Cool weather is here and you should be getting ready for the October and last flush of blooms for this year. Stop all nitrogen fertilization in October; the only fertilizer to add now is a 0-20-20. Give each large bush one cup and each smaller bush one half cup of 0-20-20, sprinkle around the drip line and scratch in, water well. This will help the bushes ease into winter dormancy.
Keep up your spray program this month also, black spot and powdery mildew have not went to sleep for the winter either. I use one half teaspoon of Honor Guard, three teaspoons of Mancozeb, and one ounce of Talstar per gallon of water. Take care to spray the underside of the foliage as well as the topside, this is just in case you have had one last case of spider mites as I have had.
If you have not had your soil tested this year, it would be a good time to do so. Your County Extension Office can provide you with soil sample boxes and will also send those samples off for analysis. The results usually come back in about two weeks and are easy to read. They will tell you if you need to amend the soil to readjust the ph.
If you have a place to store them it is time to start gathering materials for winter protection. This could be compost, mulch, leaves, or pine straw. It’s not time to add them to the beds yet, jut start stockpiling them. We’ll do that next month.
Enjoy the October blooms, bring them in the house to put in vases, give them to friends, or pamper them to get them ready for a rose show.
Happy Gardening and Keep Digging in the Dirt.
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