NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Keep roses free of rust

NZ Herald
27 Nov, 2010 04:30 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Rust fungal infections, best treated in winter, can easily attack your roses. Photo / Supplied

Rust fungal infections, best treated in winter, can easily attack your roses. Photo / Supplied

Landscape gardener and Life columnist Justin answers your questions.

Despite trying all the usual rose sprays, nothing seems to stop rust - can you suggest something?
- Chrissy Barrett


Rust is a fungal infection which is easily spread around your garden and is exacerbated by humid, still weather. It is best treated during winter. If you leave it this
late in the year things can really get away on you. Here are some things you can try now, as well as a programme to follow next season. Number one, be a tidy Kiwi. Keep old plant material away from your plants. Remove any signs of the infection from the plants. This means in winter giving your roses a good old hiding with loppers. Make sure you burn all infected material. Shape your roses to encourage good airflow and water at the base only, not on the foliage. Feed your plants with Kings rose food this spring and potash next autumn. Try spraying prophylacticly with 1 teaspoon baking soda, three cloves crushed garlic and 1 tablespoon olive oil per litre of water once a fortnight in spring.

Our peach tree is suffering from leaf curl. Are there any cures that don't involve spraying toxic chemicals?
- Isobel


There are two types of leaf curl - fungal and viral. Both need to be managed rather than being treated. Firstly, it's important to be proactive when dealing with these infections. You need to spray the tree just as the weather warms before the infections start to take hold of new growth. For the fungal infection you could try a baking soda and oil spray or you could try a copper-based spray. For the viral side of things you need to keep the white fly off the tree. I recommend regular treatments of garlic spray. To do this, soak a garlic bulb in a litre of water for 48 hours then mix with half a teaspoon of garden-friendly soap and a tablespoon of oil. Next year grow some Kings beneficial insect blend under your tree to attract white fly predators.

My 5-year-old Mexican blood flower climber grows vigorously on a north-facing deck railing but fails to produce more than one single flower each year. It should have hundreds! Any idea why? I have typical Waitakere clay soil.
- Jade


This a tropical native and sounds like a beautiful specimen except for the lack of flowers which can come down to a few things. Firstly, soil conditions can have a bearing. Make sure you improve that clay soil with a good friable compost and mulch. Over-watering is another reason your blood flower won't do the business. It comes from the same area as the bougainvillea and likes a light moist soil. Lastly, temperature may also be an issue. Any cold snap at the wrong time may stress the plant. You could invest in some frost cloth for winter and try and keep those delicate buds protected. In a tropical climate it will flower all year.

Weekend checklist

* Water tomatoes regularly, but remember not to water the foliage.

* Make sure your tomatoes are staked properly before they get too big, when they can be damaged easily.

* Mulch around your plants now before the dry, weather starts. If your garden is already dry, wet the mulch.

* Keep your garden tidy - dead head flowers and remove spent foliage, as this can harbour fungus spores.

* Plant cropping vegetables now. If you haven't germinated any seeds visit Kings and get your hands on some punnets.

* Slow down on watering your garlic but keep watering your onions.

* Get your kumara shoots in the ground - dig a pit about 100mm down, line with wood ash or charcoal (untreated only), form the shoot into a J shape then plant and water. Grow the vines up tepees to ensure the biggest tubers.

* Spray the garden with a mix of 1/2 a teaspoon of garden-friendly soap, three cloves crushed garlic, 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 teaspoon of baking soda for every litre of water.

* Treat yellowing foliage with Epsom salts (follow the instructions on the packet closely).

* Chop up prunings and hedge clippings finely, this will give your compost a good head start when it comes to digesting the huge amount of waste your garden can produce.

* Mix your lawn clippings into your compost thoroughly when, you guessed it, it's time to turn it over.

* To ask Justin a question, click on the email link below.

Discover more

Lifestyle

Garden Guru: Thorny issues

10 Jul 04:00 PM
Lifestyle

Garden Guru: Blaze of glory

04 Sep 05:30 PM
Lifestyle

Brighten the garden with clivia

18 Sep 05:30 PM
Lifestyle

Gardening: Greener fingers

06 Nov 04:30 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Lifestyle

Michelle Obama admits tough times in her marriage

Lifestyle

Prince Harry continues Diana's mission in Angola minefields

Premium
Lifestyle

‘Listening to porn saved our sex life’


Sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Michelle Obama admits tough times in her marriage
Lifestyle

Michelle Obama admits tough times in her marriage

Michelle Obama missed public events, sparking rumours, but cited scheduling conflicts.

16 Jul 10:23 PM
Prince Harry continues Diana's mission in Angola minefields
Lifestyle

Prince Harry continues Diana's mission in Angola minefields

16 Jul 09:58 PM
Premium
Premium
‘Listening to porn saved our sex life’
Lifestyle

‘Listening to porn saved our sex life’

16 Jul 07:00 PM


Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
Sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

01 Jul 04:58 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP