The American Rose Society keeps sending me mixed signals regarding rose care. I have confidence in the decisions I've made, and will make, about the care of my own roses – yet I am conflicted about the message ARS wishes me – as a Consulting Rosarian – to send on to others.

Is it "Do As I say"??? Or is it "Do As I Do"???

I recently attended a Consulting Rosarian Seminar, offered by the San Diego Rose Society. The curriculum was well-planned, and the speakers well-qualified. The opening talk, given by Consulting Rosarian Phil Ash (San Diego, California) was on "Integrated Pest Management and Chemical Safety." We no longer use chemical sprays in our garden, but we're occasionally asked questions about their selection and use – so we found the information interesting and valuable.

Chemical-use guidelines offered in Ash's talk included:

1. Don't spray unless you have to. Use the lowest quality [toxicity] of pesticide which will do the job.
2. Know and use the personal protective equipment required. Use the best delivery method.
3. Know what the pest is and select a proper method of chemical attack. Apply during the most appropriate stage of pest development.
4. Protect yourself, your family and pets, and your neighbors. Know where the wind is blowing. Know what happens if the chemical gets rained on. Most chemical labels recommend long sleeves, long pants, nitrile [chemical-proof] gloves, rubber shoes, hat, goggles, respirators, and face mask.

Other recommendations included "avoid or minimize the adverse impact on our world environment and ourselves . . ." along with selection of "the most pest-resistant plants" for the existing conditions.

This, I am assured, is ARS's official stance. With it fresh in my mind, I was startled to find in my mailbox an official ARS publication featuring an article with a very different "take" on chemical use.

On Page 14 of the Spring, 2006 "Criterion" (Newsletter of the Northern California-Nevada-Hawaii District of the American Rose Society) I read: "Spraying Tips For Lazy Rosarians" (Dr. Stan Baird, author).

Baird says: "We sometimes read advice in 'The American Rose' that we should promote the idea that our beloved roses are easy to grow! Who are they kidding? Roses are subject to a dismaying number of pests and diseases from crown gall to dieback to downy mildew. I am definitely in favor of doing everything we can to promote roses, but I think we should be honest and tell the beginner that roses do require a lot of care."

I disagree. I don't think ARS is "kidding." Experience tells me that the right rose in the right location IS easy to grow. Problems creep in when we insist on growing roses that are wholly un-suited to the place we're determined to grow them. Call it "Location, Location, Location."

In Dr. Baird's North Coastal California region, fungal disease can be a significant problem. I share his pain. My own cool coastal climate is a fungal outbreak waiting to happen. Dr. Baird wages war against fungal disease using chemical weaponry. I sidestep the problem by selecting disease-resistant cultivars. That's "selection of 'the most pest-resistant plants' for the existing conditions."

I THINK that's the message ARS wants to present. It's certainly the message we're given in Consulting Rosarian Seminars: Select and plant disease-resistant roses. Use chemical controls when other approaches prove ineffective. I understand that. I'm not sure why completely contrary messages creep in, to muddy the waters.

We're gardening in a fortunate time. Today's rose hybridizers, increasingly, are breeding for disease-resistance. If your roses are resistant to fungal disease, you won't need weekly applications of Funginex, Banner Max, and Chipco 26019. (Save enough money that way, and soon you'll be able to buy more roses.)

PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

While we're at it, a mention of protective gear.

At another Consulting Rosarian Seminar, I was introduced to the complete chemical-resistant suit – an unfashionably capacious overgarment which completely covers the applicators clothing, and most of the applicator. At another, I learned that if you begin to smell the chemicals you are using, it is time to replace the charcoal filters in your respirator. An experienced C.R. taught us about nitrile-coated chemical gloves. We may not need this equipment for our current chemical-free program – but we understand what is needed and why it is needed.

Dr. Baird notes a respirator is "probably the safest device to prevent inhalation of the spray mist . . . " Yet, he says, he finds the respirator uncomfortable. (I agree. They ARE uncomfortable, particularly in warm weather.) He recommends, instead, a plexiglass face shield. This device probably protects the face and eyes more thoroughly than conventional respirator and goggles. What it does NOT do is prevent the chemical applicator or the person mixing the material, from inhaling vapors, which are almost always harmful. If you can smell it, you are breathing it. I won't take that chance with my lungs, nor should you. No rosarian should.

BUGS

Dr. Baird says: "For insect control, I prefer Cygon 2E (dimethoate) to Orthene… Cygon can be used as a soil drench, in which case it will kill every aphid on the bush in 24 hours." He's probably right about the effectiveness of this chemical. It is, after all, a highly toxic substance, properly labeled DANGER, and most commonly recommended for trees which are suffering from life-threatening pest infestations.

Dimethoate was not intended for home garden use. Safety bulletins note that runoff from this product is dangerous to invertebrates, and that the vapors are dangerous. A list of safety equipment recommended for handlers and applicators of Cygon 2E includes: respirator, long-sleeved coveralls, chemical-resistant gloves and footwear, protective eyewear, chemical-resistant headgear, and a chemical-resistant apron. (The chemical has demonstrated some effect on the fertility of laboratory mice.)

In case of spills, contaminated clothing should be discarded. Using this chemical for control of aphids, is comparable to choosing an elephant gun for a mouse-hunt.

Is this REALLY the message ARS wants to broadcast? That to grow roses you must drench your garden with chemicals which require a DANGER label? I don't think so.

Yes – Cygon 2E will kill aphids. On the other hand, a strong spray of water from a garden hose will likewise eliminate aphids. It will do so instantly, without a need for protective clothing or a respirator. It is also considerably cheaper than Cygon 2E, or any other chemical pesticide.

It's possible that Dr. Baird (who notes that he is not a Consulting Rosarian) grows better roses than I do. He may win more rose show trophies than I do, in which case he has my congratulations. But I'll take my pesticide-free, disease-resistant roses over his any day.

In the meantime, I wish ARS would clarify its message.

Article, first published in the "Ventura Rose," April, 2006, has been honored with a 2006 "Award Of Merit" by the American Rose Society.