Today I administered first aid to several rose bushes. They were newly planted but not leafing out as well as the rest. Most of the six had some leafing started, but two did not.
I only needed two tools. One was a bucket or two of rainwater. If you are out of rainwater or not collecting it, water standing for 24 hours or lake water will do. Those two do not have inhibiting chlorine compounds in them. Rainwater has the added advantage of usable nitrogen compounds. That is why rain will green up a lawn quickly even though a long watering will not do much - except keep it alive.
The other tool was a pair of strong pruning shears. The purists would have you use the scissors cutting type rather than the anvil kind. The idea is to cut through the canes and remove a little from one or perhaps several canes.
Some newly planted bare root roses will have dead wood, which detracts from the health of the plant. Sometimes a new cane simply dies and looks wooden rather than green. When deadwood is tossed on concrete, it sounds just like a pencil, dry and hard. I suspect that the cold weather nipped some of the new roses.
Pruning the green healthy canes will also spur growth. It is the nature of all bushes to become more active in growing when pruned.
The cures are not sprays and inorganic fertilizers, but God's own rainwater and pruning.
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| Falling In Love Rose |
Falling In Love Rose is growing beautifully, after a hard pruning.
I planted blackberries where we once only had plantain weeds. We mulched last fall, and the soil was ready and wormy - not as abundantly blessed as the main rose garden, but certainly under the care of red wigglers. With more watering and root growth, the earthworms will multiply with the other soil creatures.
I woke up early and began soaking the blackberry plants in rainwater. Several hours later I planted them, put the mulch back, and watered them.
I tried out the Jackson Aqueduct, sending water around the yard in two phases - first on the rose garden for Mrs. Gardener, along the fence, then along the vertical garden on Mrs. Wright's side. She came over and gave me permission to use their concrete blocks for a Creature Convention Center. I also ordered a hanging platform bird feeder, so we can watch them closer to the house.
One of the fun aspects of bird feeding is how they chase their pals from one source, so birds land on another - if there are alternatives.
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| Feed the creatures in the soil, feed the plants - healthy soil means healthy humans. |