There is very little, if any fall/winter spraying to do. Most spraying is done to battle pests (although there are nutritional sprays and sprays to increase beneficial microbial activity). With coming of winter, there aren't as many pests to battle. Winter kills many weeds and insects alike. Most sprays are designed for the growing season. There are exceptions. A couple that come to mind are peach leaf curl and borers. Borer larva overwinter in the bark or roots of trees. If one has borer problems, the larva can be destroyed by insecticides any time of the year - although generally there are optimum times to spray, depending on the borer. Leaf curl can only be controlled by dormant sprays. Most commercial growers around here try to spray for it in the early fall because springtime is busier and wetter. Some folks on this forum claim they need multiple sprays to control leaf curl, but here one spray of chlorothalonil (fall or spring-dormant) will control it.

I enjoyed reading, but saw only mention of climate causing difference in disease-resistance. Actually a much more important problem is that there are so many different strains geographically, that BS resistance in one location can mean absolutely nothing in another. This is why the Vigorosa roses are reliably blackspot resistant--the breeding program includes testing with a variety of BS strains. It would be really helpful to organize this discussion by states, etc. Secondly, I am wondering how many have heard that organic gardening techniques actually do more for roses in resisting disease than spraying in many cases. In a truly organic bed (no chemical fertilizers or pest & disease sprays) the soil organisms that thrive and multiply tend to push out or decrease the populations of pest fungi & bacteria. I sure hope this works for me as I have just bought a new home and am in the process of preparing a large rose garden.

Dcarch I think the coffee community would think french fries in a coffee roaster was utter blasphemy. You MUST try it. Each roast in my corn popper does only enough for one day's coffee (85 grams) and takes about 7 minutes. Then 5 or 6 minutes to cool down before the next batch. The corn popper has easily paid for itself and is easy to use, but I want to do at least half a pound in each roast, so just another corn popper doesn't cut it. Right now I also am not very impressed with either of the two I listed. They are indeed expensive to repair--and they seem to need repair fairly often. Burman Coffee says the Gene Cafe is their favorite. I am hoping to hear from someone who has one or the other. They seem to me to be tricky to use and, according I think to Sweet Maria's, to have only a two year life expectancy. That's not long for an appliance that costs several hundred $$$. I also posted a query on the Appliances Forum and have a few responses there. I must admit I have been thinking of trying your rotisserie roaster technique. My Capital range has a rotisserie. Can you post details of how you do the roasting? Temperature and time? I think I can find your instructions for making the basket. Is smoke in the oven a problem?

in our ground freeze.. rather than TX.. move it now.. or thru sept ... so it had time to settle in.. and not heave during winter. as well as store some energy in new roots for next spring .. basically .... we are giving it up for this year... what-evs... and setting it up for next spring ... tape it up.. dig gob size of shovel.. once lose.. leave it there.. go dog same size hole.. bring soil back here.. grab plant with shovel.. take to new hole.. insert the whole mess in the new hole.. set water on trickle for an hour or so.. refill old hol ... if you get it right.. the plant may never know it moved.. its not that large.. that it might not fit on a shovel ... ken