Compost thoughts, first rose of the year and rose slugs..

11 years ago

First off, I get free compost, truckloads of it..

Its about 300 shovel fulls of compost to fill my truck (whatever that is in yards, like 20 maybe?) , 300 shovel fulls to offload, 300 shovel fulls to load my wheel barrow to spread) darn its alot of work.

I keep telling myself this has to stop, I have to do like 1/3 of the garden each year instead. But darn, it looks so pretty, it does so much good, it just takes forever to mulch my gardens with it. Its from our waste center, people drop off pine needles, leaf droppings, grass clippings, sawdust, manures and other plant materials, it grows to be a whopping huge pile every year, they then turn it over and over, till next spring.. Compost! its free, its just UHUAL it yourself mode. My front gardens have had 4 inches of manure, 4 inches of compost , then wood chippings, then another 4 inches of compost last year on them. Im doing a lighter layer this year.

I loooove compost, just dont love all the hauling to get it.

First rose of the year, some of you know the story of this one, it was found at a old 1800's home, under a huge mock orange, as a couple of sticks left, I took them and its becoming a very healthy 4 foot bush with hundreds and hundres of buds on them.

Double Scots White

My Quadra rose was being ATTACKED by rose slugs, I mean hundreds of them. This constant rain is good for weeds and bugs, not so much for plants, Im having a hard time getting out to plant anything or to weed. I lost all the leaves a 1/3 of the way up, I tried hand picking them, got about 50 of them, next day saw just as many, I tried spraying with jets of water.. next day still so tons, I broke down and used a insecticide, its well before bloom season, its not something I typically do, but I wouldve lost quadra. Ive seen rose slugs infestation like this before, if you dont stop it, they start spreading, by the thousands. Ugly green things.

For future refrence what do you guys use to control them if you see them? I usually ignore aphids, mostly they dont do enough damage to worry about that much, but these little green catipiller things (i think its actually sawfly larvae?)

Silverkelt

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Comments (5)

JessicaBe
11 years ago
I know I am with you with the slugs... I don't like using bug spray but rose slugs and regular slugs are reeking havoc on my garden. I broke down and sprayed the roses and we went to the greenhouse and bought slug and snail bait pellet stuff last night and this morning there was dead slugs literally everywhere! I didn't know there was THAT many slugs out at night gesh....
JessicaBe
11 years ago
P.S. LUCKY DUCK! I would be in heaven if I had free compost. I am trying my hardest to get my boyfriend to make or buy me something so I can compost..
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rosefolly
11 years ago
UC Davis recommends insecticidal soap or spinosad for rose sawfly. Haven't tried it myself but for a couple of years I have seen tell tale symptoms on a few in pots. No doubt it would be wise to treat them before they spread.
luxrosa
11 years ago
I use 'Sluggo' which contains as an active ingredient:iron.
For snails and slugs I water the garden heavily, or wait until a heavy rain, and c. 2-3 hours later go through the garden and pick up the snails and slugs that have hidden during the rain and now come out to feed. Then I go snail and slug hunting.

I keep a half-gallon paper milk carton by my front porch filled with a saline solution so I always have a quick-kill method and means nearby.
I put a plastic bag in it, that I have cut several small holes in the bottom of the bag, this serves as a snail sieve.
then I push the bag so it covers the inside of the carton, and tape the handles to the outside of the carton.
This way I just pull the bag out and it drains and leaves the dead snails and slugs within for easy disposal.

I fill the carton a little less than 3/4ths full with warm water
-and add 1 cup of salt.
each carton kills c. 30-40 snails and slugs depending on their size.
I toss the snails and slugs in it and stir with a stick, hoping they have a quick death.
When the carton is full of dead snails and slugs, I pull the bag out and let it drain over the weeds that come up through cracks in my sidewalk and parking lot.
salted earth will stop any thing from growing. The ancient Romans salted the fields at Carthage, which inspired me to use this method, instead of Round-up.
I only pour the salted water where I want nothing to grow, ever.
I keep a carton handy all the time so I never pass by a snail and think "I'll get to you later", because snails breed rapidly and prolifically where I live. They also can move faster than I would think possible, I've set aside four snails, and I went to get the carton and when I came back they had already scampered to the border for asylum, or somewhere.

Good luck getting rid of the rose slugs.
I killed nearly 500 snails and slugs in March, after they ate my entire Romano bean seedling crop. c. 300 snails and slugs in April, and in May fewer than 200, when I finally dared to plant Romano bean seeds again.
I'm gaining on them.
Luxrosa
ogrose_tx
11 years ago
I used to do my own mulch, but at my age (almost 71), just can't do it anymore. Enjoy, because when you have to get someone else to do it, it's just not as satisfying! Ah, well, I do feel good about getting out every day, getting the weeding and planting done, feel greatful, for sure!

Compost thoughts, first rose of the year and rose slugs..

Comments (5)

JessicaBe

JessicaBe

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