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n Planting Facts 
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Roses 
Soils and Preparation 
Soils in the South are variable, perhaps in some cases more so than elsewhere. Hence it is hard to 
lay clown general rules. Locations under the shade of trees or where the ground is filled with tree 
roots should be avoided. Wet soils should be drained, although the Rose delights in a moist soil. 
On clay lands, little preparation is needed, except to enrich them and make them more friable and 
easily managed by adding stable manure. Sandy soils should be improved by adding clay wherever 
possible, ancl with it leaf-mold and manure. Closely planted beds may be prepared by digging out 
15 inches deep, and then filling in 6 inches of good clay and finishing with 9 inches of good soil, mold 
and manure mixed. It is best to make the beds up two or three weeks l)cfore planting. C'herokee 
stock overcomes many of these drawbacks, and Roses budded on this stock may be successfully 
grown on the lighter soils with less expensive prcj)aration. We recommend Roses on this stock for 
light soils and for those soil conditions where it is diflicult to bring Roses to perfection. In making 
up the beds and in planting there is no better fertilizer to use than raw ground bone. Use it liberally, 
Miixed with the soil—two pounds per bush is not too much. 
Planting 
“The finest effects are secured by planting a dozen Roses of one kind, for instance, rather than 
by planting an ecjual number made up of several different varieties.” 
'File planting season in the South is from F)ecember i, or as soon as the plants are dormant, 
through the winter and spring months to about April 15. \\'hen the plants are received, it is well to 
set them in buckets of water overnight, if they have been delayed in transit, or bury them completely 
for a day or two in moist soil. They are already pruned for planting, but any broken roots should be 
trimmed off. Our grafted plants should be set with the graft union 3 or 4 inches below the surface. 
Space them 2^^ to 3 feet apart. Spread the roots out carefully, fill in with good soil mixed with 
bonemeal, ]iack the earth tight about the roots, leave a basin, and water well. 
Fertilizing and Care 
Thorough preparation of the soil before planting will take care of the fertilizing problem for some 
time. Hut as Roses are gross feeders, it is necessary to keep them supplied with an abundance of 
plant food. Stable manure may be used, liberally scattered on the surface as a mulch, and good, wcll- 
lialanced commercial fertilizer may also be used from time to time. A mulch of 3 to 4 inches of 
leaves or partly rotted leaves and leaf-mold is excellent, particularly during the summer months. 
During dry weather, water freely. 
I'ea Roses do not recpiire very severe pruning. Prune in September and October for fall and winter 
bloom; in late l^'ebruary and March for the spring crop of flowers. Thin out small and poorly developed 
wood. C'ut Hybrid Perpetuals severely leaving only 3 or 4 inches of the old canes. C'limbers should 
be j)runed sjwringly. 
Shoots sometimes come up from the stock below the graft union and take the food-supply to such 
an extent that they destroy the Rose top. The leaves on these shoots generally have seven leaflets 
and are quite clifTcrcnt in appearance. 'Fhey should be removed by digging down to the point of union 
with the stem and cutting them of! smooth and clean. 
Pests 
The pests which cause most trouble in Rose-growing arc aphis and thrips, black-spot and powdery 
mildew. Sooner or later some one of these is likely to appear, and the rose-grower should be prepared 
to take care of them. 
Aphis or green plant-lice attack the new growth, whether of bud or shoot. They are sucking insects. 
'Fhrips are usually noticed in the flowers, though they also work on the new growth. They are the 
cause of flowers failing to open, turning brown and withering up. Some varieties are much worse 
affected by thrips than others. Aphis may be removed by syringing thoroughly with water from the 
hose. Both of these pests can be well handled by spraying with a mixture of one pound of laundry 
soap and one ounce of Black-Leaf 40, or other tobacco extract, to 8 gallons of water. Dissolve the 
soap in the water by boiling, add the Black-Leaf 40, and spray thoroughly. In treating the plants 
for thrips, prune off all open and partly open flowers early in the morning before spraying; handle 
the primings carefully and place them in a bucket of water with a quarter inch of kerosene floating 
on the surface. Repeat this treatment in four or five days if the thrips appear again. They may come 
in from other vegetation or the eggs on the Roses may not be destroyed. 
42 
Souther 
Gloix Saint 
s ej'i 6 s 
