Organic Rose Gardening
For Organic Rose Gardening Use Composting and Save Money
“Mary, Mary how does your garden grow?” Many rose enthusiasts have turned to organic rose gardening as they become more involved in protecting our environment from harmful chemicals. Roses have been grown for thousands of years and long before chemical products were ever introduced. If you maintain an organic yard you are able to extend the life of your roses and other plants while keeping your family, pets, and wildlife away from the harmful effects of chemicals.
The earth, plants, and wildlife have been around for millions of years doing fine on their own without the help of man. It’s when man decides that he can do better than nature that things become unbalanced. For plants to thrive they absorb nutrients and water through their roots. Through the process of photosynthesis plants use water and sunlight to make energy. Soil naturally contains bacteria, fungi, nematodes, worms, and other organisms that break down decaying materials that enrich the soil. The use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides destroys the naturally occurring organisms and disrupts the relationship of the roses and the soil. The role of natural bacteria is to protect the rose roots from harmful fungi that can harm the plant. Another problem is that your roses become dependent on chemical fertilizers.
When growing roses organically, the good news is that it is easy and inexpensive to do. You don’t have to purchase chemical fertilizers or pest control. You are still going to feed the soil and care for your roses but without these things. To give the soil a little boost you will want to work compost into the soil of a new garden or use it as top dressing or mulch in an existing garden. You can build a compost pile in an obscure spot in your yard by adding decaying plant and lawn materials, animal waste, dried leaves and vegetable and fruit peels and allowing them to decompose. Stir your pile at least once a week and to speed up the process you can find Enzymes at the local garden store that will hasten the decaying process. You can containerize you compost but it will still need to be turned. If cost is not a concern there are even compost containers that have a built-in mechanism to stir the contents.
Organic gardening also means avoiding most types of pest control. Some pesticides not only kill the insects that are doing damage to your plants, but they also kill the good insects that help your plants by eating harmful ones. Some of the beneficial insects are lady bugs and wasps. Birds will eat grubs, and even frogs, lizards, and snakes help to prevent pest problems. Rose growers can purchase organic or natural pesticides that are very effective and less toxic to your plants. They are made to target only a specific type of pest or insect and not harm other organisms.
The reason for growing roses is to enjoy the fragrance, the largest blooms, and to have beautiful roses in your garden. In the process you can be environmentally responsible by using organic gardening practices and saving money that would have been spent on chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides.
For more information get your copy of Guide to Growing Roses here
