What's new for roses this year?

Bayer All-In-One. 3 systemic products in one -- fertilizer, insecticide and fungicide. One application treats for up to 6 weeks. Apply at the base of the plant -- no spraying!

Leggy growth with no flower buds.

Inadequate sunlight. Plant roses where they will receive 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight a day.

Canes produce nothing but leaves ... no blooms.

Over fertilization with a high-nitrogen fertilizer, or inadequate sunlight. Reduce fertilizer appliation, especially nitrogen. More harm is done by overfertilizing than by underfertilizing. Prune blind wood.

My roses are not budding very fast.

Check for dry canes or roots. Water the roses heavily the first three weeks and spray the canes during the day (if possible). After three weeks, if the rose is not showing growth, sweat the plant by placing wet sphagnum moss in the center of the crown and then cover the canes with a clear polyethylene bag or burlap to force new growth. Monitor for excessive heat buildup. Check daily for signs of bud growth, then remove.

My roses have an abundance of sucker growth.

Sucker growth is the rootstock trying to grow out around the graft. Growth is rapid, producing long canes with no lower leaf buds; foliage is lighter in color and thorns are erratically spaced. You should snap the growth from below the ground level. Don't forget your gloves! Tip: Be sure the growth originates from below the graft. Don't confuse bottom or basal growth with sucker growth. If in doubt, allow the growth to continue until the difference is visible. Continue removing sucker growth throughout the growing season.

There are masses of bugs on the buds and leaves of my roses.

Check for Aphids -- red, green or black soft bugs about 1/8" long -- on the new growth. They appear early, and either stay around or make another appearance during the summer. You should use an insecticidal soap to eliminate Aphids. Remember to spray up-wind and allow the mist to drift through the plant. Later, wash off the insects with a garden hose.

My rose blooms are shredded and discolored.

Check for Thrip -- light brown slender insects about 1/8" long -- by squeezing an open bloom and watching inside the petals for movement. Watch closely, Thrip are fast movers! Apply an insecticide with acephate when the buds are pea-sized, then repeat in two week intervals. Be sure to follow the instructions on the label for proper mixing and application intervals!

My rose leaves are fuzzy yellow on the surface and by using a magnifying glass, the underside has small red specks, webbing, and there are spiderlike insects moving around.

Check for Spidermites -- microscopic red spiders -- visible to the naked eye but best seen with a magnifying glass. Spidermites thrive in hot weather; their activity increases or decreases with temperature changes. Apply insecticidal soap from the bottom up in order to contact the Spidermite, which is always on the leaf underside of the plant.

My rose leaves are fuzzy yellow on the surface and by using a magnifying glass, the underside has small red specks, webbing, and there are spiderlike insects moving around.

Check for Spidermites -- microscopic red spiders -- visible to the naked eye but best seen with a magnifying glass. Spidermites thrive in hot weather; their activity increases or decreases with temperature changes. Apply insecticidal soap from the bottom up in order to contact the Spidermite, which is always on the leaf underside of the plant.

My rose leaves have been eaten, leaving a skeleton structure or mid-ribs. The unopened flower buds are chewed and the open buds are damaged.

Check for Japanese Beetles -- metallic brown bugs with green heads -- or Caterpillars. Your remedies include spray, dusting or shaking. Spraying Carbaryl (Sevin) or Diazinon are somewhat effective. Applying Bp (Bacillus papilliae) or "milky spore" when grubs are first detected in spring or late summer is an option. Applying Neem Oil has also shown limited control. If you are adventurous, spread a cloth or plastic beneath the plant on the ground and shake the beetles off the plants.

My rose leaves are stuck together and the unopen buds have holes bored through them.

Check for Omnivorous Leaf Rollers -- a moth larvae that makes a cocoon-like structure with leaves. Use Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) or Orthene when the buds are pea-sized, then repeat in two week intervals. Be sure to follow the instructions on the label for proper mixing and application intervals!

The rose bud stem is slightly discolored with unopened buds or drooping blooms.

Check for Rose Midge -- a small fly that pupates in the ground below the bush, then flies up and lays eggs in the soft upper stem. The hatched larvae eat the stems which causes breakage. The worm then drops to the ground to complete the last stage of metamorphosis into a fly. Spread Diazinon Granules on the ground below the bush to control the pest.

Green or red moss-like balls on rose canes or surrounding unopen blooms.

Check for Mossy Gall Wasp -- the moss-like balls which contain eggs deposited by the parent. Cutt off and destroy the infested canes.

Holes in pruned cane ends. Circular pieces eaten from the leaf margins.

Check for Leaf Cutter Bee. The circular leaf pieces are used for egg partitions inside the burrowed cane. The insect will be controlled by using mild insecticides and applying white glue to the cane ends.

Drooping, unopened buds, accompanied by a small, slightly discolored entrance hole just below the flower bud.

Check for Raspberry Cane Borer. Prune well below the entrance hole. Seal ends of canes with white glue.

Disease Questions

My rose leaves fold at mid-rib and look distorted. White powdery material is on the forming buds, leaf tops and undersides.

Check for Powdery Mildew -- fostered by cool nights, warm days and high humidity. Spray Triforine, dust with sulphur, or spray with baking soda and soap.

There are dark round black spots of varying sizes from pin point to quarter-sized on the leaves.

Check for Blackspot -- a fungus favored by rainy weather or improper watering. Begin in winter with a dormant lime-sulphur spray. Remove dropped leaves and debris. Spray Neem Oil, Daconil 2787, Triforine or a sulphur-based fungicide. The fungus spores are on leaf undersides so spray up from underneath. Spray in the early morning when weather is calm and cool. When watering, keep foliage dry or water in the morning so foliage dries by midday.

There are brown spots on petals and red-pink spots on lighter colored flower buds. Brown dieback of cut canes; brown fuzzy mold on debris around the plant.

Check for Botrytis Blight -- high humid nights or rainy cool periods favor fungus growth. Spray with Daconil 2787. Clean up twigs on the plant, leaves and debris to prevent fungus from spreading. Maintain good air circulation.

There are dark irregular splotches on the leaves, healthy leaves are dropping and there are yellowed leaf sections.

Check for Downy Mildew -- a systemic fungus disease. It is present in the soil and will begin to cause problems when night temperatures reach 55-65 degrees F, with still air measuring 85% humidity. Cut back the plant, clean debris, dust with sulphur and spray Daconil 2787 in the morning to dry before hot mid-day temperatures occur.

There are tumor-like growths on canes, roots and at bud union.

Check for Gall -- a bacterial problem entering through a wound or contaminated pruning tool. Be sure to sterilize pruners and other tools with bleach or alcohol to prevent bacteria from spreading. Next, prune away the affected section. (Remember Galls on the graft would kill the plant if pruned off.) Destroy the weakened plants you pruned off. Treat soil with bactericide or leave fallow for two seasons before replanting.

Canes begin to turn brown from their ends. This condition is most prevelant in colder areas. It is usually first noticed when growth begins in the spring, after winter protection has been removed.

Check for Dieback -- canes have been injured by cold, and fungi have invaded the injured canes. Cut off the brown sections of the canes, making the cut well below the discolored area. Spray with fungicide after pruning. Provide adequate winter protection.

Canes turn brown for reasons other than winter injury. Very similar to dieback but more likely to occur in late spring or fall.

Check for Canker. Remove by cutting well below afflicted areas. Provide optimum growing conditions and air circulation. Sterilize pruning shears after each cut to prevent spreading fungus.

What fertilizer would you recommend for roses?

Sparkman's Bloom Special!