ROSES NEED LIME

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 225, 19 June 1936, Page 18

ROSES NEED LIME

Apply It Now What happens in a rose bed when the soil lacks lime? Acidity is the first and most obvious development, and. that in itself is anathema to roses. Food is locked up. You apply stable manure and artificials, but none of them can change and become available to the roots. The consequence is that the roses in a very real sense starve in a land of plenty. In their weakened condition they fall an easy prey to mildew and black spot, diseases.

Now is a good time to apply the required lime. You can use two forms of lime with equally good, effect—fresh-ly-slaked Hme, and ground lime, the former at the rate of 3oz. to the square yard, the latter at the rate of loz. Choose a calm, dry day for the application, spread on the lime evenly, and fork it in 4 to 6in. deep. Go a httle easier near the main stems, from which the anchor roots diverge. If you find that the tines are striking a root, pull up the fork and push in elsewhere.