CULTURE OF THE ROSE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 77, 13 March 1933, Page 5

CULTURE OF THE ROSE

HOUSE AND SHOW BLOOMS. ADVICE BY AN EXPERT. How, by a little care and attention, it is just as easy to grow a good rose as a pool- one, was explained by Mr H. Bone, gardener at Grasmere Orchard, to a gathering of the Hastings Rotary Club at Grasmere on Friday. Dealing hist with what he described as the house rose, Mr Bone said that the rose is a flower which will adapt itself to any circumstances whatever. In Greenland and in the tropics it would do equally well, and would do outstandingly well in our temperate climate. At the end of July, when the sap had fallen, was th j time for giving the rose special treatment. All weak wood should be trimmed out, and all branches that might cause rubbing by contact with other branches. All strong wood should be cut back to five eyes. In early August, or before the buds began to burst, the benefit of the pruning would be seen. After pruning, there were many parasites to be got rid of, and the best spray for the purpose was an emulsion of one in 40 of red oil, with a tablespoonful of soap powder to ensure that the spray would emulsify. One in 20 was a good spray for scale, red spider, or any pest or disease that the rose was susceptible to. Great care should be taken to pick up all prunings, for every parasite could fly or climb, and would leave the prunings to go back to the living plant. THE VIRTUES OF CLAY. The next requirement was to give the bushes a dressing of manure. Artificial manure was not recommended, as it had a tendency to force weak growth. Stable manure was to be preferred, and should bo given in generous quantity. With the show rose, all but the more lusty growth should be pruned out, leaving the very best wood cut back to not more than three eyes. Spraying as with the house rose should then be done.

It was said that the rose grows best in clay, Mr Bone continued, and the answer was yes and no. If it were grown in soil above a sub-stratum of clay, so much the better, for the clay would retain moisture when everything else was as dry as a chip. Once the clay was disturbed, however, it would become as hard as a brick in dry weather, and the feeding roots could not penetrate into it. If the clay were not disturbed, it would give moisture to plants which otherwise would perish. When the plant had shot on three arms, all remaining weak growth should be culled out. When the buds had swelled-, and before the calyx had broken, one or two dressings ot liquid manure should be applied. The best that could be made was a mixture consisting of one-third fowl manure and two-thirds sheep manure mixed with water and allowed to ripen. It should be applied once or twice a week, giving a pint to each plant. When the manure had soaked in, the plant should be well watered. TREATMENT OF CLIMBERS. Speaking of the general conditions suitable to the rose, Mr. Bone said that the plants should not be exposed to too much wind or hot sun, as the petals would be damaged and bleached. The time to take care of tho rose was when the calyx broke. • A show bloom, Mr Bone added, was of not the slightest use unless it was true to type. Exhibitors sometimes wondered why their blooms were passed out, and suspected the judges of favouritism. They could rest assured, however, that judges did not show favouritism, and that the reason lor the failure of their roses was that they were not true to type. The climbing rose, continued Mr Bone, should be cut back more severely than others, and all laterals should be restricted to one eye. No useless wood should be allowed to grow. '‘Cut them back as hard as you ean,’> said the speaker, “but don’t cut back tho leader. It is the laterals that should be severely pruned. By laterals, I mean the growths that come out from the main arms.” Mr Bone concluded by saying, in answer to a question, that about two teasnoonfuls of Black Leaf 40 in a gallon of water was a quite effective spray for green fly and aphis. In fact the same spray, if made just a little stronger, would remove all fungus.