Solutions Center
1 Feb, 2006 By: Kate Toy Landscape ManagementThis American Rose Society member developed a plan to keep the blooms fungus-free.
The average homeowner may have a rosebush or two; the average lawn care professional may have a garden or two. Then there's Robbie Tucker, who developed a treatment plan for 22,000 rosebushes at the American Rose Center (ARC) in Shreveport, LA. Headquarters of the American Rose Society, the ARC is the nation's largest garden devoted entirely to roses.
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Founded in 1892 as a non-profit, educational resource for rose lovers nationwide, the American Rose Society (ARS) has grown to almost 400 local chapters, with more than 20,000 members. The ARC Gardens are a sprawling 42-acre stretch of land with a flowing stream, rustic bridges, winding pathways and cascading fountains. Nearly 400 varieties of roses are grown there; some originated in the 1500s, while newer, hybrid versions are not yet on the market.
The problem: Blackspot and spider mites were taking over
The Gardens were not always in the beautiful condition they are in now. When members of the ARS got together to prune the Gardens for an upcoming convention of all ARS affiliates, they realized the Gardens required structural repairs, cleanup, replanting, and in some sections, a complete overhaul. The roses had also suffered from waves of damaging blackspot and spider mites.
Enter Robbie Tucker. A rose enthusiast and ARS member, Tucker began renovating the Gardens last fall. Tucker is a partner at Rosemania, a mail-order supply company of rose care products located in Franklin, TN. The company, in its sixth year of business, caters to more than 12,000 nurseries, rose care companies and rose hobbyists throughout the country. In addition to products for roses, Rosemania offers products for dahlias, daylilies, camellias and giant pumpkins. Tucker's background is in the chemical industry, so it is only fitting that he develop a spray and fertilizer program for the roses at the ARS headquarters.
"The biggest obstacle seemed to be the absence of a good preventive spray program coupled with a modern feeding program," he says. With Tucker's input and aspirations for the Gardens motivating caretakers to action, new care methods have been put in place to keep the roses healthy, thriving and aesthetically pleasing to the 200,000 visitors who come to the Gardens each year.
 Robbie Tucker, partner at the rose care mail-order company Rosemania, played a valuable role in arranging the donation of Compass fungicide to the Gardens at the American Rose Center. |
Roses are susceptible to fungal diseases like blackspot, powdery mildew, rust and downey mildew, with blackspot being the most universal problem. It is caused by the fungus diplocarpon rosea, which infects the leaves of the plant. When roses are diseased, the leaves fall off and the plant does not grow new blooms.
Because of tight budgets, the ARS Garden staff was not always able to obtain the volume of disease control products necessary for the large numbers of roses in the gardens. For the same reason, the Gardens could not take advantage of newer rose care products, which were more effective and less labor intensive.
The solution: Fungicide rotations
To combat blackspot, Tucker began using Compass, a preventive fungicide that works by entering the tissue of the rose plant and putting up a barrier against common fungus diseases.
Tucker used this method because, "it is always easier to prevent blackspot than to get rid of it once it has invaded any garden," he says. Tucker explains that in the past, blackspot preventive fungicides that had to be sprayed on less than a seven-day schedule simply did not exist.
Now, Compass can be rotated with another fungicide, Banner Maxx, on a 14-day spray cycle. Tucker sums up the benefits of this nicely, "Less chemical, less work, less pesticide exposure." He was also impressed with the low toxicity of Compass.
 The American Rose Center in Shreveport, LA, showcases 400 varieties of roses. |
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