| I planted my Gerbera Daisies a week ago and they look droopy even though I used Miracle Gro potting soil and water them. Do they need anything special? Also is there any way to prevent blackspot on roses other than spraying every 7-10 days? I love my roses but it's a real chore caring for them at age 75. Thank you. |
| Since you've only recently transplanted your gerber daisy, I suspect the wilting has more to do with stress than anything else. In time it should recover and rebound. You can prune off the droopy flower stems, but allow the foliage to remain. This will help the plant redirect its energy into establishing its root system. As for the roses, have you considered using a systemic? Sometimes you can spray once with a contact fungicide to kill the black spot that is already present and then apply a systemic which should keep your roses black spot free for 6-8 weeks. You still have to spray, but this process isn't quite as labor intensive. Start your spray program with your first pruning of the year. Use a contact fungicide: These are compounds that kill the black spot fungus as well as its spores on contact. Manzate and Mancozeb are two of the more popular contact fungicides. Use a systemic fungicide: These are compounds that prevent the germinating black spot spore from taking hold on the leaf. While systemics do not kill the spores, they do stop the fungus dead in its tracks by interfering with its metabolism. The fungus can?t digest its food and soon dies. Popular systemic fungicides include Banner Max and Compass. Mixing a contact and systemic fungicide in the same sprayer works well. By killing off spores and preventing the growth of any existing fungus, black spot is quickly eradicated. Although using both a systemic and a contact fungicide is the key to controlling black spot, don?t make the mistake of using the same systemic and contact fungicide each time you spray. Just as bacteria have become increasingly immune to antibiotics, the black spot fungus is becoming resistant to some of the compounds used to control it. To ensure that an immunity does not develop in your garden, switch off the fungicides you use each week. Here is a list of some of the more common systemic and contact fungicides that control black spot. Contact Fungicides Mancozeb/Fore Manzate/Maneb Daconil Captan Copper Sulfate Systemic Fungicides Banner Max Compass Clearys 3336F Immunox Triforine/Funginex Best wishes with your garden! |
