Temecula Valley Rose Society

President's Message

A New Project – Long-Term Funding for Rose Haven Heritage Garden

The Board of Directors and the Finance Committee have started research and fact-finding on a new project—the long-term funding for Rose Haven. This is needed to ensure the longevity of our special garden.

We've taken a few steps already, talking with a financial planner who feels that we can be successful in our venture. It's going to be a challenge for all of us, relying on the talents, skills and willingness of our members. Publicity and networking, phone calls, letter writing, event planning, food donations, all must be accomplished to eventually meet our financial goal. This won't be easy and it won't be done quickly.

If you have comments, concerns or fund-raising ideas, please contact a Board member. As we make progress, more information will be forthcoming at meetings and in our newsletter.

It's A Name Change Only

The store we knew for many years as "L&M" located at 28690 Las Haciendas was at one time the only gardening and farming store in Temecula. A few years ago the business was sold and became "Crop Production Services". Now there is another change—a merger of two companies, named "Nutrien Ag Services". Same location, same helpful staff and same generous donations to our raffle table. Give them a visit. There is a big new sign out front. Susan, Gary and Paul will be glad to serve you.

Grocery Cards Benefit TVRS

Our speaker for October will be Master Gardener Sheila James who is also Chair of the Speaker's Bureau for the Riverside County Master Gardeners. She will talk about Olla, a watering and irrigation technique developed by the ancient Aztecs and in China using Olla pots. The practice of using Olla pots to water gardens is making a comeback in modern times and is considered by many to be a more efficient method of watering.

A light buffet luncheon will be served at 11:30. Guests are welcome.

October Birthdays & New Members

Birthdays   Frances Merritt, Oct 13; Joycelyn Black, Oct 25

New Members   There are no new members this month.

Little Rose Show

The September show was not much to see. I brought 5 specimens from my yard, most of which were quite sad looking. But at least I tried to share. "Gardens of the World" was my best summer bloom, quite a lot smaller than usual, but still spectacular in color. "Marilyn Monroe" and "Smokin' Hot" were not worth showing. "Ralph's Creeper", a shrub groundcover, had one bright red bloom showing, with several buds ready to open. "Jean Kenneally" a miniature spray, was definitely a winner. (Jean herself was at my garden a few years back. She loved that I had 10 of her namesake plants, and enjoyed walking among them.)

With cooler weather, we should have some blooming going on, so let's fill up the table for the October meeting. Six entries are allowed. Assistance is available. Bring your own containers.

Rose Haven Garden

As autumn has arrived we have enjoyed cooler nights prompting our roses to begin flowering after the long, long, hot summer. Visitors have been plentiful and several groups have requested guided tours of the garden. Anyone interested in being a docent, we surely would appreciate you volunteering. Rebecca is our coordinator in this area. You can contact her at RoseHavenTemecula@gmail.com

Our next garden committee meeting is Wednesday, October 24th at 9:30. The meeting location is at the garden, 30592 Jedediah Smith Road, Temecula. We review projects and improvements needed to maintain the garden. Members interested are always welcome to attend the meeting.

Rose Haven garden is at 30592 Jedediah Smith Rd. in Temecula.

Rose Care FUNdamentals

Last month I gave illustrations and descriptions for mid-season pruning with a suggested timeline for pruning and restarting your feeding program. What may not have been clear is that this is a light pruning, and must be carefully calibrated with the weather conditions. Specifically, when temps remain in the 90+ range, you must take care to not remove too much foliage because this can overexpose canes to the fierce sun, resulting in sunburn, which can damage or kill otherwise healthy canes or even the entire plant.

If you're planning to have roses for a special occasion later this year, it will take hybrid teas 6 to 8 weeks from this pruning and feeding. Floribundas and miniatures will take a little less time. This cycle of bloom is the second best of the season and necessary to achieve maximum potential. Exhibitors are pruning and planning to time for the fall shows in the area and AZ.

After pruning, restart your feeding program. Make sure the plants are thoroughly watered the day before you feed. I recommend organic types and alternating with fish emulsions. Use a fertilizer that contains greater percentage of (P) phosphate in relation to (N) nitrogen and (K) potassium. This will encourage stronger root systems and thus boost resistance to stress. If temperatures are in 90s or above and you do not use organics, hold off fertilizing until weather cools down. If you use a fertilizer that is first dissolved in water, apply it right over the bush from top to bottom. A hybrid tea needs about two gallons of solution and should be watered in after a couple of days. If you use a dry granular product, scratch it into the soil surface around the base of the plant to drip line, and then water it in. Apply at the concentration recommended on label. If growing in pots, use half the recommended concentration but apply it more frequently. Repeat your applications every two weeks. The last date for fertilizing is 30 days before the frost date, which is around mid-November in the Temecula Valley.

When temperatures continue to be in the 90's, it is necessary to ensure plants receive adequate water to stay hydrated. It takes only a few days in these temperatures without sufficient water for a bush to become seriously stressed and even damaged. I suggest that HT rose bush can survive with 3 gallons of water twice a week, so make that your absolute minimum. A layer of 4 inches of mulch will greatly reduce evaporation of soil moisture. This year the soil dries out more quickly than in previous years due to less water being applied as in previous years and, in general, the dryer soil environment. With potted roses this is even more critical. Assess conditions every morning. Look for wilted or dry, crispy foliage. If you discover it soon enough, dousing with plenty of water may save the plant. If you wait to inspect until the afternoon or evening it may be too late or you might not get a good assessment of the plant's condition: After a hot day, most plants can appear a little wilted while still receiving sufficient hydration.

Also inspect your irrigation system to make sure it is delivering enough water, isn't clogged, and isn't over watering—all problems that come with age in drip irrigation systems. If an emitter is delivering much more or much less water than others on the line, it can change the system pressure and affect the other emitters. The simple solution: Replace it! If a clay pot is used more water is needed as the clay will absorb moisture from the potting soil and evaporate through the porous clay material. Plastic pots are better as they will not absorb moisture from the soil. Another possible problem with potted plants is the soil can pull away from the sides of the pot and water will just run through and out the drain holes in the bottom. This problem can be corrected by pressing the soil back against the inside sides of the pot when the soil is wet. Most people use black plastic pots as containers, these tend heat the soil in them from the sunshine an added reason to check these plants frequently for soil pulled away from the sides and damaged roots from the heat. Ideally these pots should be placed in another larger one for some insulation.

It's not too early to start thinking about which roses you will remove and what you'll replace them with. Very few suppliers have catalogs any longer but most have online catalogs. If you haven't mulched recently, estimate the amount of composted mulch you'll need in order to cover your garden beds 4" deep and plan to buy it for this coming winter or spring. An area 10 feet by 5 feet will require 4-5 cubic yards of mulch.

A common problem when hot, dry, dusty conditions prevail is spider mites. This topic was covered in a previous care column which you can find on TemeculaValleyRoseSociety.org newsletter; look for Care for September 2013. There has been a more recent invasion by Chili Thrips, which are even smaller than the thrips we've encountered in the past. They can do more damage and quicker. Control requires constant vigilance and spraying (sadly). Some control has been achieved with use of a Spinosad bacterial spray, which I have used with some success on early detection of the symptoms. For more serious symptoms and/or delay in treatment, consult the local horticulturist or county extension for Chili Thrip pest management to identify more effective pest management alternatives. In all cases, read the label carefully for what it treats, and apply it by carefully following all directions.

Chili Thrip damage

A local rose show that you may want to put on your calendar is coming up in San Diego on October 27. This would also give you the opportunity to attend a National Rose Show Convention. Information about the convention can be found searching here.

A valuable bi-monthly magazine which covers rose topics is the American Rose published by the American Rose Society (ARS). Go to www.ARS.org for more information on obtaining it.

For more ideas, visit TVRS' Rose Haven garden at 30592 Jedediah Smith Rd., Temecula, as well as our web site at TemeculaValleyRoseSociety.org/index.shtml. Spread the joy of roses!