manager and certified wildland firefighter. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in urban and regional studies.

Source

http://www.sfgate.com/

By Nan K. Chase

In “Eat Your Yard! Edible Trees, Shrubs, Vines, Herbs and Flowers for Your Landscape,” author Nan K. Chase shares her first-hand experience with gardening, landscaping ideas and special culinary uses for fruit trees. Recipes for edible garden plants include the crabapple and quince, nut trees, such as the chestnut and almond, and herbs and vines like the bay, grape, lavender, mint, and thyme. She instructs how to harvest pawpaw, persimmon, and other wildflowers for your meal as well as figs, kumquats, olives and other favorites.

Eat Your Yard!

(Gibbs Smith, 2010) has information on 35 edible plants that offer the best of both landscape and culinary uses. Edible garden plants provide spring blossoms, colorful fruit and flowers, lush greenery, fall foliage, and beautiful structure, but they also offer fruits, nuts, and seeds that you can eat, cook, and preserve. Roses are especially delightful for creating an edible landscape, as shown in the following excerpt.

Eating Roses

The rose is a botanical mothership with connections to much of what grows in our gardens: everything from nectarines to strawberries.

“Queen of flowers!” one source exclaims.

Roses have universal appeal for the intense perfume and entrancing beauty of their flowers. They also help pollination among other plants.

There are wild roses native to North America, or introduced and naturalized, which are adaptable from seaside to mountaintop. And there are hybridized roses, with thoroughbred refinement, suitable only where the climate cooperates and people can pamper them.

Wild roses, to make the situation more complicated, can be quite good in the garden — or highly destructive.

Let’s agree to cheat and consider several native North American roses and several imported roses together (imported, that is, during colonial times or earlier and then spreading) before choosing the most useful and least intrusive for the edible landscape.

First, a word about why roses should be considered edible at all.

For one thing, rose petals have a light, sweet flavor and can be eaten fresh in salads, where they add unexpected color; one writer pairs them with cucumbers for a visual treat. The young shoots of some roses, carefully cleaned, are also edible, with a pleasant crunch.

It is the rose’s fruit that merits attention and that has a long, nutritionally important role in civilization, especially in northern climates where other fruits are difficult to grow, and during wartime, when sources of vitamin C are interrupted.

The small fruits called rose hips have the highest vitamin C content of any fresh food, and while they can be eaten raw, more commonly rose hips are cooked before use. The seeds, which are hairy and give bad tickles to the throat, are almost always either cooked and strained out or just spit out. Rose hips can be processed—strained for juice—to make jelly, syrup, and sauces. That goodness can be bottled and kept all year. Rose hips and rose petals also produce specialty wines, cordials, and liqueurs.

Hips are pulpy, seed-filled pods, which in late fall grace rose bushes with their red or orange colors (even dark blue). The hips vary in size and shape, usually not much larger than a grape. Covered in frost in a landscape otherwise drained of color, they make a spectacular display.

Unlike the more demanding hybrid roses, wild roses have spent tens of millions of years adapting to local conditions. They are nearly disease free and pest free. They require little pruning or fertilizing, can withstand temperatures well below zero, and can grow in poor soils.

In some cases, wild roses grow to ten or fifteen feet high, forming impressive hedges. In all cases, before planting wild roses check with local agricultural officials to see if your choice is even legal—some wild roses are considered noxious and are banned. Of genus Rosa the main offenders are multiflora roses, including Cherokee rose (ironically, not a true native). Don’t plant these.

Do investigate other species of Rosa for what they can add to your own edible landscape: dog rose, prairie rose, Carolina rose, glauca rose, nootka rose (a western native), and countless crossbred native roses.

My favorite is R. rugosa, the wrinkled rose. I love its highly textural green leaves and its intoxicating pink flowers.

Rose Hip Sauce Recipe for Meat

2 cups rose hips, seeded
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup white wine (optional)

Simmer the rose hips in the water for 1 hour. Add the sugar and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the cornstarch and continue simmering for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the white wine just before serving, if desired.

Rose Hip Jelly Recipe

This is best made after the first frost. Pick about a pound of rose hips; cut off the blossom. Barely cover with water and simmer until fruit is very soft. Use a jelly bag to extract juice. Add a box of pectin, bring to a high boil quickly, add an amount of sugar equal to amount of juice. Bring to a high boil and hold for one minute. Stir and skim. Pour into sterilized jars and cover with paraffin.

Source of Article: http://www.motherearthnews.com/

Common Problem of Roses

Homemade Pesticides for Roses