Sentinel Roses For Vinyards

[so lucky]

I had never heard of this but it makes sense: http://www.leevalley.com/en/shopping/TechInfo.aspx?type=a&p=59384

 

[ninnymary]

I've heard of it. In Napa which is fairly close by, a lot of the vineyards have a rose planted in front of each row of grapes. They really look pretty. We enjoy going to the wine country because sides great wine, all of the vineyards have amazing gardens and architecture.

Mary

 

[Smart Red]

Thank you. That is a neat idea. I wonder if the rose bush idea would work as a trap plant for Japanese Beetles? This year there were almost no JBs, but in the past they have decimated the grapes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Im kind of cynical. I dont believe a lot of what I read about stuff like this. Some is just wrong. Some of it sounds good in theory but really falls apart when you try to put it into practice. Some things help, but that help is really insignificant in the overall scheme of things. But since Mary is seeing this regularly in the vineyards, I think you may be onto something. There is usually a basis for things like this if you see it as a widespread practice in an industry.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i found out about the rose and grape combo a few years ago when i got a set of the Carrots love Tomatoes, and Garlic Loves Roses companion planting books. when i planted a garden at my parents' yard back in 1996 i had 1 grape vine that survived and would thrive because i planted a beautiful wild rose beside it. never had many problems with them growing closely. saw Japanese beetles go crazy over both plants, with some years worse than others but seemed to thrive well with each other close by. never payed much attention to the fungal problems but guess that might be why i didn't catch the black rot the grape got about 10 years ago. this year i took care of the black rot by dusting and spraying it and it didn't seem to have issues with it.