Roses

I actually thought they were doing OK but after a move (they are in pots) to increase sunlight and air circulation there has not been a lot of improvement. I have two hybrid Ts, Peace and Double Delight and a floribunda, Bonica.

This year they've had rose canker, mildew, caterpillars, bud worm and mealybug. The roses are in a good potting mix, well drained but probably do not have the level of organic material they prefer.

What can I do now

• Rose canker is easily prevented by ensuring secateurs are sharp and cleaned with methylated spirits.
• Control mildew/mould outbreaks with a baking soda solution every 7 days
• Control aphids with Natrasoap, they will definitely appear when roses have young shoots
• Remove damaged stems and spent flowers as they appear
• Add some blood and bone

Try again next year.

Tomato yeild 2008/2009

This is the first year that I've had tomatoes before Christmas, around 600g. Pruning was a bit severe but may have helped bring on some earlier fruit. In future only remove those leaves near the ground, about 20-30cm to improve air circulation. Will leave them alone for now to leaf up. My beefsteak tomato is producing good fruit but still green and small.
We tasted our first tomato last night (19 Dec) (variety unknown, roma style) and found them quite nice, low acid. I made my favourite bean and tomato salad and squeezed some extra tomato juice over the top. Its a traditional Italian recipe which I discovered when I was also growing my own beans, (Purple King, great taste, no storage capacity but highly productive) a few years ago.

Dipel

My geraniums in the window box under my bedroom window have been eaten by caterpillars. I've been picking them off one by one but decided to see how Dipel works. It's been available for about 30 years!

Dipel is an insecticide containing Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria, caterpillars apparently stop eating immediately once they have ingested it, taking about three days for them to die. Confidor is an alternative but too toxic for home gardener use however, it is usually the only product available at hardware stores.

Dipel spores are killed off by sunlight so it should be applied every 7 days when infestations are high.

Although it is safer to use, always wear eye protection, gloves and dust mask especially when opening sachets as spores break loose into the air. The same protection should be worn when spraying pyrethrum, dusts or organic pesticides. Packaging never provides enough information on personal protection equipment.

I now would never buy premixed trigger/spray packs for any product. I purchased PestOil (Yates) only a few days ago, I could not adjust the droplet size and it ran down my hand. More of a problem was a pyrethrum spray pack that I purchased a few years ago. The pack leaked badly, despite it being organic is too toxic for this to be acceptable.

Recipe for control of fungus

In 2 litres of water add a drop of vegetable oil, a drop of detergent, 4 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda and spray plants every 7 days for the entire growing season. It's perfect for most fungal problems and I'm using this on my roses and tomatoes.

This a remedy from Gardening Australia.

Tomatoes - Potash

I added some Potash (Potassium) to my tomatoes (10g to a watering can) as it assists fruit development and ripening. I have lots of large unripe tomatoes which are taking their time to ripen. Hopefully this will help. Noticed that this year they have been attacked by caterpillars, whiteflys, mildew (now under control). I will water in some Charlie Carp next weekend. Everything else appears normal, uneven watering was a problem a few weeks ago.