Lou Pavlovich will be the featured speaker at the next Rose Society of Tucson meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

With over 50 years of rose growing experience in Tucson, he will present a battle plan for fertilizing your roses this month with the ultimate payoff being spectacular blooms on long stems in November and December if you lightly cut back your roses in late September and early October.

There are two types of rose growers in Tucson. One is the casual gardener who is happy with average roses. Then you have the hard-core grower who is after the biggest and most colorful roses possible. Lou will explain what you do for both.

Lou will also explain his system for applying liquid fertilizer on the soil of plants which entails the use of a 55-gallon hard rubber drum filled with water up to the 48-gallon level and mixed with the proper amount of water soluable fertilizer .

Then a submersible pump is connected to a 50-foot hose and lowered in the solution. The power is turned on, and perfectly diluted fertilizer will pump out through the hose and water wand connected to the end of the hose to the soil of each rose plant. This system is much easier on the back than mixing two gallons of fertilizer up as you lug heavy batches of fertilize out to plants. Lou will share other tips as well.

ANOTHER QUALITY SPEAKER: Also on tap for our Oct. 7 meeting will be an important presentation by Les Hayt who has over five decades of rose gowing experience in Tucson. He will explain what you should be doing in your rose garden during the month of October. There are several important chores to consider in October as we finish up another long, hot summer. At the top of the list is proper watering and switching to a fall fertilizer program that will result in spectacular blooms next November and December. Spraying off the leaves of your rose foliage is also vital with a blast of water every morning to keep spider mites from defoliating your roses and raise the humidity for better growth.   Les will be happy to answer all questions from the audience. 

DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.

LOCATION: Tucson Botanical Gardens (2150 N. Alvernon Way), one block south of Grant and Alvernon on the east side of the street.

WHO CAN ATTEND?: Anyone who wants to learn more about growing great roses (FREE!) Feel free to bring a friend.

JOIN THE TUCSON ROSE SOCIETY: Learn how to grow stunning roses in Tucson all year long by becoming a member as you receive our national award winning newsletter 10 times a year, plus other great benefits such as going on field trips, entering our annual rose show, in addition to much more all for just $20 per family. TO BECOME A MEMBER, CLICK HERE