Growing roses organically is the only way to go
I've spoken to so many rose lovers the past year and mostly all grow their roses (and their gardens) organically. Today I spoke with Isabelle Olikier Luyten. She has a stunning garden with roses combined with perennials. Nearly all her roses are from Warren Millington.
She told me her biggest secret: Mycorhizza and as many organic material as possible. I'm gardening this way for a few years now but she insisted on saying I had to give more organic material. She uses Secret Vert fumier de ferme (Green secret, manure from the farm). This is a French/Belgian brand of organic manure, Fertilizer and potting compost.
She always uses Mycorhizza when she plants new roses and in March she gives each rose 2 kg!! Of that secret vert manure. Even to my standards that's a huge amount but she says that's her secret! More is better in Organic gardening. You have to improve the humus content of your soil. Secret vert is made up from cow/horse/chicken manure and seaweed! All organic.
If you give your roses each year two kg of manure your soil will transform in one big humus paradise. It's the nr one step to fabulous roses.
For our members not living in France or Belgium: Organic manure from every good USA or UK brand is equally good! Just give the 2 kg per rose in spring and use Mycorhizza when you plant the roses.
I've told you guys many times that Mycorhizza fungus dies when artificial fertilizers are used. Mycorrhiza fungus forms a symbiotic relationship with our roses and any other plant in our garden. The fungus triples the amount of roots so itself and the roses can take in more goodies from the humus. So we need to keep adding organic material to our rose soil in spring.
If you haven't switched to growing roses organically now is the time to start. This means that you can't use artificial fertilizer. If it doesn't say organic on the label it's no good. You need to give plenty organic material to your roses as mentioned above. You can't spray with chemicals, SO NEVER!
Uphold this important rule: Nothing leafs the garden! This means that all organic material from the garden (cut branches, cut grass, leafs etc must be shredded and turned into compost or mulch and given back to the soil. But Dirk but Dirk what with leafs infected with blackspot or rust? Yes those leafs can go into the bin 🚮 if you are scared to spread it. The latest insight on Blackspot is that this fungus only can infect weakened roses. Also the blackspot fungus is airborne. You can try to keep your garden blackspot fungus free but with every wind hundreds of spores are dumped into our gardens. If you don't have blackspot in summer it means your roses are being treated excellent and are resistant to the fungus. A wet and rainy summer is the ideal basis for blackspot but if you treat your roses the right way they can resist it as long as possible. Humus in combination with mycorrhiza strengthens the leafs, making them harder and less easy to penetrate by the blackspot disease.
I'm talking to experts on a kind of rose tonic which is applied onto the leafs each 15 days in spring and summer and this blocks blackspot and mildew fungi. When I've got more information about this natural organic tonic I'll share it with the group
I would want to heard your opinion about sulphur and copper using against roses diseases? This year 2/3 of all roses are effected by rust. I use horstaile concentrate, mucofol ( bio fungicide based on water), sulphur 0.1-0.2 % concentrate, seaweed concentrate, garlic extract, plant based fertilizer 4/2/8. All these foliage spray. Mulched by green well roted horse manure, seaweed dust, bone meal and poultry manure. I can't take control for rust. I am little panic. Thank you
ReplyDeleteYou are doing everything right. This year all roses are rather susceptible to diseases. But rust is something I never have in my garden. Which roses do you have and do they have the rust often? Also last year?
ReplyDelete