Rose Care Reminders

It's rose-planting time almost everywhere, so it's the perfect time to go over the basics for selecting and growing new roses.

Choose locally adapted varieties. Not all roses grow well in all climates. Your local chapter of the American Rose Society, nursery or rose demonstration garden can help select the best varieties for your area.

Plant in full sun. Roses need a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight to stay healthy and bloom vigorously.

Water during dry spells. Deep-water at least once a week during dry spells - more often in hot weather.

Fertilize regularly. Roses are heavy feeders. Use Bayer Advanced™ Triple Action Rose Food Granules every three months.

Control insects and disease. Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Rose & Flower Care Concentrate fertilizes and prevents damaging diseases and insects for six weeks - longer than any competitive product on the market.

• Disease control prevents black spot, powdery mildew, rust and other fungal diseases.
• Insect control prevents aphids, Japanese beetles, thrips, whiteflies and other insects from damaging or destroying your rose plants.
• Fertilize to keep plants blooming and looking beautiful.

There's no spraying. Just mix into a watering can and pour at the base of the rose bush.

Cultivate to Stimulate Young Transplants

It's vegetable and flower-planting season in many parts of the country. If you want to get your transplants off to the fastest possible start, cultivate often. Cultivating is easy and is one of the more enjoyable gardening practices. Simply, it's gently turning the soil around transplants - fluffing it up so it's less compacted. Cultivating aerates the soil, allowing it to warm up and dry out more quickly. Cold, wet soils are the main cause of stalled transplants. It slows rooting and prevents the uptake of nutrients. Frequent cultivating also keeps weeds to a minimum, which means less competition and more vigorous growth.

Nurseries and garden centers carry many tools, such as hoes and hand forks, for cultivating. But a simple trowel is also a great cultivator. Just push it into the ground an inch or two and twist. You're cultivating.

Shortly after watering is the best time to cultivate. Just be sure you don't get too close to the base of plants or you might damage roots. Cultivating is also an ideal time to examine your plants for signs of early insect damage. To eliminate pest problems use Bayer Advanced™ PowerForce® Multi-Insect Killer Ready-To-Spray. Read the label and follow the directions.

Growing Grass in Shady Areas

If you're having trouble growing a healthy-looking lawn in shady areas, the first step toward a remedy is to make sure you are growing the right type of grass. Although all grasses grow best in full sun, St. Augustine and Zoysia grass are the most shade-tolerant, warm-season or Southern grasses. Fine fescue is the most shade-tolerant, cool-season or Northern grass. So the first step may be to replant shady areas.

The next best step is to increase the light that reaches the lawn. That usually means pruning trees so more light gets through their canopy. Mowing the lawn higher will also help, as will proper watering and fertilizing. Because of the decreased light and competition from tree roots, watering can be especially tricky. Water deeply and then allow time for the soil to partially dry before you irrigate again. Aerating will help water penetration. To control moss and algae, which also love the shade, use Bayer Advanced™ 2-in-1 Moss and Algae Killer Ready-To-Spray.

If your best efforts still result in a thin, unhealthy-looking lawn, consider replanting with shade-loving ground covers, such as ajuga, liriope, vinca, ivy, hosta or pachysandra.

Look Out for These Pests in Your Region

Some pests, such as aphids and scale, occur almost everywhere in the United States. Many others are problems only in specific regions of the country. Here are three pests that, although can't be found everywhere, are serious problems if you live where they are common.

FIRE ANTS: Warming spring weather marks the start of another fire ant season in many mild-winter areas, especially the southeastern United States. Fire ants sting more than 5 million Americans every year. Those stings can be so bad that approximately 25,000 people are forced to seek medical attention annually. Bayer Advanced™ Fire Ant Killer Dust is an excellent way to kill the entire mound, including the queen.

SLUGS AND SNAILS: In mild-winter parts of the western United States, snails, and their shell-less brethren slugs, are one of the most frustrating and destructive garden pests. Hiding during the day and feeding mostly at night, they can consume almost anything with fruit, flowers or foliage. Often, all you see in their wake, other than damaged plants, is the shiny slime trail they leave behind. Bayer Advanced™ Dual Action Snail and Slug Killer Bait Granules is a highly effective way to protect your plants from these pests.

EMERALD ASH BORER: The emerald ash borer (EAB) is a very destructive, wood-boring insect that has killed millions of ash trees in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Bayer Advanced™ Tree & Shrub Insect Control Concentrate offers up to 12 month protection from the emerald ash borer with a single application.