Rose Bush Care Tips » Additional Articles

Tips on Planting Roses by Bill Radler, Breeder of the “Knock Out Rose”

admin — Sun, 09 May 2010 17:11:36 +0000

Here is a simple method for planting the Knockout Rose, and other Roses for that matter. Making sure to cover as many canes as possible, this helps to give it a boost for less shock. It also helps during winter for over-wintering the rose. In the spring it helps to have it covered this way to make more canes come up.

Breeder of the Knockout Rose, Bill Radler – Video

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 02:36:25 +0000

Bill Radler the breeder of the Knockout Rose, is interviewed in this short quick video, with the man who changed the Rose Growing Industry forever. In 1988 Radler Started breeding the Knockout Rose,and through trial and error, came up with what is today’s KnockOut Rose Bush.

View a little piece of history with the man who started it all, with the easiest to grow rose bush, The Knockout Rose.

Make Your Own Organic Gardening Compost

admin — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:05:22 +0000

Make Your Own Organic Gardening Compost

Organic gardening Composting Tips and Tricks

Unlike the aging body, you do not need the elixir of youth to be able to ensure that your compost heap is at its glorious best, thriving and able to function well on your soil. Few people are attracted with passivity of all forms, especially in compost, which is supposed to be a hot pot of activity for yielding greatest returns in the environment and farm land business people.

The good thing about composting is that you can easily keep it dynamic with consistency and a host of other techniques that are tried and tested by many a composting enthusiast or advocate.

Balance the ingredients

Primarily, the basic thing to keep or maintain for a compost heap to be active is balance of ingredients. If you have too much of a single component, your compost may eventually die down. Remember that a compost is inherently comprised of numerous organic matter, and to keep it in top condition means that you must also maintain the variety of materials you put in your compost heap.

Over time, some ingredients in the compost heap may dominate over the others, so make it a point to replenish your compost bin and have it checked frequently.

Select the right bin or container

The right bin will also lead you to the right lively nature of dynamic composting. If you put in your materials well but placed it in an unsuitable container, the compost will become passive over time. Find the right fit for your compost heap and then ensure that the container itself is well-maintained, free of holes or other infestations that may affect your compost heap’s growth.

Dampen and don’t soak

Soaking is primary evil to your compost. Have the right amount of moisture, but do not drown the compost heap to the point that it won’t be of any vital impact to your soil. Make sure that you are able to draw out more humus than water from your compost heap so that you will be paid back well for your hard labor in building your compost heap.

Bacteria needs air

Aeration is the other partner of ample moisture in your compost heap. If you provide your compost heap with enough air, the bacteria that produces humus will thrive and will help exceed your expectations of compost heap performance. If you are really hell-bent on keeping your compost heap dynamic, make sure that you have enough air, but not too much that it will over-expose the pile and defeat the purpose of creating a good compost heap.

Check the temperature

There is an ideal temperature for composting. Ensure that the compost heap maintains this temperature otherwise the whole reaction for composting will not be sustained or completed. Have a thermometer handy everyday when you inspect your composting heap. If possible, find thermometers that are created for composting purposes.

Have a fixed area for composting

It is not that recommended to have a mobile composting heap. Make sure you can fix it in a single place and increase its chances of growing and thriving. When you move around your composting heap too much, less reaction takes place. It requires a certain degree of permanence to produce optimum results, so make sure that you are ready and well-adjusted to this fact as well.

Recipe for Madness, or making Good Organic Gardening Compost

If you’re a gardener then you should not mind getting your hands dirty. In this line of work, you need to handle plants, soil, rocks, fertilizer, soil conditioners, etc. and not all times a pair of gardening gloves is handy. At times using glove can prevent you handling some delicate stuff. In this case, you have to get down on your knees and get your hands dirty. And nothing is dirtier that making organic gardening compost.

Organic Composting is a process were biodegradable materials, usually plant clippings, dried leaves or wood matter and household wastes, are turned into soil-like output by combining them with a little air, water and nitrogen. Is that too technical for you? Organic Compost is a dark, crumbly, soil-like substance which functions as soil conditioner, mulch, and fertilizers. It feeds your garden soil the microorganisms that most plants need to grow healthy and strong.

When making your own organic gardening compost, it would be ideal to find a place near your garden and yet it has enough concealment to not affect the overall look of your garden. Does that make sense? Just like one of the famous movies say “hiding in plain sight”. If such is the case, a cleverly painted compost bin would help make the area neater. A corral or a fenced area would do fine.

After setting up your composting area, you start composting by arranging a 3:1 ratio of brown and green organic materials. Green ingredients contain lots of nitrogen while the brown elements contain lots of carbon. Together, they form the basic foundations of a compost file. The green organic components of gardening include grass clipping while the brown components are the dry leaves and other wood products.

If you’re worried about the possible bad smell that would come out of your compost pile, then don’t. When the ratio of greens and browns is correct, you don’t have to worry of any bad smell from your compost pile. Compost should have this earthy smell and not smelling like rot. If you smell the later then there could have been some things that might have been included in the pile or the ratio of the greens and browns components is not correct.

One way to make certain that your compost pile has just the right combination of greens and browns components, is to get a pile of green material and put it in you compost bin. Follow it up with two piles of brown materials. Keep this gong until you have a nice pile of leaves and grass that measures about three feet. At this high, you probably have a base measuring 3 feet also. One good thing of having this large a compost pile is that the greens and browns can easily and quickly break down.

If you want, you could add in a bucket of already finished compost to the newly formed pile. This will help start the process and begin the microbial activities in your compost pile.

Make sure that you add enough moisture to the pile as well. Keeping the compost pile damp will help quicken the breakdown of the organic materials. Add water to the pile and feel a sample. It should be damp, somewhat like a sponge. See, I told you your hands will have to get dirty.

There is a need to turn over your compost pile at least once a week to keep it loose allowing air into the pile and quickens the process of decomposition. After two months, you should have decent quality compost by now. The original materials you used should no longer be recognizable.

As you can see, making organic gardening compost is quite easy and doesn’t require much of your time.

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How to make a Compost Bin for Organic Gardening Compost – Compost Bin Plans

admin — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 04:37:08 +0000

How to make a Homemade Compost Bin

If you intend on making your own compost pile, it would be nice to make an enclosure or compost bin for your convenience and general neatness. There are a number of compost bins commercially available in various garden stores. You can buy a compost bin if you have the money or you can do what I did, make your own compost bin. It’s not difficult and the materials you need are not that many. You can do it with your eyes closed, or maybe not. Here are the plans for making your own compost bin for organic composting, and making organic compost tea.

Some commercially available compost bins have their own systems or devices for turning over the compost. Some have harvesting trays or mechanisms for easier harvest. Those things are just add-ons and are made for added convenience for the consumer. You really don’t need such stuff. All you need is basic enclosures to keep the compost materials from being scattered around the area.

Possibly the only limitations you have in making your own homemade compost bin is the amount of imagination and ingenuity you have. Fortunately, you can look in your storage room or garage and look for suitable materials and most likely you will find some quite suitable ones. They can be made from heavy plastics or wood or tin. Like I said, it’s just a matter of how you handle the “paints” to create a “masterpiece”.

One of my suggestions would be using a wire mesh, a couple of wood planks or even pipes. The idea would be like creating a simple wired fence around your compost pile with the pieces of wooden plans or pipes as support. You can tie the wire mesh to the pipes or planks to make it more secure. The shape is up to you. You can make it round, square, rectangular or even triangle shaped.

Just keep in mind that you will need to have quick access to the compost pile to turn it over at least once each weak. You can create a doorway from the wire mesh or you can make your enclosure in such a way that you can easily lift and put back the whole enclosure.

Also, if you have some left over wooden slats from an old fence or wooden planks from an old shed, I’m sure you can assemble a quite sturdy compost bin in your backyard. Just make sure to let the air in by allowing spaces between the wooden boards. This will keep the air flowing inside the compost pile make decomposition quicker. If you have enough loose boards lying around, you can create a dresser-type compost bin complete with a door with hinges for easy access to the compost pile.

Garbage Can Composter

making a homemade compost bin from a plastic garbage can is SIMPLE and EASY. Look for an old can where you can afford to experiment without being scolded by your wife or your mother later on. What you need to do is punch a couple of holes in your garbage can to allow the air to circulate in the soon composting materials. You just put your composting materials inside the can. Before you cover it, wet the materials inside until they appear damp. One trick I used was a hole saw that you attach to your drill to make 1 inch uniform holes. This looks and works better than small punch holes.

Hole Saw and Drill

When it’s done and ready to go you can turn over and roll it around to let the materials mix while always keeping the compost pile damp. When storing the trashcan compost bin, if would be best to place it above ground. In a month or so, you should be able to get satisfactory results from all your effort.

Making your own compost bin is very easy. You just need to consider the following fundamentals: air should flow inside the bin, you should have quick access to the compost pile, and you should be able to wet the pile when needed. Pretty simple compost bin plans, can’t get much simpler!

Finished Garbage Can Composter

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Compost Tea Recipes for Making Compost Tea

admin — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 03:44:15 +0000

Here’s a list of Simple Organic Compost Tea Recipes, to brew your won organic Compost Tea at home.

Simple Compost Tea Recipe #1

*One small shovel of compost (3 big handfulls)
*2 tbls of molasses, molasses contains several different kinds of sugars,
*2 tbls of seaweed emulsion or fish emulsion for the micro-nutrients (they’ll each give slightly different results)
*1 tsp of citric acid for the bacteria (you can toss in a couple of 500 mg. Vitamin C tablets instead or several tablespoons of lemon juice)
Let the mix bubble for 12-24 hours and then apply immediately. Do not let it sit around or the microorganisms die off and you wind up with anaerobic compost tea(bad stuff).

Simple Compost Tea Recipe #2

* 1 Pound worm castings (or a suitable compost)
* 1 Tablespoon molasses
* 1 Tablespoon humic acid (for example, Turf and Garden Pro)
* 1 Tablespoon fish hydrolysis (for example, Neptune’s Harvest Fish Fertilizer)
* 5 Gallons of water
Let the tea aerate for 3 to 12 hours and use within 8 hours. This makes a concentrated tea that can be used in a variety of ways

Compost Tea Uses

One of the uses of compost tea is a fertilizer like Howard Garrett’s Garrett juice that can be sprayed onto your plants:

* 1 cup concentrated compost tea
* 1 ounce molasses
* 1 ounce natural apple cider vinegar
* 1 ounce liquid seaweed
* 1 gallon water

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Making Organic Compost Tea for Roses from Organic Gardening Compost

admin — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 03:27:34 +0000

Organic Compost Tea from Organic Gardening Compost – Weed and Feed Your Garden

Organic Compost Tea is a great way to feed your roses organically, and to organically rid them of pests and other unwanted diseases such as Powder White Mildew and Aphids. To use organic compost tea to get a nice rose garden and clean out the pests all you’ll need is a bucket of water and some bio-degradable garbage.

This simple recipe is the basis you need to grow happy, healthy, beautiful roses all summer long. Before you start you need to know that you have to compost your bio-degradable garbage first. Organic Compost and water are the only ingredients you need to make a powerful plant supplement known as organic compost tea.

Organic Compost Tea contains a large diversity of actively growing and beneficial reproducing microorganisms that can greatly improve plant and soil health. It also aids the natural biological process in soil to make nutrients and water more available to the root systems of your plants, which helps to maintain healthy, strong, and thriving plants.

Compost in the garden will improve your soil which in turn will reward you with strong plants that are better able to fend off droughts and diseases. Compost improves soil structure and drainage. It can also be used as a fertilizer or a mulch and it enhances the soil’s ability to absorb water.

Organic Compost Tea provides the same benefits to a plant as compost but it doesn’t stop there. Not only can compost tea can applied to the soil around plants, but can be sprayed directly on the leaves. When sprayed directly on the leaves, it increases the amount of nutrients available to the plant and helps fight foliar diseases. It will increase the nutritional value and improve the taste of vegetables.

There are many different ways to make compost tea but most recipes are basically the same, if you steep compost in water you get compost tea. Using rain water is the best to use to make compost tea but you can get by with tap water if rain is scarce. Tap water usually contains enough chlorine in it to kill the beneficial bacteria so let it sit for a few hours or days before using it.

The quickest and easiest way to make compost tea is with an old sock filled with compost. Throw it in a bucket and let it sit for a day and you’ve just made compost tea. There are many ways to make the tea more effective such as using air stones or fish tank bubblers to feed the mixture with oxygen, but the old sock in a bucket method works just fine. Some people add molasses to the mix for microbial food, and there are many secret “Compost Tea Recipes”. You’ll do fine with just a sock filled with compost and a bucket of water. The sock is optional if you have no plans on using a sprayer.

When applying compost tea with a sprayer you have to worry about clogs. Strain the tea before using it or attach some cheese cloth or a piece of panty hose to the sprayer’s intake with rubber bands and you’ll be fine.

If you need more than a few buckets of tea, then an old fish tank or a plastic storage bin would make a great container for brewing compost tea. They also make ready to go Compost Tea Brewers for sale, which we will include at the end of the article.

After you’ve brewed a few batches and are happy with the results why not try Aerobic Compost Tea? This is just Aerated Compost Tea made with a bubble stone to feed your mixture is a constant supply of oxygen. You need to keep it aerated so it doesn’t grow any harmful pathogens.

Some popular ingredients to add to bubbling compost tea are alfalfa, fish emulsion, powdered seaweed, corn meal, green sand and more.

Don’t use manure. Manure tea shouldn’t be used as a foliar spray especially if you’re growing vegetables and who wants manure floating around in their bucket anyway.

Ask a weekend gardener about compost and chances are they’ll tell you it’s powerful stuff with a lot of uses, then ask a serious gardener about compost and they’ll tell you it’s the most important ingredient when making compost tea.

Benefits of Compost Tea Include:

Protecting plants from disease causing organisms
Reduces need for harmful pesticides
Improves nutrient retention in soil
Decreases run-off and leaching
Reduces the need for watering
Helps roots grow deeper/denser
Improves overall soil health
Organic (creates a safer environment for children and pets)

Amazon.Com carries many different compost tea brewers and great prices as well, and they are ready to go!

Ready to go Compost Tea Brewers

Ready Made Compost Tea

Organic Compost Tea Books

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Aphids on Roses – Repellent Recipe

admin — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:26:14 +0000

Aphids on Roses are soft-bodied sucking insects rarely kill plants in your landscaping, but they will cause unsightly damage and can spread disease in your garden. Many natural predators of Aphids on the roses exist which help manage the Aphid populations, so control of Aphids should be targeted to the aphids and not ladybugs, green lace wings, tiny parasitic wasps and hover flies which are there to help combat the Aphids

95 percent of all bugs in your garden are beneficial and chemical pesticides indiscriminately kill anything they touch, the short-term advantage of using them will be overshadowed by the loss of the beneficial insects. The practice of organically feeding the soil instead of the plants makes for healthy soil. Healthy soil means strong growth and a large population of good organisms that will fight pests and disease.

A banana a day keeps the Aphids away. Whenever you eat a banana place the peel at the base of a rose bush. The rose bushes benefit from the potassium in the banana peel and aphids tend to avoid the bushes with banana peels. The peelings turn dark and are “invisible” on the soil within a day or so.

One of the best methods we’ve found to keep aphids, rust and mildew off roses is to wash the bushes a couple times a week with the garden hose. It physically removes aphids and the spores which cause fungal problems. Make sure to leave enough time for the rose bushes to dry before sunset as wet leaves invite fungal problems at night.

Inspect rose bushes regularly for signs of aphid infestation. Aphids secrete a sweet substance called honeydew and if allowed to stay on leaves it will become a growing ground for sooty mold that is black. Ants love this honeydew and will actually farm aphids and protect them to insure a good source of honeydew. If you see ants on rose bushes, it’s a sure sign of an active aphid infestation.

Insecticide soap and Neem oil will also help control aphids, but beware; they will also kill beneficial insects. A great recipe for controlling Aphids and to make your roses unpalatable to aphids and other pests, spray them with a ½ and ½ solution of Listerine and water. This will be an untasteful solution that will keep Aphids away and protect your roses.

If you follow these simple chores, your roses should give you beautiful blooms from late March through December.

Aphids on Roses

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How to Plant a Bareroot Knock Out Rose

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 03:07:16 +0000

From the Conard-Pyle Website, The People who bring you the Knock Out Rose come step by step instructions on how to plant the Bareroot Knock Out Rose.

How to Plant a Bareroot Knock Out Rose:

Step 1. Soak
Soak your bareroot rose in water for 1 to 6 hours. A bucket works well for just a couple roses, while a large garbage can will work if planting several roses.

Step 2. Dig the hole
Dig a hole that is twice as wide and deep as the roots. Incorporate organic material such as manure, shredded leaves or peat moss (potting soil can also be used) into the existing soil making sure that the hole is still deep enough. Backfill the hole slightly to form a mound in the center of the hole.

Step 3. Planting
Position the rose roots over the mound making sure that it stays straight up. You may have to hold the rose in place and backfill more to make sure the bud union (the knobby part of the stem base) is at the correct level. In zones 6-10, the bud union should be about 1″ above the soil surface. In zones 5 and under, it’s a good idea to bury the bud union 1″ or so under the soil surface.

Step 4. Back fill
Back fill hole with soil, firming into place, adding more soil as needed.

Step 5. Watering and Mulching
Water thoroughly around base of plant allowing it to soak in. Repeat step 4 if necessary.

Step 6. Mound and Protect
Bareroot roses are dormant when shipped and they must be protected from drying out until the roots become established. It is important to cover at least 1/3 of the exposed canes with mulch or soil.

Step 7. Watering
For the next couple weeks, check in and water plant as needed to ensure it stays healthy.

Step 7. Check In
In a few weeks, shoots will begin to emerge through the mounding material. It is then safe to remove the mounded material by carefully pulling it away from the base of the bush or by washing it away with a hose. Water your newly planted rose bushes often to ensure that they get a good start. When the rose blooms in about seven to eight weeks, it will be time for good fertilization.

Bareroot Knock Out Rose

How to Plant a Knock Out Rose Bush- Step by Step Instructions

admin — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 03:02:43 +0000

From the Conard-Pyle Rose Company and website, the company that standardized the Knock Out Rose comes step by step instructions on how to plant a Knock Out Rose.

Rose Breeder, Bill Radler, has revolutionized the way we think of roses. With the creation of The Knock Out Rose, many say that he single-handedly brought rose genetics from the 20th Century into the 21st Century. The Knock Out Rose, his first commercial success and a 2000 AARS winner, has since broken all records for sales of a new rose. Today The Knock Out Rose is the most widely sold rose in North America.

Instructions for Planting The Knock Out Rose

How to Plant a Knock Out Rose, Container Rose

Step 1. Dig the hole
Dig a hole that is twice as wide and deep as the container. Incorporate organic material such as manure, shredded leaves or peat moss (potting soil can also be used) into the existing soil making sure that the hole is still deep enough.

Step 2. Remove the rose from the container
If the soil in the container looks very dry, be sure to water it well before planting. Remove the rose from the container and prune any canes that are broken, injured or are thinner than a pencil. Be sure to loosen the roots if they are thick and root bound.

Step 3. Planting
Place the rose in the center of the hole making sure that the bud union (the knobby part of the stem base) is at the correct level. In zones 6-10, the bud union should be about 1″ above the soil surface. In zones 5 and under, it’s a good idea to bury the bud union 1″ or so under the soil surface.

Step 4. Back Fill
Back fill hole with soil, firming into place, adding more soil as needed.

Step 5. Watering and Mulching
Water thoroughly around base of plant allowing it to soak in. Repeat as necessary.

Step 6. Check In
For the next couple weeks, check in and water plant as needed to ensure it stays healthy. Mulch around plant to help retain moisture and reduce weeds.

Tips For Growing Miniature Roses

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:22:36 +0000

Many people are discovering the beauty of the miniature rose. In full bloom, roses are very beautiful. Surprisingly they aren’t as fragile when it comes to growing as individuals might believe. Miniature roses grow from five inches in height. In fact, some species will reach an even greater height. At any rate, growing these flowers can be quite pleasurable.

You will need to pay special attention to miniature roses if you want to grow them inside. They will most likely need more light than a sunny window will give them. Miniature roses will show if they are getting enough sunlight through the stems. More sun is needed if the stems look as though they are reaching out. You will be able to see wide spacing between the leaves.

As with many flowers, these roses require a great deal of moisture when they’re kept indoors. To provide humidity place the container of miniature roses in a bowl or a tray of pebbles and water. The small stones will keep the container above the water level which will prevent the soil from becoming soggy or waterlogged. When it slowly evaporates the water will provide the roses with extra humidity. However, if the house is really dry the owner can occasionally use a mist vaporizer.

Pests are likely to infect miniature rose plants both indoors and outdoors. Whiteflies and spider mites commonly are drawn to indoor roses. By washing the tops and undersides of each leave, one can reduce the chances or even completely avoid damaging pests. To protect against whiteflies in particular, its best to use pest insecticide soap on the plants at least once a week. These products contain alcohol, which means that you must keep the miniature roses out of light until the alcohol has completely dried.

In the event your roses are attacked and you have other plants, make sure to separate them to prevent the pests from going after them as well. Also, if the attack is severe enough you can cut a portion of the miniature roses back. It will re-grow and sometimes even take on a fuller appearance. Beautiful rose blooms can be achieved by using a fertilizer with a very high potassium content. You should mix the fertilizer with water to a strength and use it at least once every week.

Many people who grow miniature roses alternate between indoor and outdoor growing, according to the seasons. This can be beneficial, due to the pests that they are prone to. Miniature roses that are grown in containers outdoors have a tendency to lose moisture quickly. Miniature roses are able to fare well planted in gardens.

This variety of rose is new to the indoor gardening world, but is gaining in popularity. People are quick to realize how simple they are to care for. Miniature rose plants are attractive to look at and have blooms that produce a pleasant aroma.

Miniature Roses

The Basics of Miniature Rose Care, or How Not To Kill a Miniature Rose Bush

Rose Bush Care Tips » Additional Articles

Tips on Planting Roses by Bill Radler, Breeder of the “Knock Out Rose”

Related Posts:

Breeder of the Knockout Rose, Bill Radler – Video

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Make Your Own Organic Gardening Compost

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How to make a Compost Bin for Organic Gardening Compost – Compost Bin Plans

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Compost Tea Recipes for Making Compost Tea

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Making Organic Compost Tea for Roses from Organic Gardening Compost

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Aphids on Roses – Repellent Recipe

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How to Plant a Bareroot Knock Out Rose

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How to Plant a Knock Out Rose Bush- Step by Step Instructions

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Tips For Growing Miniature Roses

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