Tips for July

Remember, these tips and tricks are current for zone 5 and need to be adjusted one week earlier for each 100 miles south of the southern tip of Lake Michigan that you live, and one week later for each 100 miles north.

    If you live in Zone 5a around the southern tip of Lake Michigan you'll be fighting Japanese beetles (Jbs) for the next three to six weeks depending on if you're city folk or country folk. I have them bad for three weeks so, rather than spray sevin, which is the only effective insecticide, I let them have my roses for the three weeks. It's either that or spray and kill all the predatory insects along with the Jbs.

    It would be impossible for me to walk my roses everyday and keep them removed from the blooms. Some folks with just a few roses, will hand pick them and either throw them in a bucket of soapy water or squish them between their thumb and forefinger. If you insist on the insecticide, I suggest that you fill an old quart spray bottle with the solution and just spritz the blooms. You'll have to do this every other day as the bloom opens and after it rains.

    If you live in the country near a grape orchard or soybean field, you'll be fighting a loosing battle and they'll last until September. Folks in warmer zones have been fighting them for weeks already. They started early down south due to the warm winter which didn't kill many grubs.

    Now, what about control? The proper way to control Jbs is to get them in the grub stage. I apply Merit in the form of Grub-X. It can be applied about anytime and will be effective all season. Diazinon or Dursban is also effective but care has to be taken as it only effective on the grubs during a small window and if applied at other times you'll be wasting your money.

    Another form of control is to introduce milky spore disease into your lawn. This only infects the grubs. As they get it and die they spread the disease. It's effective in your yard for 15 to 20 years but it's very expensive.

    With all these controls, remember, none of them forms a wall around your yard to keep them from coming in from the neighbor's yard. So, unless you can treat the whole neighborhood you'll be knocking your head up against a wall. Jb traps placed in your yard will attract more beetles than they trap. If you want to put out traps, ask your neighbors if you can place them in their yards. That way the traps will attract them away from your roses. My advice though is to just relax, in three weeks they'll be gone and you can have your rose garden back.

Have questions on things I haven't covered? E-mail me at rosenut@rosenut.com

-Rosenut