August 2010
Feed them right
By Ludwig Taschner

August presents the last opportunity for pruning, even in those areas where it would normally be done in July – it is better to prune late than not at all. It is not so much when you prune that affects the flowering time in October, but the weather in each region. For instance, roses that were pruned on 15 July can be expected to flower on 25 September in Durban, 5 October in Pretoria and Pietermaritzburg, 10 October in Johannesburg, around 15 to 20 October in Bloemfontein, and between 20 to 30 October in the Western Cape. In the really cold places, such as Harrismith, Ficksburg, Underberg and Clarens, where pruning is best delayed to the second half of August, one needs to wait until the first week in November for the roses to be glorious.

In gardens where the roses were pruned in July, the roses should be sprouting with red new leaves and the only thing that you need to look out for is aphids on the tips of the new growth. They suck out the sap and can deform the new growth but are not a danger to the plant. They can be washed off with a jet of strong water or sprayed with Ludwig’s Insect Spray plus. No other spraying is required at this stage and it will only be necessary to fertilise at the end of August, when the roses enter their most active growing phase. Do not over fertilise and keep to the recommended 30 g of Vigorosa or 50 g of the conventional rose fertiliser, per bush. Large climbers that spread out over a larger area can receive a double dose. Vigorosa contains sufficient potassium sulphate (Epsom salts) so this does not need to be applied separately.
Water well after you fertilise and then once a week thereafter. From the end of August watering can be increased to twice a week as the rose enters its most active growing phase.
The best foundation you can lay for the new season is to enrich the soil. If this was not done after pruning then put a 10 to 20 cm deep layer of organic material on the rose bed and dig it into the first 30 cm of soil. Coarse materials, including peanut shells, homemade compost and lawn cuttings mixed with leaves or bark chips, are ideal. The rose roots are most active in the first 30 cm of soil and need water, air and nutrients to be easily available.
The August winds make it necessary to check the stakes and ties on your standard roses. For the best support, the T-bar of the stake should reach into the crown. Make quite sure that the ties are not too tight. Broad, stretchable ties are best, such as stockings or the plastic ties that are available at most garden centres. The stakes and stems may also be bound up with hessian or strips of shade cloth; this keeps the sap cool during its way up and down the long, exposed stems.

Rose of the month
‘Moonlit Spire’ KORcoliru
‘Moonlit Spire’ is superb for decorating an uninteresting background such as a high, bare wall, and for providing colour at the back of a large bed.
The creamy yellow blooms, reminiscent of a full moon, are carried in abundance on the tall, two-metre high plant. It is a fast grower, reaching the required height within a few months of planting, and is rewarding for its profusion of shapely pointed buds that open into large, full-bodied, long-lasting blooms.