IT’S REALLY EASY!

PESTICIDES FOR THE NOVICE ROSARIAN  
by Roger Bryan

I’ve written a number of articles for Basal Breaks dealing with pesticides for use in protecting bushes in rosarians’ gardens. I focused on the application of chemicals that very likely would be considered “exotic” by the novice rosarian who’s just trying out a few bushes to see if rose gardening is a “fun” and rewarding undertaking. My past articles probably put off some of the new rosarians when they read about the bewildering array of chemicals and their attendant costs. Admittedly, pesticides like the miticide Forbid 4F with its $290 price tag for 8 ounces puts me off, too – that’s equivalent to a $1,000 bottle of wine. In Forbid’s favor, the 8 ounce bottle of this concentrated chemical produces over 350 gallons of spray – but, for the novice rosarian with just a couple of bushes, that’s truly “overkill.” What the novice rosarian really needs are pesticides that are: (1) easy to use, (2) relatively inexpensive, and (3) readily available. And, these pesticides should address the common garden “threats” found in the vicinity of southeastern Tennessee such as aphids and blackspot.

Fortunately, there are a number of manufacturers of pesticides that target the novice rosarian. These producers supply a variety of ready-to-use (RTU) pesticides that are available over-the-counter (OTC) at major retailers like Lowe’s and Home Depot and garden supply stores like Holcomb’s and Ooltewah Nursery. The RTU pesticides usually come in spray bottles containing the chemical already diluted for immediate application. Other OTC products come in concentrated form in containers attached to hose-end sprayers which serve to properly dilute the pesticide while dispensing it as a spray. Yet other OTC products are simply in bottles containing the concentrated pesticide that then requires measuring, mixing and spraying with the rosarian’s own spray equipment. This article focuses on the RTU and hose-end products to emphasize that it’s really easy for the novice rosarian to care for his/her rose garden.

Bayer Advanced – Bayer Advanced produces a wide variety of OTC products for the rosarian, some of which are specifically labeled for organic gardening. They have a new product line called Natria that includes :

·        Insect, Disease & Mite Control – 24 oz. RTU spray bottle or hose-end applicator – for the control of black spot, aphids, spider mites and other common rose garden pests.

·        Disease Control – 24 oz. RTU spray bottle or hose-end applicator – for the control of fungus such as black spot – labeled for organic gardening.

·        Multi-Insect Control – 32 oz. hose-end applicator – for the control of aphids, mites, etc. – labeled for organic gardening.

Bayer Advanced also offers an equivalent array of “3 in 1” products whose active ingredients are probably somewhat more effective than those in the Natria products but none of which are labeled for organic gardening. The complete line of Bayer Advanced products can be viewed online at http://www.bayeradvanced.com/insects-pests/products .

Ferti-Lome – Ferti-Lome is a name well-known to rosarians. There are, however, several companion product lines – Natural Guard and Hi-Yield -- that I’ll cover, as well.

·        Ferti-Lome Triple Action Plus – 24 oz. RTU spray bottle – for disease (black  spot), insect, and mite control.

·        Ferti-Lome Broad Spectrum Landscape & Garden Fungicide – 24 oz. RTU spray bottle – for the control of black spot.

·        Natural Guard Copper Soap Liquid Fungicide – 24 oz. RTU spray bottle – for the control of black spot.

·        Natural Guard Spinosad Landscape & Garden Insecticide – 32 oz. hose-end applicator – a multi-purpose insecticide/miticides that’s especially effective on thrips.

·        Hi-Yield Bug Blaster Bifenthrin – 32 oz. hose-end applicator – for the control of a wide range of rose garden insect pests.

As an aside, the Spinosad product utilizes the same active ingredient as the pesticide Conserve which is highly rated as a control and eradicator of thrips – a tiny pest that chews on rose blooms and destroys their beauty. The Bifenthrin product contains the same active ingredient found in Talstar – a very effective rose garden insecticide. Online, the complete line of Ferti-Lome and related products can be viewed at http://www.fertilome.com/default.aspx .

Garden Safe – The Garden Safe brand encompasses a number of RTU products tailored for the novice rosarian. Moreover, several of their products are specifically labeled for organic gardening.

·        Fungicide 3 – 24 oz. RTU spray bottle – the “3” means that the product serves not only as a fungicide but as an insecticide and miticide, as well. This product is labeled for organic gardening.

·        Rose & Flower Insect Killer – 24 oz. RTU spray bottle – this product addresses a broad range of insect pests including aphids and spider mites but because one of its active ingredients is pyrethrin it can’t be labeled for organic gardens.

·        Insecticidal Soap Insect Killer – 24 oz. RTU spray bottle – perhaps not quite as effective as the product containing pyrethrin this product is nonetheless an excellent insecticide and it is labeled for organic gardens.

Another little factoid: pyrethrin is in the same chemical class as bifenthrin so the Garden Safe Rose & Flower Insect Killer shares the properties of Talstar, the more expensive, “professional” insecticide/miticide.

The Garden Safe website is http://www.gardensafe.com/ .

Green Light – Green Light is another manufacturer with a product line much like Garden Safe with a good selection of easy to use products.

·        Rose Defense II – 24 oz. RTU spray bottle – controls aphids, spider mites and blackspot and a variety of other pests.

·        Neem II – a Neem Oil-based multi-purpose spray in a 24 oz. RTU spray bottle. Neem oil is a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits and seeds of neem (Azadirachta indica), an evergreen tree which is endemic to the Indian subcontinent. It has a number of uses, among them the control of insects and funguses.

·        Conquest Insecticide – a broad range insecticide packaged in 32 oz. hose-end containers.

The Green Light website is http://www.greenlightco.com/ .

Spectracide Immunox – this company offers a rather unique product: 3-in-1 Insect & Disease Control. It controls insects such as aphids, spider mites and thrips and diseases such as black spot and powdery mildew plus it contains plant food, as well. It’s sold in a 32 oz. spray bottle. More information can be found at: http://www.spectracide.com/

SaferGro – SaferGro products are manufactured by JH Biotech, Inc. and offered as the completely organic solution to garden maintenance. For example, Pest Out is a natural insecticide/miticide formulated from cottonseed, clove and garlic oils. It’s packaged in 32 oz. RTU spray bottles. The SaferGro website is http://safergro.com/main.htm .

As mentioned previously in this article, all these novice-friendly products are offered at the major retailers such as Lowe’s and Home Depot and/or garden centers such as Holcomb’s and Ooltewah Nursery. I checked the shelf prices on a number of the items described above and found that the 24 oz. RTU spray bottles – regardless of brand or content – sell, on average, for between $5.00 and $7.50. The 32 oz. hose-end bottles sell for around $15.00 – the higher price is probably due to the increased amount of product and the fact that it’s in concentrated form as opposed to the diluted form in the RTU packages. See how easy it is – no exotic, high-priced chemicals, no mixing, no need for special spray equipment – just grab a spray bottle or hose-end sprayer and keep your roses pest-free. Remember, though, to always read the labels on any of the products you use.