Cutting the Roses The least optimal time to cut a rose is in the afternoon. Late afternoon to early evening before the day of the show is one of two good choices. The stems will remain strong and rigid because the sugar in the cane is highest at this time of day. This guarantees the rose will keep better. The second good choice is the morning of the rose show. It has been said that 90% of our rose blooms open between dawn and 10:00 a.m. Immediately after cutting your rose, put it into cool water. Do not use tepid water because that will encourage the bloom to open further. If you have a bucket, then fill it to the top and put your roses in, three or four, up to the neck of the rose. If you put in more than this, they may mingle with each other and tear petals, blooms or both of each other. You must be careful at this point. The bucket should be put in a cool dark place for the night, or taken directly to the show, if it is the morning of the show. Do not cut a rose from of a one year old or newer rose shrub. It is not good for them until they are at least two years old. When cutting a rose to take to the show, cut the stem ideally 22-24 inches long, if possible. When you prepare the rose and place it in its final vase for the show, then you can cut more off to get the right height.
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Bob Martin, a past President of the American Rose Society describes the night before a rose show with the same excitement and feelings he experienced as a child on Christmas Eve! I can relate to those same feelings; it is hard to describe unless you have entered your own roses in a Rose Show, where roses are judged by accredited judicators of the American Rose Society. Would you like to experience this same excitement? Then come to the Sugar House Garden Center on Saturday, June 4th and enter a few of your own roses! You will not regret doing so! We will help you learn how to do this in the following posts. Stay tuned! Cindy Crookston Biochar is short for “biomass charcoal”. This system is used to help mitigate water shortages. When using biochar, you can cut back to watering twice a week. Biochar is made from untreated wood waste heated to 1000 degrees in an oxygen free environment. Because it is microscopically porous, it holds onto water and prevents nutrient loss to groundwater. Biochar is especially useful in areas of low rainfall and poor water retention, as it has a water holding capacity of 5-9 times its weight. It will also improve drainage in clay soils.
For best results, precharge biochar by adding to your compost pile as you build it, mix with worm castings and let mature for a week or two, or add to your compost tea. Add to compost tea water and stir before adding other tea materials and brew tea as usual. If you are planting a new area, you can add 1 inch biochar and mix well into top six inches of soil. You only need to add this much one time as it will improve the soil for a lifetime! June Openshaw, member of the Utah Rose Society Suggested Home Soil Tests from Utah State University:
Routine Test $30 Basic measurements for the vast majority of home gardening needs Provides Phosphorus (P205) and Potassium (K2O) fertilizer recommendations Provides Nitrogen (N) fertilizer recommendations tailored to plants the client indicates are to be grown (please provide this information on the submission form) Provides soil salinity and pH levels useful in choosing appropriate plants for these important conditions in arid/semi-arid Western US environments Provides a soil texture classification used to determine water holding capacity and irrigation regiment Micro Plus Test *$45 Starts out with all the features of the Routine Test Includes key micronutrient levels that are often deficient in arid/semi-arid Western US soil conditions (Iron, Zinc, Copper and Manganese) Provides recommendations for deficient nutrients tailored to the plants the client indicates are to be grown (please provide this information on the submission form) * Choose this test if micronutrient deficiency symptoms are seen or suspected the previous season. Micronutrient fertilizer applications are most effective in the early spring--much less effective mid-season. The following link will give you instructions on how to gather a soil test from your garden, and then how to send it to USU. https://usual.usu.edu/home-soil/index Rose show artistic design |