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| Sunday, November 9, 2003 |
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| Sunday, November 9, 2003 |
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GARDEN LIFE
THOSE who exposed rose roots at the time of pruning have already done tremendous damage to the plant. The roots that are confined to the upper layer of the soil are amply damaged at the time of exposure, which is why this is something one has to guard against. There is no need to spoon-feed the plants as the nutrients in the fertiliser become available when it is added to the soil and is followed by a little hoeing and watering. Also, the roots being photonegative in nature do not need exposure to the sun. The roots damaged during exposure are subjected to the attack of soil-born fungi and suffer. The life of the plants is shortened and they start drying up one by one over a period of time. Replacing them means no uniformity in the bed. The damaged remains of the roots also get mixed with the soil to rot and the soil becomes laden with fungi, causing further harm. Once the plant's branches and leaves have been denuded, it is time for a close examination. The colour of the branches should be green. If you find them dull or reddish brown, with pox-like postules, just scrap a little with your fingernail. If the upper pox-like crust comes off, your plants are definitely infested with the red rose scales, the deadly insects. These are not mobile and keep sticking at a place with their piercing mouthparts stuck in the stem sucking the juice. |
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They appear in lakhs and may even kill the plant. They have a protective, waxy covering on their body and thus cannot be controlled with ordinary contact insecticides. There are, however, effective ways to control this insect. If you have a few plants in the bed or pot you can rub these off the stem with the help of a hard brush dipped in rogor solution made by mixing 1 ml to a litre of water. You can also spray the plant with roger, nuvacron, metasystox or metacid. You can also clean the stem with a swab dipped in methylated spirit. Wash the stem thereafter. The abovesaid operations can be supplemented with soil application of thimet granules (Phorate), added at 10 gram per bush or furadan. These are added around the main stem and hoed in the upper layer of the soil. The sprays and the soil application of the insecticides can be repeated after 10 to 15 days. The time is very crucial, as the pruning cuts are prone to dying. Don't keep them exposed and cover with some disinfectant. Bordeaux paint would be the best. It is easy to make it too. The ingredients required are one part of monohydrated copper sulphate (neela thotha), two parts of hydrated lime dust (choona) and three parts of boiled linseed oil. Heating the crystals on a sheet of iron or the frying pan can make monohydrated copper sulphate. The water evaporates and what is left behind is the white powder. The lime dust and the powder thus prepared are then mixed thoroughly and linseed oil is added. The constituents are then homogenised. The paint thus made can be stored in a glass bottle for a year. It can be applied at the cut end of any plant to protect it from the wood- rotting fungi. But if there is any blackening of the stem that advances backwards, then cut again with a little healthy portion and apply Bordeaux paint. If you do not have the paint in handy, use blitox slurry. This can be made by adding a little water to the blitox powder. The last tip: as
the flowering starts, keep removing the fading blooms as quickly as
possible as the next bloom will appear only after the dying bloom is
removed. Remember, every bud below a flowering bud is a potential
flowering bud.
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This feature was
published on November 2, 2003
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