Hello Fellow GRS Members and Friends, as I sit here at 8:10 in the morning 8-11-23, the outside temp is already 87 degrees and expecting to hit near 100 again for the 9th day with zero rain. What a summer we are having again. I thought summer 2022 was bad, but this year it has already surpassed last year’s run of 95 degrees plus for 7 days. I hate to think each year may be worse than the last as far as daytime temperatures go. We may have to be thinking of alternative ways of growing roses in the future, especially if water shortages become another thing to deal with. We can only hope and pray for weather conditions to improve, but with the way the world has been wasting resources, a lot of things need to change. So, we all need to think about ways to use and conserve the world’s resources in a more conservative way.
Tip of the month, keep your roses well watered, even if it does rain. These short summer showers will not be enough. Also hold off on feeding the plants; the larger they get the more water is needed to support that new growth. Resume your feeding as soon as we see more rain or a cooling down trend.
If you plan to have roses for our upcoming DSD Fall convention, I suggest cutting back your roses approximately the week of 9-3, no later than 9-10. This will give the roses 5-6 weeks to recycle and be on time for the show. But also, keep in mind that this timing suggestions is a random guess, it all is relevant to weather conditions, the general health of your plants, and how well you feed and take care of their needs. All things equal does not apply to growing roses, each variety will perform differently and have its own special needs. For example, HT’s will need heavy feeding, spraying for pests and lots of water. Old Garden Roses require far less care than other classes of roses.
I just want to remind you to think about helping GRS put on a successful show on October 14th at the Fall Convention. GRS is responsible for the entire show from set up to tear down, so check the list of jobs enclosed and let’s cover all the areas of need. This is a great time for all of us to show off the beautiful roses we grow. Thanks a lot and stay hydrated.
I hope to see you at the September 10th meeting. Please note we are meeting at the Tower Road Branch Library at our usual time of 2:00 pm.
Ralph Stream, Master Rosarian, President
