The Dirt Gardener's Column for March 6

Q. I know it’s late but I've just pruned my roses. There was lots of new growth so I just thinned them a bit and removed the dead wood. Should they be sprayed with dormant spray? I've had Black Spot in previous years and some mildew, so I'd like to prevent them this year.

A. It’s not too late to prune roses. The only negative effect from the late pruning is you’ll delay flowering; however; based on what you did, I’m not sure that this will be an issue. It is too late to apply dormant spray. If applied now, you’ll more than likely burn the foliage. Dormant spray cleans up over wintering spores but has no affect in preventing the diseases later in the year. You should clean up any of the debris that has accumulated under the bushes. Rust, Mildew and Black Spot are air-borne fungus that infect roses when moisture remains on the foliage after the sun set. They’re a serious problem when the rainy season extends into late April. The long range forecast indicated that we’ll have several wet periods in the up coming months so the rose diseases maybe an area wide problem. You’ll need to be pro-active with your fungicide to keep the rose leaves pristine. While there are many fungicides available to control Rust, Black Spot and Mildew, none of them will eradicate the diseases. Fungicides must be applied prior to the disease showing up to be effective in preventing the problem(s) from occurring. We usually end up reacting to it after the fact as you’re to late when you see the diseases. The infection occurred ten to fourteen days earlier. Bayer Advanced Rose And Flower Care is a unique solution to preventing rose diseases. It’s the only systemic, fungicide available that gives six-weeks control per application for Rust, Black Spot and Mildew on roses as well as many other plants. It also controls Aphids and many other insects along with feeding your bushes. This three and one product is not sprayed on the plant but applied to the roots in a bucket of water. I’d apply it when the forecast indicates wet weather is ahead. One application should be sufficient to keep your roses disease free with a minimal amount of effort.

Q. I need some advise on an old Meyer Lemon. The tree has been laden with lemons since we moved in last November and they just keep ripening by the droves but now I don't see any new fruit forming. What should I do to encourage more fruit production?

A. Meyer lemon should bloom throughout the growing season usually on the new growth with fruit maturing accordingly. To encourage the new growth, I’d feed it Citrus Food monthly. You should see flowers and then fruit forming in about six weeks. This might be an excellent time to shape the lemon bush by pruning it before the production begins again.

by Buzz Bertolero, CCNP