Your plants are blooming. The colors are vibrant. Although it's tempting to cut long stems and bring these beauties into the house or take them to a friend, please resist this urge! In the long run, your roses will fare much better if you enjoy your rose blooms in the garden this first bloom cycle. Another very important practice is first bloom cycle. Another very important practice is called "dead-heading". By not cutting to a 5-lead leaflet, you will get two or more stems to grow on each stem that bloomed. These will originate lower on the existing stems building a stronger, bushier plant for the rest of the growing season. Leaving most all of the leaves on the plants will allow them to more quickly become energized and repeat blooms for the second cycle in July.

You can assist your plants to be more vigorous with new growth at the base by the following steps, to be accomplished during the first bloom period or after it is finished

• Remove 4 to 6 inches of leaves at the bottom of each plant. Most of these leaves at the bottom of each plant. Most of these leaves are shaded by the leaves above and therefore provide little energy at this stage of growth. Since they are close to the ground, they will tend to get the fungus "blackspot". Spider mites that crawl up the stems and onto the undersides of the lower leaves can be "washed off" with a fine hard water spray if the foliage I up above the mulch or ground. To control mites, you need to start rinsing off the undersides of the leaves tow or more times weekly when daytime temperatures reach 85 degrees. Your plants will love the cooling effect of the "bath" and no disease will be possible if the leaves dry before dark!!!
• After removing the lower leaves, apply two tablespoons of Epsom salts evenly on the ground around each plant (should cover 4 square feet).
• Apply a dry fertilizer, whatever you have 1\4 to 1\2 cup per plant as distant from each rose plant's center as is possible (i.e.., 24" or more). Make the roots reach out for their food. There is no top growth without root growth. The more root growth the larger and more vigorous your plants will become.
• Now that summer is here, we need to mulch our rose beds. Two inches of a woody type material should be sufficient to do the following:

1. Keep the ground temperatures cool. Roses quit growing when soil temperatures where the roots are reach 70 degrees F
2. Soil moisture can be maintained more easily.,
3. A sterile mulch provides a buffer between the plant and the disease spores that exist in the soil helping to prevent fungal disease.
4. As mulches break down, they give off gasses that are absorbed by the leaves of the plant activating the nutrients that the plant has taken in.

Now if you're really serious about having vigorous roses you may want to try this concoction called ALFALFA TEA.

Materials needed:

• 32 gallon, leak proof, plastic garbage can with a tight lid
• Alfalfa meal or pellets
• Available water
• Monty's Joy Juice
• A long stirring stick

Preparation:

• Add 6 cups alfalfa to the container
• Fill nearly to the top with water
• Add 5 tablespoons of Joy Juice and stir until the alfalfa is wet.
• Cover tightly and let steep for 5 days or so
• Uncover and stir the foamy green fermented solution. It STINKS!!!
• It's ready to apply one gallon or so on the leaves and around each medium to large plant, only a quart per miniature.

When the garbage can is nearly empty, pour out the sediment in the garden or on the soil where you have other plants that need a boost. Recharge garbage and you'll be ready to do again next week. It won't burn.

Alfalfa may be scratched into the soil; 1 or 2 cups around each large bush. This works well but the concentrated tea works a lot faster.

Alfalfa contains a growth hormone called Triacontanol. This organic material is a food that activates the soil organisms that convert nutrients into a form the plants can use,.

If you can stand the smell, you'll LOVE the results. Don't forget to water the ground before spraying to prevent disease and insects. This discipline is essential to have healthy, vigorous growing roses.

What about those Japanese beetles? Is there anything we can do? Check next month from the top of the page and we'll look at some options.