The Rose Gazette Northeast Louisiana Rose Society Monroe, Louisiana

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1 The Rose Gazette Monroe, Louisiana Affiliate of the American Rose Society October 2018 September Meeting Thanks to Lu Jones for hosting the meeting and for Harvey Hanson, Paula Webb and Lu Jones for providing such great food. If you were not there, you missed a great presentation about bees. If you would like more information or have questions on bees or bee keeping, contact Amy Weeks, myfavoritehoney@gmail.com October Meeting Our next meeting is October 14 at the home of Diane Smith located at 123 Bayou Bend Road, Monroe at 2:00 pm. Hosts for this meeting are Linda Zagone and Candy Gough. Gulf District Rose Show Main Street Community Center 708 Main Street Pineville, LA 7:00 am Doors open with coffee, juice and snacks 7:30 10:30 Entries accepted 11:00 am Judging begins 12:30 pm Lunch and Presentation of Awards 2:00 pm Open to Public Viewing of show Come join the fun. Lots of great roses and great Gulf District Rosarians Mixing Chemicals and Chemical Safety by Ken Kelley Anyone that grows any type of plant has used a fertilizer, fungicide, and/or pesticide at some point and in a spray tank. However, when we start mixing multiple chemicals that is when we run into problems. Depending on the chemicals mixed, it can result in coagulation, bound-up product, and clogged sprayer components. First read the all product label(s) to see if it states any caution about mixing the product with other chemicals or contact the manufacturer. Second, before spraying any new combination of chemicals it is advisable to perform a jar test (which means to mix the same chemicals at a proportional reduced volume but in a small jar instead of larger volumes of 1+ gallons (I use a quart jar). Third, always premix any dry ingredients with water prior to adding to your sprayer (more on this later). October

2 Most of us have either a small 1-2 gallon pump-up sprayer or up to a 4 gallon backpack sprayer. Always make sure the sprayer is clean prior to beginning. Chemicals like glyphosate (Round Up) can damage plants if the tank is not properly cleaned or better yet have a special sprayer for just your roses. Add about half of the total volume of water to your sprayer. Next, add the liquid chemicals to the sprayer making sure to properly measure the chemicals for the total volume of water. Then add the pre-mix dry ingredients. Adding chemicals with only part of the water in the tank allows the chemicals to disperse when the remaining water is added. Also, adding at this stage ensures that adequate chemicals for the total volume of water of planned volume is available. Since most of us do not have sprayers with a built-in agitator, it is best to pre-mix any dry ingredients. This is best accomplished by adding some warm water to a container with a lid then adding the proper amount of dry ingredients to the container, tightly close the lid then vigorously shake the container. This is where I go back to my oilfield roots! If flow is going one direction without any turbulence like the top diagram, it is considered Laminar flow. However, particles are best mixed into solution when there is turbulence in the flow. This can be accomplished by using a container with a concave side. I have found that an old Planter s Peanut container works best for mixing. It fits my hand very well and does a really nice job of thoroughly mixing the dry ingredients. Hint: if you have a dry ingredient that has lumps in it, sift the powder through an old tea strainer prior to adding to pre-mix jar. Depending on your supply water, you may want to add a product to adjust your ph as a high ph can degrade the active ingredients. Low ph can increase availability of some phytotoxic micronutrients such as copper. When you have finished adding the chemicals, add the remaining water to your sprayer and shake to agitate the sprayer volume. After mixing it is best to use the mixed chemicals within a few hours. When spraying your plants, if possible, spray from the upwind direction to prevent chemical exposure. Also, when spraying for fungus or insect problems, always spray the undersides of the leaves, then spray the topsides of the leaves. Safety precautions should be followed when applying any type of chemical. There are 4 ways that we need to prevent contact with chemicals: inhalation, absorption, ingestion, and injection. However, lets concentrate on the 2 major ways we need to prevent chemical exposure in our gardens: inhalation and absorption. The acute toxicity of fungicides to humans is generally considered to be low, but fungicides can be irritating to the skin and eyes. Inhalation of spray mist or dust from these chemicals may cause throat irritation, sneezing, and coughing. Chronic exposures to lower concentrations of fungicides can cause adverse health effects. Most cases of human fungicide poisonings have been from consumption of seed grain 1. 2

3 More than 95 percent of all exposures are dermal. Dermal absorption may occur as the result of a splash, spill, or drift or when cleaning / repairing equipment. Minimum dermal protection for most pesticides consists of a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, gloves, and proper footwear. Everyone should wear some type of mask, eye protection and protective clothing when mixing and using chemicals especially when using pesticides and herbicides. If you have health problems from contact with chemicals, call the National Poison Control Center: Hint: When spraying insecticides, it is best to spray them very late in the day / dust to prevent harm to pollinators. 1 New in the Garden by Ken Kelley I always like to find new / better products to use in my roses and whenever possible, I prefer it to be organic. My find this year was when ordering Mills Magic this past spring, I found a product that I felt would be great for our roses. That product is Sigma Sigma with Mycorrhizal Fungi comes in a 50lb bag and is 100% organic and nutrient-rich. Ingredients include poultry litter, feather meal, sulfate of potash, humates, and mychorrhizal fungi (my favorite additive). Mychorrhizal fungi offers so many great benefits to your plants: Enhanced water and nutrient uptake Reduction of irrigation requirements Reduced need for fertilizer Increased drought resistance Increased pathogen resistance Increased plant health and stress tolerance Higher transplanting success We have been pleased with our rose foliage this year as the leaves have been a nice dark green all summer long. Gulf District Mid-Winter Workshop American Rose Center Klima Hall 8877 Jefferson Paige Road, Shreveport, LA February 8 9, 2019 The Gulf District Board of the American Rose Society invites you to the annual Mid-Winter Workshop at The American Rose Center Klima Hall on Friday and Saturday, February 8-9,

4 Come join us on Friday afternoon, as registration will begin on at 1:00 pm. A free rose arrangement workshop will begin at 3:00 pm in the Gift Shop of Klima Hall. Make sure to browse the historical artwork from Civil War era Louisiana. A wine social will begin at 5:00 pm, giving everyone time to visit with old friends and make new ones. Friday evening dinner will be followed by a Year of the River presentation marking the historical significance of the rivers of Louisiana including the introduction of formal gardens to Louisiana. Friday evening will conclude with the Gulf District s award presentation. Saturday morning will begin with registration opening at 7:30 am. Coffee, juice, donuts and other goodies will be available!!! Lunch will be provided. Saturday s theme will focus on Making Your Garden Great and conclude with our keynote speaker, Paul Zimmerman. Vendors: K & M Roses will be on hand Friday pm and Saturday with a supply of roses for you to purchase. You can preorder by contacting Jim Mills at or info@kandmroses.com. Silent Auction: There will be a silent auction with many great items to choose from. Each Rose Society is asked to donate an item to include in the auction Please complete a form for each person registering Name of Registrant Address City State, Zip Phone Local Rose Society address Registration: Rose Arrangement Workshop (included with Friday Dinner) $40 includes Saturday Workshop / Lunch $75 includes Friday Dinner / Saturday Workshop and Saturday lunch Mail Registration with check payable to Gulf District by January 15, 2019 to: Kelly Texada, 5205 St. Germain Blvd., Alexandria, LA Or Register online at 4

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6 Officers Dates to Remember Harvey Hanson President Oct Fall Flower and Garden Fest MS State Experiment Station Crystal Springs, MS Susan Robinson Becky Bourgeois Ken & Wanda Kelley Vice President Prog / Chair Oct 14 2:00 pm NELA Rose Society Meeting Diane Smith 123 Bayou Bend Road, Monroe Treasurer Oct 20 Gulf District Rose Show Main Street Community Center 708 Main St, Pineville, LA Bulletin Editor Oct 20 NELA Master Gardener Fall Plant and Bulb Sale Farmer s Market 2106 N 7 th Street, West Monroe Consulting Rosarians Frank & Flora Hover Rose Gazette c/o Ken / Wanda Kelley Adele Ransom Bayou Bank Road Diane Smith Monroe, LA NORTHEAST LOUISIANA ROSE SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Please come and join us. We meet on the third Sunday of each month. The location/date and time of the meeting is announced in the Newsletter each month. Name Spouse's Name (if Joining) Address Phone City State Zip Are you an ARS MEMBER? Yes No Annual dues are $10 Per Person: Bring to meeting or Mail form to: Becky Bourgeois 605 Teal Circle West Monroe, LA