Rose Care

January and February are ideal months for gardeners to plan, prepare and plant roses. At this time of year, new rose bushes can be planted, and established bushes can be given the maintenance they need to get off to a good start this spring.

It is recommended to plant roses from early January through February in our area, and it is important to plant bare-root roses as soon as possible after they are received. When rose bushes are purchased at retail garden centers, the plants may be in containers, because this allows the garden center to have healthy rose bushes available throughout the planting season.

Before planting new rose bushes, select a well-drained, sunny area. Roses need at least six, and preferably eight to 10, hours of sunlight daily. Morning sun is best for drying foliage and reducing disease problems.

Proper bed preparation also is critical for success. Raised beds are essential in a poorly drained area. In preparing beds, clay soils should be amended with organic matter and sharp sand. Sandy soil should be amended with organic matter only. You should apply a light application of a slow-release complete fertilizer at planting, but be sure to base fertilization programs on soil sample results.

In planting, dig a hole large enough for root expansion. Prune off all damaged and broken roots, build a cone-shaped mound in the base of the hole and spread the plant roots over this mound. Remember, the bud union needs to be 2 inches above the soil line. Then fill in the planting holes with backfill and water well. After this water drains away, finish backfilling (if needed) and loosely firm the soil around the plant. Remove all dead, damaged, broken and diseased canes after planting. Mulch is an ideal conclusion to the planting process and pine straw is a good mulch to choose.

If you have established rose bushes, mid-February (Valentine’s Day) is an ideal time for pruning. February pruning is recommended for hybrid tea, grandiflora, floribunda, shrub, hedge, and ground cover types of roses. Do not prune climbing or antique roses in February as they prefer pruning after flowering.

The new types of shrub roses (such as the Knock Out) are very resistant to diseases and bloom throughout most of the year. You may want to try one of these as they are readily available at local garden centers at this time of year.

Pruning roses removes dead wood, stimulates new growth, controls size and shape, and increases air circulation around the plant, the horticulturist says. Remove old flowers on bushes throughout the season to stimulate new flower production.

Pecan Tree Selection and Planting

If you’re considering planting a pecan tree or two, you should do it by late February. The dormant season for pecan trees ends in early March, and trees must be set out before the growing begins. Container-grown pecan trees may be planted on into spring as long as temperatures remain cool.

The recommended varieties for home planting are listed and described below. They are available from local nurseries and have proved to be the best ones to plant for Louisiana growing conditions.

According to Dr. John Pyzner of the LSU AgCenter, cross-pollination improves the quality and quantity of nuts produced. Unless other pecan plantings are within a 1/4-mile radius, two varieties with opposite blooming characteristics should be planted for cross-pollination. These are referred to as early pollen shedding and late pollen shedding types.

Some of the recommended late pollen shedding varieties for our area are:

Candy – Medium-sized nuts (67 nuts/lb.) with medium-thick shells and 46% kernels, which are attractive with high quality and good flavor. Trees are vigorous with dense, dark green foliage, ripen early and bear in four to five years. It has moderate scab resistance, and the tree has strong framework. It tends to bear in alternate years as trees grow older.

Elliott – Round nut, medium-sized (67 nuts/lb.) with a 53% kernel. Shell is thin and has excellent cracking characteristics and a bright, well-flavored kernel. This tree has excellent resistance to scab. It bears in six to eight years. It has been widely planted in south Louisiana. It is susceptible to bunch disease.

Sumner – Trees produce medium-large (46 nuts/lb.) attractive nuts of good quality and a 56% kernel. The kernel has a good light color. Trees bear at a relatively early age, five to six years. It is recommended for yard plantings because of excellent scab resistance.

Melrose – It is a prolific producer of medium to large oblong nuts (54 nuts/lb.) with excellent cracking qualities, high shelling percentage and bright, attractive kernels with 55% kernel. It bears in six to eight years. It has moderate resistance to scab and shuck disease. It is susceptible to powdery mildew and bunch disease.

If you already have one or two pecan trees in your yard and want them to produce, you should fertilize them during the month of February for best results.

Apply the fertilizer under the tree one foot from the trunk to slightly beyond the tips of the branches. Usually the spread of the pecan tree root system eventually reaches 1-1/2 to 2 times that of the branches. Exercise care when using this method, because excess fertilizer could injure lawn grasses.

Fertilizer should be applied by broadcasting over the root zone of the pecan tree. Fertilizing trees by placing fertilizer in holes beneath the trees gives little additional benefit. Trees should be fertilized during the late dormant season, usually February or early March. If fertilizer is applied during an extended dry period, it is best to water the area thoroughly with a sprinkler, applying 1 to 2 inches of water.

Here are general guidelines for fertilizing pecan trees:

Based on trunk diameter – Apply 3 lbs. of a complete fertilizer (8-8-8) or an equivalent amount of another complete fertilizer per inch of trunk diameter measured at about one foot above the soil line. Later during the growing season (May or June), add an additional 1/2 lb. of ammonium nitrate per inch of trunk diameter on trees 25 years old or older. Remember to take a soil sample every three years to make sure you are not over-fertilizing your trees.

Example: A tree 10 inches in diameter should receive 30 lbs. of 8-8-8 or 18.5 lbs. of

13-13-13.

Question of the Week: What are some plants that deer will not feed on in a home landscape?

Answer: The following plants will usually come through a visit from a hungry deer unscathed:

1. Grasses: Deer are browsers, not grazers, so ornamental grasses and sedges make great choices for gardens in deer-populated areas.

2. Herbs: The same aromatic properties that make many herbs useful on the table also help ward off hungry deer. Rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano and Mexican mint marigold are all deer proof. Related plants, such as flowering sages like Salvia greggii, S. farinacea and S. coccinea, and silvery bushes like Artemisia, dusty miller, Santolina and lavender are also effective. Highly aromatic plants like lantana are also fairly deer-resistant.

3. Junipers: Prickly, aromatic conifers like juniper and cypress are usually not favored by deer. This versatile group of evergreens includes an array of small and large shrubs, upright specimen trees and spreading groundcovers ideal for sunny, well-drained banks.

4. Shrubs: Cotoneaster, boxwood, pyracantha, oleander, barberry, nandina, Cherokee rose, and Lady Bank’s rose are some of the evergreen shrubs usually left unharmed by deer.

For more information on horticultural related topics, go www.lsuagcenter.com or come by the Lafourche Parish Extension office located on 402 West 5th Street in Thibodaux or call me at 985-446-1316.