'Roses are red, pink, yellow or white -- To get rid of the beetles, use a flashlight at night." Here’s the way
to rosy futureWhile this may not have the romantic ring of the "Violets are blue" couplet, there's probably more truth in it. Rose beetles are the plague of local rose growers, chewing holes in the leaves, and despite all the more high-tech methods, the best way to get rid of the pests is to go out after dark with a flashlight and pull them off the plants.
Baldo Villegas, an entomologist, is an environmental research scientist for the State of California's Department of Food and Agriculture and an amateur grower of roses, or rosarian. He spends his working hours on biological controls of plant pests and some of his recreational hours on his 600 rose plants, and he can't think of a better method either. Villegas is part of a team of mainland rose experts that will host a seminar on growing roses here on March 27.
Villegas, who lives in Sacramento, talked about growing roses in Honolulu. In the first place, it's not easy. "It's not only the rose beetles," he said, "it's the climate. It's too wet, and you don't have a winter. Roses need a dormant period in cold weather." In spite of those shortcomings, Villegas says you can grow roses here if you pick the right kind.
And that's another part of the problem. "This is pure speculation, but it could be an answer. One of the problems we encountered in Hawaii years ago is that no matter how well they treated their roses, local rosarians were losing their plants after they'd been in the ground three or four years. This was also happening in Florida, where the climate is similar," he said.
"Then in Florida they began using Fortuniana as a rootstock (for grafting other varieties of roses), and it seems that those roses last longer in the soil. Hawaii's climate is more like Florida than California, but most of the rootstock used in Hawaii comes from California. This is just a guess, but maybe your growers are using the wrong rootstock. This is one of the things we'll talk about at the seminar, what's killing the roses in Hawaii. Nobody is exactly sure-it could be nematodes or fungal diseases."
Tuck roses into bed
A number of successful growers on Oahu cultivate their rose plants in pots, which eliminates the nematode problem, but Villegas says this method stunts the growth of the plant because it restricts the roots. "The ideal way to grow roses, particularly for older people, is in raised beds."These take work to build, but they are easier to care for because the gardener can sit on the edge of the raised planting bed to weed and work on the plants, rather than bending over to ground level.
As an entomologist, Villegas' primary interest is in the biological control of insect and weed pests. "I currently have three wasps and one caddisfly named for me," he offered, and he has discovered one new genus and several new species of weed pests feeding on California agriculture. His work has done much to control the spread of yellow star thistle in the state. As a sideline, he builds his own computers.
Villegas will lead the seminar. Other speakers are Steve Jones, national chairman of the consultant rosarian program; Rose Gilardi, a prize-winning exhibitor in rose shows throughout the nation; and Diana and Steve Steps, popular lecturers on rose cultivation.
And what exactly is a consultant rosarian (my computer kicks up that work and insists on "Rotarian")? Some rosarians are probably Rotarians, but not all rose growers are rosarians. To become a certified consultant rosarian, a title bestowed by the American Rose Society, you have to pass a test compiled by the society.
To get there, open a book
The open book test will be offered at the seminar to those wishing to earn the title. To qualify, candidates must have been a member of the American Rose Society for three years and a member of the Honolulu Rose Society for a year. Open book tests, incidentally, aren't as mindless as they sound. It's a big book and you have to know where to look without wasting a lot of time.Subjects to be covered at the seminar include the proper soil for roses, fertilizer and nutrient problems, management of insects and diseases, pesticide safety, and ways to exhibit both rose plants and cut roses at garden or flower shows.
Villegas knows what growers commonly ask about rose growing because he writes a monthly column for the American Rose Society bulletin.
"Basically, I ask the grower to assess the damage his roses have sustained from pests, and then ask, How much can you tolerate?" Rose exhibitors have a zero degree of damage tolerance because judges will disqualify a plant with one ladybug on it. But if you'll take a few holes on the leaves, you'll grow your roses in a more relaxed way."
Anything else you want to know about roses, you can learn from his Web Page at http://www.jps.net/rosebug/. And you can attend the seminar.
Seminar
Everything's Coming Up Roses
Gardening Calendar in Do It Electric!
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