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organic rose gardening


Question
You do not push the organics so I would like to know what you think about this.

It seems to me that organic roses are not really that important. we don't eat them, so why should they be organic? Plus, major companies (I assume) are selling roses on valentines day every year and you don't hear that they had to close any farms down because the workers got sick from spraying all the chemicals.  And one last thing, there is no real studying of roses per se in any universities or anywhere else.  do you agree that with all the chemicals available to us, we should take advantage of what science is offering and go ahead and use them?  

Answer
This reply to your question is only my personal opinion.
You are assuming in your argument that all roses must be sprayed to keep disease and insects at bay. That is not correct. Many roses do not require anymore than fertilizer and water. Pesticides for cosmetic use are slowly being banned in Europe and the rose breeders are responding by breeding excellent disease resistant roses. Also many breeders in the States.
You also assume that workers always get sick from the chemicals. Workers get sick because they are simple people don't use them correctly and do not understand the dangers. It is the responsibility of the farm manager to make sure they do not spill the chemicals, breathe them in and to make sure they have the proper protection and climatic conditions when they use them. Most florist roses are grown under glass and everything is automatic including any spraying.
Cornell University has done extensive work in regards to growing roses. Since roses have gone from small nurseries to become big businesses, agricultural universities are doing a lot of work debunking myths about roses and finding better ways to grow them without using chemicals.
In regards to going ahead and using the chemicals that multi billion dollar companies design, the home gardener does not need them even for their vegetable gardens but when you have acres and acres of roses growing, it is a hard sell to tell them to not use chemicals and lose money.

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