Cure Black Spot Fungus On Roses With Bananas
My Roses Go Bananas
The previous year I almost lost all four rose bushes to the nasty black spot fungus. This year I decided to be proactive. I filled my spray bottle with baking soda and soap and had been doing a strenuous battle against the nasty disease by spraying the leaves every other day or every day if it rains. Than I read that bananas were a good support for roses because they had so much potassium. While surfing the topic,there was a product that I saw advertised for the prevention of black spot that contained potassium and bicarb, it came to about $25 per 8 ounces container including the shipping cost.
Duh, I thought, I can duplicate that right in my kitchen. I filled my blender with a banana for the potassium portion of the mix, I added a heaping table spoon of soda bicarb (aka; baking soda) I put in a few calcium rich antacid tablets for calcium because, well it can not hurt to add them, I know that plants like calcium. Later after thinking about my recipe I added two large cloves of very crushed garlic to the mixture, knowing that garlic inhibits the growth of almost all viruses and fungal diseases inspired this addition. I than added enough water to cover the banana and antacids in the blender and gave in a good spin. I ran the blender until the mixture was velvet textured. The result was my "rose smoothie". I added about an ounce of the "smoothie" mixture to a pint of water shaking it well, I let it 'brew for about an hour, then strained it to get it through the spray bottle nozzle. I put it in the spray bottle and went to work in the garden. It's been a week since I started spraying, I spritz after each rain (twice this week) and the new growth is phenomenal. The bushes seem very happy with the garlic, banana, bicarb, calcium smoothie.
Early spring 2008.
Follow up, by the end of the year I was burying whole all of my over ripe bananas and banana skins in the rose garden to enhance the roses. This too made a big difference too. My roses are going to be better than ever in 2008. They are going bananas.
End of May, 2008
I buried two more over ripe bananas in the garden last week, I am cutting roses for all my neighbors and not a trace of black spot is anywhere in sight. Bananas rule my rose garden.
August of 2008
I'm keeping the bananas going in and the roses coming out. I am giving away a roses at least weekly and my two tables always have a vase full on them, the scent is lovely. All this from just four bushes, it's pretty amazing.
Happy gardening.
Published by A. C. O'Brien
................................. View profile
- Special Mother's Day Desert: Peanut Butter Stuffed Fried BananasA sweet tasty treat adapted from the traditional Thai desert and given the good old American twist.
- This is Bananas! Sticky Sesame Bananas that IsThese delicious bananas are something that I have not had since high school. What you get is some tasty morsels that are a real treat. Pieces of banana are dipped in caramel and then sprinkled with a few sesame seeds.
Natural Cure to Powdery MildewProblems with powdery mildew in your garden? Here a natural, in-expensive cure to your problems!- Beauty with BananasAs women, we usually spend a huge amount of money on expensive beauty products. The truth is that you can be beautiful with natural homemade remedies which are simple and very easy on your pocket.
A Garden Guide to Growing RosesA straight forward multi-section garden guide to growing roses, including information on selecting, planting, pruning, and caring for the plants.
- Take Better Care of Your Bananas
- Medicinal Bananas: More Than Just a Food in Some Parts of the World
- Bananas: America's Favorite Fruit
- How to Easily Recycle Over-Ripe Bananas and Save Yourself Money!
- 4 Alternative Ways to Use Up Ripe Bananas
- How to Treat Black Spots on Roses
- How to Extend Shelf Life of Green Bananas
5 Comments
Post a CommentWe're all anxious to know if this "smoothie" is still working beautifully for you. I have been a stumbling grower of roses and moved ancient rose bushes from my late grandmother's garden to my house last fall and now see that they brought their blackspots with them. Please let me know how your fabulous remedy is working for you, now, years after your generous posting. Cheers!
Is there a recipie for the smoothie?
How much of each:
Banana peel
baking soda
etc
I would really appreciate the help!
Thanks for the wonderful article--I'm excited to try your "rose smoothie"! All of my roses have really been suffering from black spot. I don't like using chemicals in my garden, but tried spray treatments from the garden centre and it doesn't seem to have helped at all. Hopefully your smoothie will help!
A.C. O'Brien,
I am looking forward to trying your "rose smoothie" I dug up a rose from my grandfathers yard in 2007. Well, it used to be his yard. He in 1990 and left a rose garden behind. This was the only rose remaining in the yard and the dear lady who lives there now let me have it. Anyway, it was doing beautifully until about two weeks ago. It was thriving- roses everywhere. Then I fertilized it for the second time this year and it was down hill from there. The leaves began to turn yellow and brown and shrivel up. The leaves that remain are pale greenish yellow and some have black spots. This is one plant I do not want to lose. Thank you for sharing your smoothie recipe, I will keep you posted on how things are going.
Wonderful tips- thank you!