Milk. It Does the Roses Good

One of the things Joey and I inherited with our house is eight rose bushes in the front yard.  I mentioned before I was going to get rid of them, but thought I would try one season of growing them and I am so glad I did.  Look at them!  They are beautiful!! I have really enjoyed watching them grow and the beautiful roses that seem to appear daily.  What I don't love, however, is that powdery mildew and black spot that roses are known for.  

Every day when I get home from work I have to comb my roses for these evil demons.  If I keep on top of it I can keep both at bay - almost.  When it's particularly damp, which is often here in Daly City, it's a big problem.  Miss one day and it's a mildew fest. I searched and search the web for an organic way to take care of this and came across a post on a message board singing the praises for milk and water.  Milk?! For my roses?

Several people said spraying a solution of 1 part milk to 2 parts water and a weekly basis would keep the mildew and black spot at bay. No one could seem to explain why, but it was worth a shot so I gave it a go.

Guess what? It works! My roses are practically mildew and black spot free. Done on a weekly basis it really does keep your roses healthy.  That is the key, though - a weekly basis. Miss a week and you'll be sorry. Trust me, I know.

I kept this little secret to myself because, well, I don't have a any friends that grow roses and I kind of felt silly spraying my roses with milk. Also, what do I know about gardening to give tips?

A couple of weeks ago, my favorite garden blogger, Kevin Lee Jacobs from A Garden for the House, wrote that he was trying the same thing!  Well, if Mr. Jacobs is recommending it, then I must be doing something right. So, if you have roses and they need a little TLC, try the milk and water solution. Your mildew and black spot problems will vanish.