Growing Roses with Organic Practices
By Gail Morris, Organics Garden Writer
for Fort Worth Star Telegram
Whether your roses are hybrids or antiques, they can be grown organically, even in the harshness of the North Texas heat. Although it is easiest to grow antiques and David Austin roses in North Texas, organic growers find that even hybrids survive beautifully when grown organically.
To prepare new rose beds, mix the following materials into the existing soil. Adding these materials to a 1,000-square-feet area will create a raised bed. This will ensure good drainage, which is essential for roses. Add 6 inches of compost, approximately 1/2 inch of lava sand, 1/2 inch of Texas greensand or decomposed granite, 20 pounds of Sul-Po-Mag, and 30 pounds of sugar or molasses. Allow a few weeks for the materials to settle naturally before planting.
Before planting, soak the roots of your roses for at least an hour in a mixture of seaweed and apple cider vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon of each liquid per gallon of water. After planting, mulch the bed with at least 2 inches of mulch and an inch of compost.
There are three important periods of fertilization for roses. The first is between Feb. 1 and Feb. 15, the second is June 1 through June 15, and the third is the last two weeks of September. Use a 100 percent organic fertilizer at 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. After the first year of plant growth, vary the materials and products that are added to the bed.
If you choose lava sand or Texas greensand, apply at 80 pounds per 1,000 square feet. If you choose sugar or molasses, add at 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet. There are many choices that provide a variety of minerals to the plants. Your local organic store personnel should be able to assist you with selections.
Begin a spray program when roses begin to bud out in the spring. Spray a foliar feed at least once a month during the growing season. Purchase a commercial compost tea and use according to label directions, or make your own compost tea, using finished compost. To make compost tea, fill a bucket two-thirds full of compost and add water to the top of the bucket. Let this mixture ferment for a few days. Use it as a foliar feed by diluting a few tablespoons in water. It should look like a weak tea. To a gallon of compost tea, add 2 tablespoons of molasses, 2 tablespoons of liquid seaweed or 1 teaspoon of dry seaweed.
To deter insects, you can add a cup of garlic tea to your foliar feed. Although there are commercial garlic products, you can make your own solution. Chop two hot peppers and two garlic bulbs in a blender with 2 cups of water. Strain out the solids. Make a spray by diluting 1/4 cup of the liquid tea with 1 gallon of water.
Gail Morris, all rights reserved
Return to Maggies Garden Home Page