Spider Mites:  A Mite-y Problem

Mites are the third member of the team that is out to get your garden (fungus, insects, mites).  These critters are a difficult problem once they are established, but there are steps that can be taken to ensure they don't get comfortable in the rose garden. The mite that we deal with most often is the Two Spotted Spider Mite.  Spider Mites are in the arachnid family and are almost invisible to the naked eye. They can easily be seen with a magnifying glass and unfortunately the results of their feeding on your roses can be seen easily with the naked eye.

Spider Mite Symptoms

	Generally leaves will lose their brilliant green color and become faded and brown.  You can often see their webbing on the underside of the leaves.
	The underside of the leaves will also look dusty because of the dirt and debris that get caught in their webs.

What Can I Do?

1.	Keep the roses watered - The best way to avoid any issue is to keep your roses healthy.  In the heat of the summer rose bushes need 5 gallons of water per plant per week.  Well watered buses will be able to handle any stress, including Spider Mites, better than thirsty plants.
2.	Use your hose - If you check the bottom of the leaves and see that you are beginning to get spider mites, spray the tops and bottoms of the leaves with your hose.  I know this seems counter-intuitive because leaves are supposed to be dry as much as possible, but the spray from the hose knocks the Spider Mites off the bush and they cannot crawl back on.  Make sure to do this in the morning so the bush can dry off and keep up with your fungicide application.
3.	Miticides - There are several miticides that are available to homeowners to help control mite problems.  Products such as Avid, Neem Oil, and pyrethrin based sprays are effective to reduce the spider mite colonies.  These should be used in conjunction with the steps listed above for greatest effect.

Keep in mind that if your garden is next to brick or surrounded by rock or concrete you may have more mite difficulties.  These surfaces hold heat well causing a very warm microclimate that mites love.  Wash down these surfaces with water as much as possible. Spider Mites can cause you major headaches in your rose garden.  However, with a little bit of diligence and a lot of vigilance you can keep them out and keep your roses beautiful.

Help!! There Are Holes in My Roses!

Budworms:  This Bud is NOT For You

What is a budworm? You will know the damage when you see it.  If your buds and blooms are full of holes, you have been visited by budworms. These critters can damage a whole lot of blooms in a short time so it is important to learn a little more about them and how we can rid our roses of them.   The budworms that attack our roses are actually called tobacco budworms or Heliothis virescens.  They overwinter in the south, but they can spread as far north as New England during the summer.  Adult budworms are moths that are tan or brown in color with three darker stripes across their wings and they are about 1 inch in length. The eggs are deposited on, in, or under the buds and blooms and they take 2-3 days to hatch. Once they emerge they eat their way through as many blooms as they can.  When they have had their fill they make their way down into the soil where they go through their pupal stage to emerge as moths about 22 days later.  Warm temperatures speed up some of these processes.  Now that we know what they are, let's take a look at some contol measures.

1.	Cut Your Blooms - Since the adult moths use buds and terminal growth to lay their eggs, everytime you cut your roses you are removing a possible incubation site.  It is also important to remove "blind shoots" as they can also be a good incubation spot.
2.	Keep Spraying - Although it is difficult to get spray to the budworms inside the bud, it is important to keep spraying. If they emerge from the bud and eat the tissue that has been sprayed you will have one less adult moth in your garden. Bacillus Thuringiensis or Bt as found in products such as "Thuricide" from Hi Yield is a great biological control that works on caterpillars including budworms.
3.	Help the Good Guys - There are many insects and spiders that feed on budworms.  Avoiding broad spectrum insecticides such as Sevin will help keep the beneficial insects in your garden.  It is also a great idea to encourage birds to visit your garden because they will eat the moths and caterpillars that are causing damage to your roses.

Budworms can be difficult to control but by following good gardening practices and encouraging nature to give you a hand, you can keep them from turning every rose in your garden into swiss cheese.  Your buds are for you to enjoy, not for the budworms.