Question:
My gardener wants to prune my roses early. Is that okay, or should I wait? Also, should I spray an anti-disease agent onto the bare branches? Will this help hinder the Black Spot next year?Answer:
- There is no problem pruning your roses today.
- After pruning, the bushes are sprayed with a Copper Fungicide or Horticultural Oil.
- Before spraying, remove all the remaining leaves and clean up all the debris under and around the bushes. They could be sprayed right after pruning or wait until next year. It's a judgment call on your part. One application is all that's necessary.
- Rose Rust, Mildew, and Black Spot will overwinter on rose canes and old leaves. Good sanitation practices are important; however, they will not prevent diseases from reoccurring next year when the right conditions are present.
- Rust, Mildew, and Black Spot are airborne diseases that require moisture and temperature to be a problem. The foliage must remain dry after the sun goes down.
- Rose Rust requires only two to four hours of constant moisture for the infection to begin. With Black Spot, it's seven hours; hence, Rust will always appear before Black Spot. In addition, it will be weeks before the diseases show up after each infection.
- A wet spring from an extended rainy season accelerates the problem. Your best control is Bayer Advanced All-In-One Rose Care. It's a liquid or granular product applied to the roots in March and controls all three diseases, fertilizes the bushes, and controls the Aphids and other insects. One application lasts six weeks.
Question:
Is it too late to clean up the fall debris, or should we wait and do it in the spring?Answer:
- The fallen leaves and other debris should be removed from the base or under the canopy of trees and shrubs, and turf and ground cover areas should be cleared. From my personal experience, it's easier to stay on top of the debris as it's occurring than to wait.
- Dry and wet leaves are easier to clean up than those that have matted down. Instead of raking the matted leaves up, they'll have to be scraped off the ground, and that's not fun at all.
- With grass, it's a critical issue. The debris left from each winter storm forms a solid layer that prevents sunlight from reaching the blades of grass.
- These areas turn yellow and eventually die as the plants cannot manufacture food in their leaves, known as photosynthesis. This means you'll have to reseed the bare spots in the spring.
- With herbaceous and woody ornamental ground covers, Stem and Crown Rot, along with Water Mold fungi and other diseases, could develop when left covered for an extended period. It's one of the few times that a leaf blower becomes handy.
- So, my recommendation is to clean up the debris often.