Many years ago, I worked in a large green house as a domestic rose and cut-flower grower. It was extremely hard work, hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Not to mention all the lifting, pulling, tugging, and hauling we had to do to bring a crop to maturity in time for a special holiday such as Christmas or Mother’s Day.
Did you know it takes 72 “sun days” to grow a rose? If it is a cold and cloudy winter or spring, bringing a crop in on time is difficult. We would often have to “push” the crop by feeding liquid nitrogen.
Pests such as aphids and thrip could destroy a section quickly. Dressing out and spraying the crop was really tough. Sometimes we created what was called a “witch’s brew” — pests would become immune to the chemicals, so we would have to combine different products to knock them out of the way.
We used hot pots at night to control downy mildew. The pots hung from the rafters and were filled with sulfur pellets. When the pellets melted, the sulfur floated down and landed on top of the leaves. This prevented the mildew from adhering to the leaves. Top eave vents were opened just enough to allow the sulfur fumes to escape. Trust me — there is nothing worse than arriving in the morning to what we called “blue heads” — too much sulfur.
I also learned about a product called coco fiber, purchased in blocks. It’s a good idea to place it in a wheelbarrow when you open it because it expands when you add water and gets a little bit messy, but that’s part of the fun of gardening, right? We used the coco fiber in a test to see how some new roses bushes would perform, and the results were terrific. The bushes grew quickly and produced very healthy, beautiful blossoms. Coco fiber blocks are readily available online and in local stores.
After Mother’s Day is over and my flower shop has slowed down a bit, I am going to plant my rose garden. If you would like to be a part of this fun project, feel free to contact me. I will be planting 18 bushes. I did promise myself a rose garden, and this is the year I plan to make it happen.
