America’s favorite flower is also the insect world’s favorite flower. The first rose buds of spring are usually covered with the first aphids of spring!
A little cool, cloudy weather, and powdery mildew may form on the leaves, stems, and buds. A little rain in the early spring and black spot disease may develop on the leaves. If that is not enough trouble, a new disease called downy mildew is heading into Southern California.
If you make it into summer without any of these major calamities, you still have probably the worst pest of all to deal with, the deadly spider mite! The spider mite is more closely related to spiders than to other insects, and many insecticides have little effect on them.
A recently discovered natural product holds some promise for the future. For thousands of years in central India, plagues of locust would descend upon the plains. These grasshoppers would devour everything in their path. Individuals who were observing the damage began to notice that one particular species of tree was not being devoured – the Neem tree. In fact, the insects would not even land on the Neem tree.
Several thousand years and millions of gallons of pesticide later, scientists have finally extracted the active ingredient from the seed of the Neem tree. This material, called Neem oil, has been registered for use on roses, flowers, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and herbs, basically everything that grows. It has insecticidal and fungicidal properties. It will also control spider mites. The fact that Neem oil is naturally derived product means that it will be safer for you and safer for our environment.
So, armed with Neem oil and a bag of planter mix, go ahead and plant more roses and just dare the bugs to come!
For additional information, consult the garden pros at Green Thumb Garden Center, 23734 San Fernando Road (a.k.a. Newhall Ave.), Newhall.