You might find spraying with a mild solution of dishwashing detergent and water but I prefer to buy insecticidal soap in a pump spray bottle, much less trouble with foam even though the detergent is diluted. Try spraying up from beneath to get some of the underside of the leaves and stems. Insecticidal soap doesn't smell much either.
For most bugs, an environmentally very friendly solution is diatomaceous earth. This is the same stuff they put in those little bags when shipping electrical equipment to absorb moisture. You scatter it around on the ground under the plants and the crawleys get their waxy layers scratched up by the sharp granules desiccating them and they die. Slugs and all sorts are barriered and the stuff is totally inert. It does wash away in the rain or settle into the earth so needs to be reapplied from time-to-time according to the rain and other water. I have about 50 rose plants here, haven't had much trouble with bugs but I am watching for them this year, lots of moisture but since dressing them down each fall with a load of compost for the past couple of years the bugs seem to stay away. I am told that roses want loads of feed and water, I have an underground irrigation to them and last year I added several bags of composted sheep manure with my composted kitchen and garden waste and they seem to be growing like a jungle. Healthy plants do withstand infestation much better. Roses are wonderful bloomers and as you say, the fragrance is wonderful. Different varieties have differing fragrance as well. Good luck. Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada [EMAIL PROTECTED] Skype DaleLeavens Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2007 7:29 PM Subject: [BlindHandyMan] would it be bactereaside? Hi, I'm not trying to turn this into a gardening list. But we've done "how to kill mosquitos" and "how to kill roaches" and even some other pest removal type things. I'll go for the full monty here: I would like a natural, mix it in the kitchen, won't hurt dogs, kids (and so on) spray liquid mix for care of rose bushes. I have some little critters, that are eating away at the leaves, (no not deer from the Fairmount park) or that might be easier (red pepper and something called blood meal freaks them out I've heard). So thinking it is one of the things that happen to rose bushes, not aphids, I would like to help them out a bit. I'll buy on-line some chem mix if I must. But I'd like some "baking soda" or home mix advice, please, or something to help the leaves of these bushes so they can get the sun they need to survive. I'd never thought I'd be growing rose bushes. but at $30 a doz, the savings and benefits are great. I'm thinking of getting more of them. Blooming two to three times a season, and fragrent too. www.highcountryroses.com Thanks for your help folks. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
